A Pensacola man says switching to an all-meat “lion diet” reversed a psoriasis condition that once covered 90% of his body and ended decades of depression and suicidal thoughts, though doctors caution his personal account is not medical proof the diet works.
Stephen Lashbrook, 50, told Fox News Digital his depression started at age 4. In his teens he developed chronic pain and sleep trouble, and in his early 20s he was diagnosed with psoriasis, an immune-mediated skin disease.
“I was probably 90% covered in psoriasis,” Lashbrook said. “My body was just one big, giant, itchy, flaky scab.”
He said creams, steroids and other medications failed to help, and doctors suggested costly, long-term injections for his inflammation, which left him feeling hopeless and suicidal.
Lashbrook credits a TED Talk by Mikhaila Peterson, an influencer and daughter of Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, with introducing him to a meat-only elimination diet. “It gave me a whole new lease on life,” he said.
He first cut sugar, grains, fruits and vegetables from his meals. Then, on Jan. 1, 2024, he committed fully to the “lion diet” — a strict carnivore variant built around ruminant meat, “your cow, your buffalo, your lamb, your goat,” he said.
He says the results came fast. Within a week, his itching and suicidal thoughts stopped. Within a month, his skin began clearing and his pain eased.
“I haven’t had one suicidal thought. I haven’t had any depression. I haven’t had any pain,” he said. “All my skin issues cleared up.”
Lashbrook’s current diet consists only of grass-fed ground beef and steak, generally eaten as one daily meal of 1.5 to 2 pounds of high-fat ground beef, often cooked in an air fryer. “I feel like I’m reverse aging,” he said.
He acknowledged his improvements are based entirely on personal experience — he has not had follow-up blood work or seen a doctor since changing his eating habits, preferring to judge the diet by how he feels. “Everyone’s different,” he said. “Not everybody needs to be on a lion diet. … I’m a very specific case.”
Doctors Urge Skepticism
Dr. Michael Aziz, a New York City internist and regenerative medicine specialist, said feeling better after cutting sugar and ultra-processed foods doesn’t prove the carnivore diet treats psoriasis or other chronic conditions.
“Many people judge this diet by their success, by their weight loss, but they don’t look long-term at their lifespan, how it can be affected by those diets,” Aziz told Fox News Digital.
Aziz said a major concern is the lack of fiber in meat-only eating. “They can lead to problems like constipation. They can lead to kidney stones. They can lead to increased risks for heart attack and stroke,” he said.
Meat- and protein-heavy diets have gained wider attention as more people try to cut ultra-processed foods. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he follows a carnivore diet centered on meat and fermented foods, claiming it helped him lose weight and gain mental clarity. Like Lashbrook, Kennedy has said his approach may not suit everyone, and medical experts continue to warn that the long-term effects of carnivore diets remain unclear.
Lashbrook is set to share his story this week at Carni-Con, a virtual convention on carnivore diets running Sept. 18–20 that features doctors, creators and other diet advocates.
“The stories are what’s most important,” Lashbrook said. “If people don’t hear that these healings are possible, they’re not going to know.”
