Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet (Here’s What I Found Out)
The carnivore diet has gained popularity recently, with celebrities like Joe Rogan adapting to the hypercarnivore (meat-only) lifestyle.
Having followed a hypo-carnivore diet for five years myself, I was eager to dig into Joe Rogan's exact approach and his reasons for going all-in on meat.
To get the full picture, I tapped into insights from fellow Carnivore Style experts, cross-referenced multiple sources, and leaned on my own track record of guiding clients toward better health.
This article provides insights on whether adopting a meat-only diet long-term is healthy and whether Joe Rogan is onto something good.
Quick Summary
- Joe Rogan's carnivore diet consists solely of animal products, including meat, fish, and dairy.
- The diet is based on the idea that humans are primarily designed to eat meat, not plants.
- Despite its popularity, the diet has sparked controversy due to potential health risks and lack of certain nutrients.
What's in Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet?
Meat, fruit, and water form the foundation of Joe Rogan's carnivore diet. Since January is World Carnivore Month, Rogan committed to the diet in January 2020 and again in 2021. The carnivore diet traditionally requires eating only animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy. However, Rogan added his own twist by cutting out vegetables, bread, and nearly all other plant foods—yet he kept fruit in the mix. This inclusion of fruit (alongside his meat and water) gives his version more carbohydrates and fiber than a strict carnivore plan, aligning it with modern "animal-based" or "ketovore" approaches.
The podcaster also shared that he took multivitamin supplements, amino acids, and fish oils alongside his meat‑only meals. By doing so, he aimed to cover all his nutritional bases despite skipping vegetables.
What Meats Does Joe Rogan Consume?
Joe Rogan eats a wild game meat variety. Rogan said that his typical day of dining on the meat diet included two meals for just one month.
His breakfast and dinner consisted of either of the following meats:
1. Elk
Rogan's favorite meat is elk, which he prepares using the reverse-sear technique.
Elk is very rich, delicious, and high in nutritious, lean protein.
Since elk is a lot leaner, Rogan mentioned that he adds bacon to his elk to get enough fat that elk lack to avoid rabbit starvation (starvation from eating lean meats that have less or no fat at all).
According to Rogan, eating elk can significantly improve your mojo, vitality, mental clarity, and masculinity, even though very little science supports these claims.
2. Varieties of Wild Game
Rogan consumes wild game, primarily red meat.
He's stated having moose, elk, deer, bear, and pig in his freezer, all of which are from wild game.
He believes eating a grass-fed wild animal that has had a difficult existence, fleeing predators and battling off other prospective mates, is considerably healthier than eating a domesticated farm animal imprisoned in a cage and pumped full of all antibiotics and hormones.
3. Salmon
Rogan eats salmon in his carnivore diet because it's loaded with essential nutrients, including fats and proteins.
4. Water
Apart from the meat and fruit-only diet, Rogan takes a lot of water, which is necessary, given his hectic schedule.
He revealed in a podcast episode that he loves to add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt and occasionally even some lemon to his water.
Water is necessary for proper body and cell function and for draining toxins, keeping heart disease at bay [1].
Water also helps digestion, muscle health, and recovery from strenuous activities [2].
Why Joe Rogan Does the Carnivore Diet?
Joe Rogan does the carnivore diet because he's a great believer in the health advantages of this lifestyle and has tried it on a few occasions.
Benefits of The Diet According to Rogan
In a 2020 Instagram post, Rogan outlined the benefits and negative effects of his all-meat diet as follows:
1. Weight Loss
In January 2020, the podcaster stated that he had spent 30 days consuming animal products, and 12 days into the radical diet change, he had lost almost 7 pounds.
And after the 30-day mark, he weighed 193 pounds from the initial 205 when he started the diet.
“Having been fat-shamed several times, I'm proud to say that I lost all my fat around my face, belly, and waist area,” Rogan admitted.
"The carnivore diet's weight-loss selling point comes down to a simple concept: everything in your food group will be heavy in protein, which makes you feel full."
- Shawn Baker, Medical Doctor
2. Better Energy
Rogan stated that the diet was tremendously beneficial in maintaining better and more stable energy levels throughout the day.
As opposed to the previous carb diet that left him with peak and valley energy levels.
The podcaster stated that a carnivorous diet does not cause continual energy drops like carbohydrate-rich meals.
3. Reduced Vitiligo
Rogan first heard about the diet through his podcast guest Jordan Peterson, whose daughter Mikhaila had shown significant improvements in her auto-immune rheumatoid arthritis thanks to the diet.
Rogan, who also suffers from an auto-immune illness called vitiligo, adopted the diet.
After 30 days, the 55-year-old said that the diet helped him fight vitiligo, a skin condition that causes skin pigmentation loss.
Did He Experience Any Negative Effects?
Throughout the 30 days of eating meat and fruit, the UFC commentator did not experience any potential long-term effects except for explosive diarrhea that lasted for two weeks.
He highlighted that the problem went away once his body adjusted to the carnivore diet.
Dieticians' Perspective on Joe Rogan's Diet
According to experts, Rogan experienced explosive diarrhea due to inadequate fiber, as with most carnivore dieters.
Diarrhea is a typical repercussion of cutting on consuming vegetables, wheat, and other plant foods from your diet [3].
According to Carnivore Style's team, while meat includes crucial nutrients, it lacks fiber, a slow-digesting kind of carbohydrate.
Dietitians also warn against Rogan's just meat diet due to other possible adverse effects.
Carbohydrates are a crucial energy source, and doctors warn that cutting them out entirely can result in muscle breakdown and weariness [4].
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FAQs
What Does Joe Rogan Consume on The Carnivore Diet?
Joe Rogan eats two daily meals constituting only meat, fruit, and water on the carnivore diet.
Does Joe Rogan Still Do the Carnivore Diet?
Yes, Joe Rogan still does the carnivore diet. He believes it's a great diet that offers physical and health benefits.
What Meat Does Joe Rogan Eat?
Joe Rogan eats different meats like elk, beef, and salmon.
Does Joe Rogan Eat Fruit?
Yes, Joe Rogan eats fruit. He considered adding fruit to his second trial at the carnivore diet after experiencing excessive diarrhea in the previous hypercarnivore diet, where he ate just meat.
What Did Dr. Rhonda Patrick Say About Joe Rogan's Carnivore Diet?
Podcast guest Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a biomedical researcher, told Rogan that high-protein eating naturally curbs appetite and can ease autoimmune symptoms, though she cautioned it raises the risk of micronutrient gaps.
References:
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6457474/
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-much-water-should-you-drink
- https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/fiber
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3784189/
