Man says meat-only 'lion diet' cleared psoriasis covering 90% of his body, ended decades of depression

A 50-year-old Florida man who says he spent decades battling severe psoriasis, pain and depression credits an extreme "lion diet" with saving his life.

Stephen Lashbrook, of Pensacola, told Fox News Digital that his depression began at just 4 years old. In his teens, it was compounded by chronic pain, sleeplessness 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."

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Creams, steroids and other medications did not help, he said. Doctors recommended expensive, long-term injections to combat his inflammation, which left Lashbrook feeling hopeless and suicidal.

Stephen Lashbrook says he struggled for decades with psoriasis, chronic pain and depression before changing his diet. (Stephen Lashbrook)

Then, he came across a TED Talk from Mikhaila Peterson, an influencer and the daughter of Canadian psychologist and author Jordan Peterson, who used a meat-only elimination diet to tackle her own health issues.

"It gave me a whole new lease on life," he said.

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Lashbrook said he initially cut sugar, grains, fruits and vegetables from his diet. 

On Jan. 1, 2024, he committed to the "lion diet," a strict carnivore diet variation centered on ruminant animal meat, "your cow, your buffalo, your lamb, your goat," he told Fox News Digital.

Stephen Lashbrook says a meat-only diet helped him manage symptoms he experienced for decades. (Stephen Lashbrook)

Within a week, Lashbrook said his itching and suicidal thoughts stopped and, within a month, his skin began to clear up and his pain subsided.

"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."

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His current menu consists of only grass-fed ground beef and steak. 

Lashbrook said he generally eats one meal per day — about 1½ to 2 pounds of high-fat ground beef usually cooked in an air fryer.

After years of pain and severe psoriasis symptoms, Lashbrook adopted a strict all-beef "lion diet," he told Fox News Digital. (Courtesy Stephen Lashbrook)

"I feel like I'm reverse aging," he said.

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His reported improvements are based on personal experience. Lashbrook said he has not had follow-up blood work or visited a doctor since changing his diet, preferring to judge the approach by how he feels.

"Everyone's different," he added. "Not everybody needs to be on a lion diet. ... I'm a very specific case."

Lashbrook generally eats one high-fat beef meal per day, he told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

Dr. Michael Aziz, a New York City-based internist and regenerative medicine specialist, said that while some people may feel better after cutting sugar and ultra-processed foods, that does not establish the carnivore diet as a treatment for psoriasis or other chronic conditions.

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"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," he told Fox News Digital.

"If people don't hear that these healings are possible, they're not going to know."

One of the main problems, Aziz added, is that carnivore-centered diets lack fiber. 

"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.

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Yet meat and protein-forward have drawn recent attention online and in the mainstream, especially as people seek to cut out 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.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he follows a carnivore diet centered on meat and fermented foods. (United States Department of Health and Human Services)

Like Lashbrook, Kennedy has acknowledged that his experience may not be right for everyone and medical experts have cautioned that long-term effects of the carnivore diet remain unclear.

Lashbrook will share his story this week at Carni-Con, a virtual convention centered around carnivore diets. The event runs from Sept. 18–20 and features doctors, creators and other diet advocates.

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"The stories are what's most important," Lashbrook said. 

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"If people don't hear that these healings are possible, they're not going to know."

Deirdre Bardolf is a lifestyle writer with Fox News Digital.