Ashley’s Childhood Diet and Health Struggles
Ashley’s story begins in Ontario, Canada, where she grew up eating a high-carbohydrate diet including many processed and fast food choices. “My parents split when I was 7 years old, so due to finances, I was fed a lot of McDonald’s fast food, junk food, chips, pop, and candy.”
Ashley has suffered from asthma since she was a child, and at 5’4”, she weighed 240 pounds by the time she was in her early twenties. “I was able to lose some of that weight by restricting calories and dieting,” she explains, “but I did gain the weight back over several years up to about 217 pounds.”
Ashley’s Diagnosis with Crohn’s Disease
In addition to struggling with asthma, Ashley describes being “covered in psoriasis” that she couldn’t control and suffered from severe rosacea, both painful autoimmune conditions that affect the skin. She was later diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the digestive tract, is believed to be incurable, and in Ashley’s case, she nearly died from her severe symptoms.
Ashley’s Transition to a Carnivore Diet
“It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease that I cleaned up my diet. I got rid of all fast food and refined carbohydrates, and I was able to come off of my Crohn’s medication,” Ashley shares. “I maintained that for a while, but I still continued to have digestive issues.” She was also prescribed several face creams and antibiotics to help control her severe rosacea, and additional medication to help treat her psoriasis.
After hearing about the benefits of a ketogenic diet from a friend, Ashley followed the diet for about three weeks, and quickly transitioned over to a carnivore diet.
The Benefits of a Meat-Based Diet for Ashley’s Health
This was the turning point she had been waiting for! She keeps her meals simple, and focuses her diet around salt, meat without spices, and eggs. “As soon as I went carnivore, my face cleared up from the rosacea. After removing spices from the meat at about the six week mark, my face was completely clear and I have not had any psoriasis come back!” Ashley no longer needs medication or creams for her rosacea and psoriasis, thanks to the healing benefits of a meat-based diet.
Ashley’s Remission from Crohn’s Disease and Other Health Improvements
Even though the consensus from medical experts is that Crohn’s disease is incurable, many who follow a carnivore diet report putting their symptoms into full remission and even more incredibly, they no longer need their medication. While following the carnivore diet, Ashley reports having no flare-ups or any symptoms of Crohn’s disease and remains medication-free. The chronic inflammation and swelling she had in one of her feet has also completely disappeared since making the switch.
Ashley is still working to maintain her weight loss, but her food addiction issues have improved considerably on the highly satiating carnivore diet. “I no longer have a huge drive to eat, but I do need to retrain myself on how much I actually need to feel satisfied. I feel amazing on this diet, and I would recommend it to everybody!”
