A wellness guru claims that regularly dines on raw meat and homemade cheese that she makes from her own spit has transformed her health for the better.
Emily Ciosek, 31, a health coach based in Michigan follows daily diet of raw beef, chicken, and pork as well as homemade cheese derived from her own saliva as it ‘tailors the bacteria’ to what her body needs.
She eats up to seven pounds of raw meat per week claiming it has improved her mental and physical health as well as her spirituality, despite overwhelming health advice to steer clear of uncooked meat, especially chicken.
Consuming raw meat puts a person at high risk of severe food poisoning, yet the diet has gained popularity in recent years for its purported benefits with social media users uploading videos of themselves chowing down on raw steak, liver, and even bull testicles.
The 31-year-old from Michigan regularly eats raw meat and makes her own cheese, which she claims has transformed her health
Having starting eating raw meat in May 2022, Ms Ciosek now eats about seven pounds each week
Emily Ciosek began eating raw meat in May 2022 at which point she discovered ‘It was so tasty, and I loved it.’
She was turned onto the diet when she learned of another raw meat diet devotee, Nebraska resident Weston Rowe, who has touted his increased energy levels and, like Ms Ciosek, said he has never gotten sick from following the diet.
The shift from a ‘Western’ diet toward one more aligned with teachings from the 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic tradition stems from an interview she had for her podcast Root Awakening in February 2022 with Weston Rowe, who has followed a raw meat diet for half a decade consisting mainly of raw beef, raw liver, raw chicken and even brains, all sourced locally from dairy and poultry farms.
Ms Ciosek said: ‘He was such a cool guy, but I was really not convinced. His outlook is that we actually need bacteria in our bodies, and we built up strength in our immunity.’
She had previously tried the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet, which aims to balance the gut’s microbiome to improve overall health by emphasizing bone broth, organic meats, and fermented foods. But she said her tastebuds changed after trying the GAPS diet. She was suddenly craving raw meat.
The first time she tried it, she was sitting outside and got a ‘giant’ New York strip steak and ‘felt so spiritually connected with food.’
Ms Ciosek said she used to be in poorer health, having partied hard in her early 20s.
She said: ‘All of a sudden I started to get UTIs , stomach infections and hair loss off and on in my 20s, and Western medicine was making it worse… and then I found natural medicine. I was certified as an Ayurveda health coach in June 2020.
Ms Ciosek has also stopped washing her hair and wearing makeup as well. She said: ‘I’ve worn no makeup for three years too, and my skin is better, eyelashes are thicker, and I have better self-esteem.
‘Natural health saves money, time, and feels good.’
For breakfast she’ll typically have celery juice, noting that she prefers to drink water in a ‘structured’ form such as kombucha. The term ‘structured water’ is not one that is common in Western medicine and proponents of it believe it contains distinct benefits not found in natural water.
For lunch, she said: ‘I’ll have a charcuterie spread of raw chicken, beef and pork with fermented sauerkraut, capers, or just plain with some tomatoes or a juicy something. Vegetables are few and far between.
‘I’ll also have raw cheese and olive oil, with caviar either from salmon or white fish, and I bake chicken skins until they’re crispy. That keeps me full all day.’
She makes her own cheese using her saliva which she says tailors the bacteria to fit her body’s unique nutritional needs
She occasionally eats cooked food for her evening meal, such as meatballs, but adds that this is rare. She said she will often eat something sweet such as French toast made with raw milk straight from the cow’s udder. Then, she covers it in raw butter and raw honey and raw cream cheese ‘that I make with my spit’.
Generally, cooking meat eliminates pathogens that cause illness, which is why eating it raw is discouraged overall. Some common pathogens in raw meat include Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Campylobacter. Cooking meat also makes it easier for the body to digest and absorb nutrients.
And while cooking meat can diminish some of the vitamins and minerals according to some studies, they also point out that cooking it increases concentrations of other nutrients such as iron and zinc.
Ms Ciosek said: “People know I think differently. We keep it on the down low, and with strangers I don’t really tell them.
‘People have left nasty comments online and get angry. I guess people think it’s dangerous.’
Still, the diet has gained popularity in recent years for its purported benefits, rocket-launching social media personalities such as the muscled raw meat-loving Liver King to internet stardom. Every day people are jumping on the bandwagon as well.
For instance, a Las Vegas flight attendant named Rusty always preferred his steak on the very rare side, and used to try small bits of raw steak before cooking. But about eight years ago he decided to take the plunge and ate a whole uncooked bison ribeye steak, which left him feeling ‘energized’.
Rusty hasn’t looked back since and now follows a Neanderthal-inspired diet made up of raw cuts of meat, fish and even more exotic animals like octopi.
He claims he eats between 3,000 and 4,000 calories per day – which includes two pounds of raw meat – and regularly posts videos of himself tearing into his meals on social media.
He said: ‘When I’m eating an abundance of any form of raw meat, I truly feel a heightened amount of energy and sense of focus.
‘It could be a mental thing, but personally for me, when I come off of my raw diet, I feel a lot more sluggish than when I’m on it.’
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
