Social media loves a diet trend. In the last few months, we’ve seen okra water, onion coffee, and sardine-only diets take over algorithms, from TikTok to Instagram to X. But while some trends—like cucumber salads and Balkan breakfast videos—may genuinely help you eat more nutritious foods, others aren’t so healthy. In fact, they are, quite frankly, dangerous. We’re specifically talking about the recent influencer appetite for eating raw meat.
The Instagram account Raw Meat Experiment, which has 146,000 followers, regularly showcases videos of founder John (who only goes by his first name) eating everything from raw chicken to raw testicles.
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Another influencer, Wendy Marshall (known as Raw Wendy) has nearly 38,000 followers who tune in regularly to watch her eat raw hamburgers and raw steak. Brian Johnson, also known as the Liver King, has a following of 2.7 million. He isn’t 100 percent raw, but as his social media moniker suggests, he does eat raw liver.
But for anyone who is tempted to follow this extreme version of the carnivore diet, it’s important to note that an abundance of research is strongly against it.
What are the dangers of a raw carnivore diet?
Eating raw meat predates social media. Steak tartare, for example, has been eaten for centuries—the name “tartare” is linked to the nomadic group Tartars, who, according to legend, softened raw meat by placing it under their saddles when riding (although there is no real historical record to support this origin theory). Torisashi, eaten in Japan, is made with raw chicken, while Italian carpaccio is often made with raw beef or fish.
But unlike social media’s raw meat or “raw carnivore” diets, these dishes usually aren’t eaten every day. That said, even consuming a little raw meat comes with risk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all poultry, for example, is cooked to a temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure safe consumption. Beef, veal, lamb, and pork should be cooked to 145, while all ground meat should be cooked to 160. This is because raw meat is linked with a much higher risk of foodborne illness.
Raw meat can harbor harmful pathogens, including salmonella, E.coli, and listeria. All can lead to unpleasant illnesses, and for some, they could result in hospitalization and even death. Raw meat can also contain parasites, like tapeworm and trichinella, for example.
But also, on top of this, any diet that encourages the consumption of only one food type can leave you at risk of nutritional deficiencies. Without plant sources, deficiency in vitamin C, for example, may lead to scurvy.
How to boost your energy and take care of your health without raw meat
Most aren’t eating raw meat because they enjoy the risk. Many do so because they believe it benefits their digestion and their energy levels, among other perceived benefits. But, actually, many experts say that, scientifically, raw meat actually takes more effort for our bodies to digest.
“The ability for humans to cook meat is what some biological anthropologists say is the reason our brains developed to become much larger,” Felicia Wu, PhD, a professor in food safety, toxicology, and risk assessment at Michigan State University, told Verywell Health.
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“It takes a lot of work to chew and digest raw meat compared with cooked meat. To dispense calories that way in prehistoric times was a disadvantage to humans.”
That said, an abundance of research does suggest that the way we eat can make a big difference to our health and leave us feeling energized. However, multiple studies support a plant-forward way of eating, not a carnivore approach. In fact, the scientific evidence overwhelmingly supports a diverse diet that includes cooked foods and plant-based nutrients.
Healthline expert Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD says: “No controlled studies support claims that the carnivore diet can help eliminate health issues. It lacks beneficial nutrients, including fiber and plant compounds like antioxidants.”
The plant-centric Mediterranean diet, on the other hand, has been linked with a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer. This is because plants are rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber, for example, which is important for gut and digestive health. Find out more about the many benefits of a plant-led diet here.
“In a strict carnivore diet whereby no plant foods are allowed, the body is stripped of any opportunity to have phytonutrients that protect us from cancer and many chronic diseases,” Angel Luk, RD of Food Mysteries, recently told VegNews. “These phytonutrients are exclusively found in plants.” She also added that low-fiber diets, like carnivore and raw carnivore, increase the risk of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and inflammation.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
