Valerie Smith shares her transformative journey from decades of debilitating mental and physical illness to recovery through the carnivore diet. Valerie recounts her lifelong struggle with severe mental health issues, including schizophrenia, OCD, depression, anorexia, and self-harm, which began in early childhood. Despite decades of traditional treatments, including numerous medications, hospitalizations, and feeding tubes, her condition never improved. She describes her life as unlivable, marked by constant voices urging harm and relentless mental and physical suffering.
Valerie’s turning point came after reading The Mood Cure and The Diet Cure by Julia Ross, which introduced her to the importance of amino acids for brain health. Inspired, she explored resources by Dr. Georgia Ede and Dr. Chris Palmer, which highlighted the link between nutrition and mental health. Desperate for change, she began incorporating meat into her diet after 35 years of strict vegetarianism, starting with just one bite per day. Over time, this incremental approach to adopting a carnivore diet brought profound improvements to her mental health, gradually silencing the schizophrenic voices and alleviating her depression, anxiety, and anorexia.
Within a year of adopting the carnivore diet, Valerie experienced complete remission of her six diagnosed mental illnesses, despite remaining underweight during this period. She emphasizes the critical role of brain healing through proper nutrition before physical recovery. As her brain health stabilized, she began rebuilding her body, reversing conditions such as severe osteoporosis, thyroid dysfunction, and organ prolapse—all without surgeries she had previously been told were inevitable.
Valerie criticizes the traditional medical and dietary approaches to mental health and eating disorders, which often promote high-carbohydrate and plant-based diets. She argues that these methods fail to address the underlying nutritional needs of the brain, perpetuating malnutrition and poor outcomes. Drawing from her experience, she advocates for a high-fat, meat-based diet as a sustainable solution for healing the brain and body. She also highlights systemic barriers, such as ideological influences in medical facilities, that hinder broader adoption of effective nutritional treatments.
Now a metabolic health coach, Valerie dedicates her life to helping others recover from mental and physical illnesses, including eating disorders, osteoporosis, and diabetes. She shares her story and offers guidance through social media, coaching platforms, and her YouTube channel, Cured by Carnivore. Valerie’s mission is to inspire and support others in achieving the vibrant health she has found, demonstrating the life-changing potential of proper nutrition.