A vegan influencer has sparked fury and confusion among her followers revealing she’s switched to a ‘carnivore’ diet.

Alyse Parker built a following of more than 800k on her accounts which have promoted plant-based eating and healthy exercise.

But she’s mad a dramatic U-turn and revealed she’s only eaten animal products for the past 30 days. 

The carnivore diet, which is widely considered unhealthy by health professionals, only allows consumption of meat, fish, eggs and some dairy products. 

The diet prohibits all of Alyse’s former diet including vegetables, beans, pulses, legumes, grains and seeds  – which all provide vital nutrients. 

Revealing the move,she said: “Coming from being vegan 4.5 years, I was hella resistant to the concept of eating ONLY animal foods (aka only meat, seafood, + eggs)⁣. ⁣ 

“I didn’t make ANY sense to me. It actually sounded pretty f*cking ridiculous.

“I swallowed my pride and decided I’d give it a shot. Full-on carnivore. I woke up the next morning feeling more mentally clear, focused, wholesome, and healthy than I had felt in years.”

Alyse also said she’s always experimenting with her lifestyle, and has tried not using deodorant for a year and not shampooing for a month.

View this post on Instagram

By this point, you probably know that I looove trying new things, running little experiments, and diving into challenges of all sorts.⁣ ⁣ Some of the experiments I have run in the past…??‍?⁣ – 30 days without shampoo⁣ – 1 year without deodorant ⁣ – 21 days of only fruit juice⁣ – 30 days without social media⁣ – 3 YEARS of not shaving my armpits, not wearing makeup, not using heat on my hair.. Etc. etc. you get da point ??⁣ ⁣ Yehhh — some may call me crazy.. ?⁣ ⁣ But I’m a firm believer in experiencing things first hand + getting a real feel for what something is all about before I form a personal opinion on it.??⁣ ⁣ The Carnivore Diet first came into my awareness when a close friend shared with me all of the benefits that he was experiencing by eating this way. ⁣ ⁣ Coming from being vegan 4.5 years, I was hellla resistant to the concept of eating ONLY animal foods (aka only meat, seafood, + eggs)⁣ ⁣ I didn’t make ANY sense to me. It actually sounded pretty f*cking ridiculous. ?⁣ ⁣ But oddly enough, I started to hear story after story from my fellow vegan friends jumping ship, testing out the carnivore diet and experiencing amazing health transformations.⁣ ⁣ I was so confused.??⁣ ⁣ But I had my own fair share of health struggles and eventually reached a breaking point where I was willing to try anything to function properly again. ⁣ ⁣ With an online community of 800,000 people ~ many of which were primarily showing up for my vegan related content… I was a bit conflicted to say the least. ⁣ ⁣ But I knew I needed to make decisions based on what was in the best interest for my health.⁣ ⁣ I swallowed my pride + decided I’d give it a shot. Full onnn carnivore. I woke up the next morning feeling more mentally clear, focused, wholesome, and healthy than I had felt in years.⁣ ⁣ God bless. ⁣ But also, WTF?⁣ My vegan identity crumbled immediately. ⁣ ⁣ This past year of my life has been a journey of remembering who I am separate from what I eat. ?⁣ ⁣ In hopes of challenging others to step out of their current perspective ~ I documented my newest challenge of eating only meat for 30 days.⁣ ⁣ Video launches next week. ⁣ Who’s ready? Comment ? below!

A post shared by ALYSE PARKER ⚡️ (@alyseparkerr) on Nov 29, 2019 at 2:22pm PST

She said her former veganism was due in part to concerns about factory farming and the impact on the environment, but defended her new position by advising followers to choose grass-fed meat and buying from local farms. 

Backlash

Followers slammed the influencer and many immediately unfollowed her account.

I wonder why this ex-raw "vegan" said she felt way healthier as a month long carny….oh it's because she's getting fucking money for it. ?? pic.twitter.com/2f2ML0mCo9

— Joshua Lewis Ⓥ ? (@ReasonableVegan) December 9, 2019

One person wrote: 
Cows experience fear and pain. They have family units. They understand they are going to die when they are butchered. Factory farming of beef is not only cruel to intelligent animals but incredibly awful for the environment. You’re part of the problem, don’t pretend like you’re part of any solution.

These "vegan" influencers that go back to eating meat didn't stop eating animal products for moral reasons. Not eating animal suffering was only a bonus for them. Being vegan is a protest against all animal exploitation and is much more than just eating a plant based diet.

— Soul Eubanks Ⓥ (@soul_eubanks) December 9, 2019

“Being vegan you’d think you’d understand the effects of eating meat on our bodies & more importantly our environment?? You lost all my respect as well,” another added.

• Read: Midwife refuses to deliver vegan mum’s baby because of her diet

What do you think of the carnivore diet? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

See author's posts