During a conversation with entrepreneur and podcast host Rob Moore, former World’s Strongest Man Eddie Hall discussed why he moved away from the high-carb diet that fueled his strongman career and toward something far more extreme: a carnivore-style diet centered almost entirely around meat.
According to Hall, the change has had a dramatic impact on how he feels both physically and mentally.
Hall explained that his diet during his competitive strongman years was built around heavy carbohydrate intake to support extreme training demands. Now that he’s older and no longer competing at that level, he believes focusing on meat has been a much better fit.
“I’ve started doing the carnivore diet, which has been absolutely phenomenal for me. For years and years and years, especially in the strongman days, I would consume loads of carbs,” he said.
He described the change as one of the most effective lifestyle “hacks” he’s discovered since stepping away from elite competition. He stated: “But now I’m in my later years, I would say the best hack is just eating meat. Just like the carnivore diet, just meat, eggs, and dairy. That has honestly been a game changer for me.”
Hall went on to claim that the diet has improved nearly every aspect of his day-to-day health. He stated: “It has absolutely transformed my life mentally, physically. I’m sleeping better. I’ve got so much more clarity. I’m remembering things more. My blood markers have improved. Every single one has got better.”
He continued: “I feel better. My information’s better. I’m not as sore. I’m not as laggy. I’ve got more energy.”
During the discussion, Hall also brought up a claim he believes challenges common warnings about red meat consumption. He argued that if you look closely at longevity studies, the relationship between red meat and lifespan might not be as straightforward as people think.
He stated: “I’m big into longevity at the minute and there are studies on red meat and longevity. The government will tell you that the more red meat you eat, the shorter your lifespan and the more chance of death.”
Hall then pointed to Japan as an example that, in his view, contradicts those warnings. He continued: “But if you actually delve into it and go into the studies, the people that eat the most red meat on the planet is Japan, right? And Japan have got the longest lifespan of anyone else on the planet.”
He extended the point further by suggesting a similar pattern might exist with other countries. He stated: “And then I think second… let’s say second was like Thailand, I don’t know. And they ate the second amount of most red meat on the planet. And they had the second longest lifespan.”
From this, Hall concluded there may be a strong connection between red meat consumption and longevity. He continued: “So there’s a massive correlation between red meat and the lifespan of a human being.”
Hall also detailed what a typical day of eating looks like on his mostly carnivore routine. While he does take supplements, he said almost everything he eats comes from animal-based foods.
“I have my supplements but I’d say 99% of my intake is meat. What man doesn’t love steak? This is a glitch in the matrix,” he stated.
His breakfast usually consists of a combination of protein-rich foods: “For breakfast I’m having salmon, eggs, a little bit of Greek yogurt sometimes.”
Lunch tends to be much heavier, often built around large portions of red meat: “Lunch is always like half a kilo [1.1 lbs] of ribeye steaks. I’ll have chicken wings. I’ll have black pudding. I’ll have halloumi cheese.”
Despite emphasizing meat, Hall said he also includes fermented foods for gut health. He stated: “I obviously eat quite a bit of fermented foods as well. It has to be live cultured sauerkraut and live cultured kimchi.”
Even sourdough bread occasionally makes an appearance in his diet for the same reason: “That’s why I eat sourdough bread sometimes because it’s live cultured. Anything that keeps your bacteria good.”
During the conversation, Hall noted that he doesn’t follow the diet perfectly every single day. On weekends or social occasions, he’s willing to bend the rules slightly while still keeping carbohydrates relatively low.
He stated: “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not super strict on it. Sometimes I’ll do Monday to Friday nothing but meat. “If we’re having a Chinese, I’ll have loads of meat and just have a little bit of noodles, just keep the carbs right down and I still feel good.”
While Hall framed Japan as an example of a high red-meat, long-life society, available dietary data paints a more complicated picture. But according to sources, Japan’s beef consumption is estimated to sit around 13 to 22 pounds (6–10 kg) per person per year, placing the country roughly 65th globally in red meat intake.
Researchers often attribute Japan’s high life expectancy to other factors instead, including diets rich in fish, plant-based foods, soy products, and relatively low levels of saturated fat.
