Online, the carnivore diet sells a simple promise. Cut the plants. Keep the meat. Watch your life change.

Rachel Ashby, a 41-year-old mother of four, says she took that leap four years ago and never looked back. First, she watched videos from Dr. Shawn Baker, who promotes an all-animal-food approach. Then she cleared her plate down to meat, eggs, and butter.

Her menu stays strict and large. She says she eats around 5,000 calories a day. Breakfast often means 10 eggs with a chunk of butter and salt. Next come chicken wings for lunch. Then she finishes with two or three rib-eye steaks for dinner. She says she listens to her body in a blunt way. When fat stops tasting good, she stops eating.

At home, the diet has become a family experiment. She says three of her children sometimes join in and say they feel better when they do.

Still, mainstream guidance looks very different. The NHS promotes a balanced diet that includes fruit and vegetables, high-fibre carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats. Health charities also advise limiting red and processed meat because higher intake links to bowel cancer risk.

Rachel hears the warnings. However, she insists the switch helped her lose weight, build muscle, and stop battling hunger. In the end, her story lands where many diet stories do. One person finds a system that feels freeing. The bigger question is whether it fits everyone else.