My Thoughts on Eating Raw Meat

“Eating raw meat? Like, uncooked?!”

That’s usually the first thing people say to me when I tell them I eat raw meat. That I eat only raw meat. Yes Barbara, Peter, James, and Jessica, uncooked raw meat.

I think mostly the idea of someone eating raw meat is so far outside an individuals purview((range of experience or thought)) that they struggle to come up with any real response about it. It’s only later, in subsequence conversation, that they dig further.

Here are some of my thoughts about eating raw meat.

Aren’t you worried about bacteria?!

Nope. To the contrary, I want all the bacteria.

I want whatever microbes would normally live and grow and flourish on the meat to break it down in nature; because I want those same microbes to help digest the meat when I eat it.

I believe our digestive system is uniquely designed and optimized to eat raw meat. However, when we mix meat with plant “foods” or have a damaged GI system we become more vulnerable to opportunistic bacteria or an imbalance leading to illness.

Related to how our system is optimized to eat meat and not plants (of any kind), you may find this interesting to begin thinking about whether the current “eating plants is healthy” message might be completely wrong:

What about parasites?

Every living creature has some kind of parasites. Humans are no different.

I think about it more like a balance system.

I grew up raising horses and there are generally three approaches to parasite management in the horse community:

1. Dose your horse with a dewormer on a periodic schedule and just assume they have parasites and need the medication; or
2. Check the fecal count of parasites in your horse’s stool periodically and medicate based on that information; or
3. You really don’t give any consideration to parasites and leave the horse as-is.

In my observations the first approach is one of the most common, though I think more vets are doing a better job of educating people about doing fecal testing instead to reduce unnecessary medication use.

That said, you mostly run into parasite loads that are negatively affecting the animal when there is some other factor harming their health. For example, a horse that is being starved then becomes susceptible to parasite overload and that further drives the cycle of illness.

Otherwise, I have to ask, why aren’t all wild animals overloaded with parasites and dying because of it?

Think of it this way – HIV. It was the weakening of an individual’s immune system so it no longer kept common bacteria in-check and dying of those secondary infections was rampant. But in the face of a healthy immune system the risk was moot, bacteria that lives on our body and in our system all the time do not pose a risk.

We should take more care of our overall health so the body can function like it should, in balance with the bacteria and parasites we are exposed to.

Have you ever gotten sick eating raw meat?

Not once.

I do believe it’s essential to take care of your stomach acidity if you’re going to eat raw meat. And that can mean a few things:

1. Eating only raw meat in a meal, not combining with dairy or plants of any kind (e.g. fruits, vegetables, grains, starches, spices, etc); and
2. avoiding drinking fluids with meals so you don’t dilute the stomach acid during digestion; and
3. if you are just starting out or know you have stomach acid issues it can be worth taking something like Betaine HCl or Apple Cider Vinegar with meals to increase the stomach’s acidity.

Do you wash or freeze the meat first?

Nope. I don’t do any special prep before eating raw meat.

I don’t consider it dirty, so why would I wash it and what would I be washing off of it?

I also want all the microbes possible, so why would I freeze it first?

Where do you buy your meat from?

Everywhere.

I really love the ground beef blends from Frazier Farms (similar to Sprouts or small Whole Foods like chains). But I buy just as often from regular grocery chains (like Von’s, Albertsons, etc) and discount chains (Wal-Mart, WinCo, Grocery Outlet, etc).

Every once in a great great while, I’ll buy some from the local farmer’s market (though I don’t love the flavor, texture, or over-priced sticker).

You only eat high-quality cuts of beef steak though, right?

Nope. I eat a LOT of raw ground beef, pretty much every day.

I also eat raw egg yolks, raw chicken, raw fish, raw shellfish, raw dairy, etc. I almost never eat pork because pork itself doesn’t make me feel awesome, but I’ve eaten that raw too((raw bacon is surprisingly delicious)).

What benefits have you had from eating raw meat?

Before going raw, I was doing a more traditional carnivore diet since 2018.

Carnivore alone addressed the majority of chronic health issues I was experiencing.

Going raw finally addressed chronic diarrhea. I also no longer suffer from histamine intolerance symptoms, which were a pretty regular problem while I was cooking my meat. I sleep much better and generally have better cognitive function.

Unrelated to health, eating my meals raw saved a LOT of time. There is also minimal waste and no dishes to clean after. I can generally start and finish a meal within 10 minutes or less and move on to the rest of my day.

Don’t you ever get bored with it?

Nope.

The same question comes up about carnivore diet in general, don’t people get tired of eating the same thing every day? Not really, maybe in the beginning when you’re just getting used to the change. But you quickly get over that and the monotony (or consistency) becomes something you look forward to.

Less time having to plan and over-plan elaborate meals or recipes. Less time shopping, driving, standing in line. Less money spent. Less waste on things you don’t end up using in time that go bad in the fridge.

And cravings for foods goes away; completely. If you’ve always been addicted to food in some capacity the idea of NOT being controlled by hunger or cravings is an alien concept. When you first break free from it your perspective on everything changes, it’s very liberating.

Do you use any seasoning?

Just salt.

No other seasonings or spices. I avoid all plants in any form whenever possible; they damage my GI system and cause unwanted side effects (like swelling around my eyes, bloated abdomen, lethargy, anxiety, depression, etc).

My all-time favorite is Maldon’s flaked sea salt.

How do I start eating raw meat?

We’re all guinea pigs here and I am not a doctor.

If eating raw meat is something you’re interested in you’ll need to explore that on your own.

Mostly, I share this information because I believe it’s useful for people to question their long-held beliefs and the debate on what is the optimal human diet is one such long-held belief system worth questioning.

By the sheer volume of raw meat I’ve eaten so far, but all accounts of those who tell us that eating raw meat is dangerous I should be dead. Instead, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. Why is that?

I post more about my raw meat lifestyle on YouTube if you’re interested in following along.