Josie talks about her journey on the carnivore diet. Josie Lieder spent 14 years vegan before developing severe ulcerative colitis, repeated bloody diarrhea, major health decline, and two hospitalizations. After introducing bone broth, then animal foods, then a carnivore diet, her digestion, skin, inflammation, weight stability, satiety, and mental health improved. She now maintains a mostly red-meat carnivore diet, avoids plant-food reintroductions that trigger symptoms

::: spoiler summerizer Early Health Alarm and Vegan Conversion

• At 11, Super Size Me gave Josie a sense that she had control over her health.
• At 13, a PETA tent at Vans Warped Tour led Josie to watch Earthlings and change her diet overnight.
• Josie became vegan immediately because she believed it was healthiest, most ethical, and best for her skin.
• In hindsight, Josie knew something was wrong with the Standard American Diet, but moved in the wrong direction.

Fourteen Vegan Years and Illness

• Josie stayed vegan for 14 years without cheating and moved from meat substitutes to whole-food plant-based eating.
• During those years, Josie had weight swings, dry skin, rosacea, poor mental health, and low self-esteem.
• After about 10 years vegan, ulcerative colitis hit with diarrhea 10 to 20-plus times a day and heavy blood in stool.
• Josie was hospitalized twice, and one doctor told her the severe episode could have killed her.
• Doctors told Josie it was genetic, lifelong, medication-dependent, and incompatible with full-time work or having children.

Breaking Point and Animal Foods

• In 2021, after another severe flare and years of avoiding medication, Josie tried bone broth.
• Within a week, digestion and skin improved enough for Josie to see a workable path.
• Over about six months, Josie reintroduced animal products in steps because she was still afraid of them.
• After four to five months, colitis symptoms were mostly in remission before beef returned.
• With beef and a meat-based diet, digestion, skin, inflammation, weight, and mental health improved further.
• Carnivore finished the process: normal digestion returned after nearly a decade, and plant-food tests still bring symptoms.

Identity and Social Response

• Reintroducing animal foods created a full identity crisis after a decade of vegan commitment.
• Health gains overrode guilt and social pressure because Josie's body was improving quickly and drastically.
• Friends and acquaintances were shocked, but their reactions did not change Josie's decision.
• Josie's fiancé started carnivore with her, improved too, and added white rice only because strict carnivore made him lose too much weight.

Current Diet and Routine

• Dinner is usually steak, ground beef, eggs, salmon, shrimp, or poultry, with red meat as the base.
• Red meat is about 60 to 70% of Josie's diet because she feels best eating steak and ground beef.
• Josie usually eats two meals a day, sometimes one meal when she is busy.
• Coffee stays in the routine: organic coffee with heavy cream, butter or beef tallow, and salt.
• Compared with vegan eating, cravings and food noise are gone, and a smaller amount of food brings complete satiety.

Current Commitment and Advice

• After about four and a half years carnivore, Josie has no desire to go back.
• Small additions like organic hot sauce or avocado usually bring brain fog or skin irritation.
• For people starting, Josie recommends a 30-day carnivore trial and a gradual transition when needed.
• Josie would step down from processed foods and excess sugar first, then vegetables, then fruit.
• Josie shares the journey, recipes, experiments, and Coming Around to Carnivore through The X Plant Eater platforms.

References

• [00:15] Super Size Me — https://morganspurlock.com/work/super-size-me/
• [01:02] Earthlings — https://www.nationearth.com/earthlings
• [23:03] Coming Around to Carnivore: From Skeptic to Thriving — https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/coming-around-to-carnivore-josie-lieder/1148793261 :::