# ‘The carnivore diet cured my lifelong eating disorder, says Ohio woman | Fox News

## Ohio woman was down to 70 pounds before switching to meat — but some experts urge caution



By   
  
Published March 3, 2025 4:30am EST

After suffering from a lifelong  that almost killed her, an Ohio woman says switching to a carnivore diet saved her life.

Valerie Smith, 54, struggled for decades with multiple physical and mental health conditions, including anorexia.

At one point, Smith, who is 5’9", was down to 70 pounds and a BMI of 11. She was hospitalized and kept alive by feeding tubes several times, she told Fox News Digital.



At one point, Smith, who is 5’9", was down to 70 pounds and a BMI of 11. She says switching to a carnivore diet saved her life. (Valerie Smith)

"I was actively in treatment for my entire life," she said during an interview. "I was seen by hospitals and medical doctors. I had over a dozen psychiatrists. I was on a cocktail of different  over the course of three or four decades."

"I spent a lifetime under traditional treatment and never got better."

The hospitals recommended a plant-based diet "devoid of any animal protein," Smith said. She stuck with their meal plans, but struggled to maintain a healthy weight and suffered digestive issues.



Valerie Smith poses for photos after reaching a healthy weight on the ketogenic diet, following 35 years of not consuming any animal foods. (Valerie Smith)

By the time Smith was 47, she was back down to 70 pounds, enduring fractures due to osteoporosis, and had undergone several surgeries for multiple organ prolapse. Her  was also at an all-time low.

"I was not going to survive another year," she said. "I desperately needed to gain weight, but the mental illness was stopping me from gaining anything permanently."

> "I spent a lifetime under traditional treatment and never got better."

"And I also knew that even if I weighed more, it was not going to help my brain, because I had experienced that many times in those decades."

While doing research, Smith discovered some metabolic psychiatrists and learned about the benefits of the .



Since starting her animal foods diet, Smith has gained 50 pounds of muscle. In eight years, she said she has not experienced any of the health issues that have plagued her for decades. (Valerie Smith)

"As the months went on, Smith continued to look and feel healthier. After a year, she said, all anorexia symptoms were gone."

"The ultimate healing for body and mind is with animal products in the diet."

## Doctor voices support

Dr. Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained, board-certified psychiatrist specializing in nutritional and metabolic psychiatry, has often spoken about her support of the carnivore diet.



Since starting her animal foods diet, Smith has gained 50 pounds of muscle. In eight years, she said she has not experienced any of the health issues that plagued her for decades. (Valerie Smith)

"Some patients have reported relief from ‘food noise’ and a welcome sense of satiety, often for the first time in years."

Research has suggested that carnivore diets may be "exceptionally useful" in treating the severe malnourishment of anorexia, Ede said.



Research has suggested that carnivore diets may be "exceptionally useful" in treating the severe malnourishment of anorexia, one doctor said. (Valerie Smith)

"Meat contains all the nutrients we need, in their most bioavailable forms, and without the antinutrients and defensive toxins naturally found in plant foods," she went on.

"Medically supervised clinical trials are needed to help us understand better the potential risks and benefits of  in the management of anorexia."



There is no "one size fits all" dietary solution, Norwitz said, adding that "context and nuance are essential."

"However, I do feel the carnivore diet is misunderstood, and that red meat and  often get unfairly scapegoated and thrown under the ‘big food bus,'" he told Fox News Digital.

## Experts call for caution, more research

Margot Rittenhouse, a licensed professional clinical counselor with Alsana in California, said it is "absolutely critical" that any diets or modalities used to treat eating disorders are backed by "extensive and consistent research."



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