Carnivore’s a Love Story: How an All-Meat Diet Rescued More Than Just Health for Zackary & His Wife
For Zackary Peek, a 33-year-old writer, the carnivore diet did more than just optimize his physical health; he states unequivocally, “this diet saved our marriage”. After getting sober four years prior and diving into a “health obsessed” lifestyle based on conventional fitness advice, Zackary found himself constantly exhausted and “never full”. A little over a year ago, his search for solutions to suspected blood sugar issues led him and his wife to the carnivore diet, a decision that brought profound healing, mental clarity, and renewed harmony to their lives.
The “Healthy” Grind: Exhaustion and Insatiable Hunger
After overcoming addiction in his 20s, Zackary committed to becoming the “best that I could be” with the same conviction he once applied to partying. For years, this meant a diet of “grilled chicken breast steamed broccoli brown rice” – the epitome of conventional healthy eating. Yet, the results were disheartening. “Oh man, I was exhausted I was so worn down I was never full,” he recalls. He’d consume enormous salads from his grandmother’s family-sized bowl and still feel unsatisfied. The constant eating, the cost, and the mental space it occupied became a burden, especially as he wasn’t achieving the results he wanted.
The Carnivore Revelation: Simplicity for an “Addict Mind”
Suspecting blood sugar dysregulation was causing his persistent afternoon exhaustion, Zackary researched foods that wouldn’t cause aggressive spikes. “Meat you know was at the top of the list,” he discovered. He quickly went down the carnivore rabbit hole and was “hooked instantly,” deciding to start the very next day with his wife joining him. He has maintained strict adherence ever since: “I have not licked my finger after cutting strawberries for my daughter… I have not had one cheat day”.
Zackary found the carnivore diet’s rigidity and “extremity” surprisingly compatible with his self-described “addict mind”. Unlike keto, which he’d tried previously and found challenging due to its carbohydrate limits and the need for meticulous tracking (“I found myself weighing you know a few slices of apple and a little bit of banana”), carnivore’s simplicity was liberating.
A Marriage Transformed: Healing for His Wife
While Zackary experienced his own benefits, he emphasizes that “what I kind of enjoy even more so than than my success is my wife’s success”. His wife had struggled with mental health issues her entire life, enduring diagnoses, misdiagnoses, and a carousel of medications with difficult side effects, addictions, and withdrawals. The carnivore diet brought an unexpected peace. “Everything just kind of fell into place you know she found this calm this inner peace,” Zackary shares. Remarkably, within two weeks of starting carnivore, his wife felt ready to discontinue her ADHD medication (Vyvanse), something she had struggled to do previously due to severe withdrawals.
Her contentious relationship with food, stemming from past eating disorders and orthorexia (an obsession with eating healthy food), also healed. Zackary recounts an incident before carnivore where his wife “lost it” for hours because he unknowingly ate a few almonds she had saved for a meticulously planned snack. Now, “if I take a bite of her food there’s you know it’s fine there’s no 3-hour episode”.
The diet’s impact on their marriage has been profound. “We feel like we have a much healthier dialogue like we can think clearly in a way that we couldn’t before,” he explains. This newfound clarity and emotional stability, he says, “saved our marriage”.
Zackary’s Personal Gains: Beyond the Plate
For Zackary himself, the benefits have been manifold. The constant hunger vanished, replaced by easy satiety. “If I have you know just a big steak… I’m good until the next day I pretty much eat one or two meals a day these days because it’s enough”. This also freed up significant time previously spent on meal preparation and consumption.
Physically, after an initial month where he lost 21 pounds, he regained about 10 pounds but became leaner, faster, and stronger. His eczema cleared up when he stuck strictly to meat. He also noticed reduced sun sensitivity, whiter teeth, thicker hair, and even an improvement in his lifelong TMJ issues, feeling his jaw is stronger and his face more defined.
A Carnivore Lifestyle for the Whole Family
The diet has influenced their entire household. Their two young children (ages five and seven) are not strictly carnivore, but the base of every meal is proteins and fats, with any sides being single-ingredient whole foods. Their family rule is “you have to be able to pronounce the ingredient and you have to be able to picture it”. They’ve noticed their children “behave better” when eating more meat-based. Zackary’s father-in-law also experienced remarkable results, losing 35 pounds in six weeks and resolving debilitating knee pain that had him considering surgery.
Their diet typically consists of steak or burger patties and eggs, and they are even purchasing a whole cow from a local farm. Zackary appreciates the simplicity: “just kind of throw a steak and some eggs on a grill in a pan and call it a day. It’s It’s so easy”.
Sharing Their Story: “Carnivore’s a Love Story”
Zackary, a writer, has penned an article for Esquire magazine titled “Carnivore’s a Love Story,” detailing their journey. He explains, “this diet has had such a greater impact than just than just aesthetics it’s really changed how we think and how we treat each other”. While he maintains a low-key Instagram presence (@ZackaryPeek), he’s passionate about the transformative power of the diet.
For Zackary and his wife, the carnivore diet has been a path to individual healing and a profound reconnection. “Life is too good today to mess with what I’ve got,” he states, underscoring his commitment. “I’m not going to throw this away for spinach. I like what I’ve got”. Their story is a testament to the far-reaching effects of dietary change, touching not only physical health but the very fabric of their lives and relationships.
