A new diet is sweeping through the alt-right movement that purports to keep you healthy and anger liberals at the same time — it’s called “carnivorism.”
The diet, created and proliferated by Canadian psychologist and alt-right hero Jordan Peterson, consists of nothing but beef, salt, and water. Peterson was inspired to begin the diet after his daughter claimed that an all beef diet cured her of many ailments including depression.
Peterson followers were quick to support “carnivorism.” It was not long before the diet began trending on alt-right Facebook groups.
Daily Beast reporter Kelly Weill recently told Mother Jones‘ Kari Sonde on the "Bite" podcast that people who identified with the alt-right saw this diet as way to embrace their masculinity while trolling liberals who believe mass meat production is hurting the environment.
“A lot of conservatives are very worried about losing their status as a white person or losing economic status," Weill said. "And I think there’s maybe a similar current with practitioners of this diet — really feeling like, ‘Somebody’s going to take away my meat.’ It’s symbolic to them; it’s an element of their masculinity and their identity."
Food critic and Senior Editor at The Atlantic, Corby Kummer called Peterson “repellent” and “reptilian” on Boston Public Radio Tuesday.
Kummer met Peterson earlier this year during a talk he gave at the Aspen Institute. “Young men are thinking they can get dignity and identity, especially young white men. They feel like they don’t belong anywhere. What he is talking about here is the old masculine ideals that you can live up to,” he said.
Kummer called the diet “not sustainable over the long term,” and while he did not recommend the diet, he did say the diet would probably help you lose weight.
“If you have only meat, if you have only bread, if you have only one thing, you will lose weight because you are not interested in much of it. You get tired of it, you eat less, and you lose weight. It is not a good way to eat, you need a varied diet."
