The world’s number one podcaster and a vocal proponent of healthy living, Joe Rogan regularly discusses his diet on his own podcast as well as in interviews on other forums. He has stood out from other opinion leaders in the healthy living space by espousing transparency in his fitness and wellness journey.
We take a look at what foods Joe eats. It’s not possible to capture every single thing he eats. So this article’s primary focus will be on what Joe eats regularly and the notable foods he takes once in a while. We’ll also list the supplements he uses – that should help provide useful context on how the supplements support his meal choices.
General Philosophy
Joe’s overarching diet philosophy is that if something was not food 100 years ago, it should not be considered a real meal today. That means he steers clear of junk food, processed foods and refined sugars. Instead, Joe follows a carnivore diet that’s centered on a lot of meat, plenty of fruit and some vegetables.
He does veer into a keto diet but that is usually as a byproduct of the ketosis triggered by the carnivore diet and not necessarily because he set out to do so. He has however shared his belief that carb-rich meals are responsible for low energy levels, increased brain fog and a lack of satiety - a belief that’s backed by numerous studies. Joe will therefore sometimes allow his carnivore diet to fire his body’s ketosis.
Wild Meat
He is a passionate proponent of an animal protein-based diet – the essence of a carnivore diet. Most of his meals will comprise meat and eggs. Joe has credited the carnivore diet with his weight loss, fat reduction, improved energy levels, resilience against autoimmune/inflammatory disorders and better cognitive function.
He has discussed multiple reasons for taking wild meat over domesticated animal protein. For starters, as a regular hunter, he favors meat he has hunted himself. He also holds that it provides better satiety than carbohydrates. Wild meat is also free of the steroids, growth hormones and saturated fat that is present in farm-raised animals. Elk is Joe’s most preferred source of meat protein though he does take other wild game such as antelope, moose, deer and wild boar.
He eats free-range eggs, consistent with his belief in protein sources that have as little human intervention and harmful artificial compounds involved in production as possible.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruit comes only second to meat in Joe’s diet. He has intimated that 90% of his mealscomprise meat and fruit. Joe is big on vitamins overall so the inclination to fruits is not surprising.
He has however been unequivocal that he does not eat a whole lot of greens. When he does, that will often comprise leafy greens like kale, spinach and broccoli. Where he can, Joe likes to eat his elk withkimchi, the Korean meal made from fermented cabbage.
He will make a salad sometimes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Joe loves his spices and will incorporate jalapeno chili not just for its flavor but its health benefits as well, especially in protecting cardiovascular health.
Intermittent Fasting
Joe considers intermittent fasting essential to his diet’s efficacy. He has a 16-hour fasting window everyday between dinner and the next day’s breakfast (though he could catch a coffee or other low calorie drink within this period). He believes that creating a large gap between the two meals allows the body to digest and fully absorb the key nutrients present in each meal.
Typical Day Meal Plan
He does not eat the same thing every day. However, Joe’s typical daily meal plan would comprise free-range eggs and fruit or green vegetables for breakfast, grilled chicken, kale and quinoa for lunch, oatmeal with a fruit for his afternoon snack, and elk meat, jalapenos and potatoes for dinner.
He will sometimes take a zero-carb drink or coffee in the morning if he’s on a fasted yoga or fasted cardio regimen. He avoids a keto diet (and, at times, the intermittent fasting too) on his weightlifting days.
Cheat Meals
While a healthy diet is crucial to good health, Joe’s belief in diet transparency is perhaps best depicted by the regular admission that he does treat himself to a cheat meal once in a while. He is not specific on any one particular type of food.
As far as reasons go, he will sometimes do it just for fun albeit rarely. At other times, the increased carbs are intended to pull his body out of ketosis. He does it sparingly though which allows him to, if he wants to, return to ketosis in just a couple of hours.
Supplements
Joe takes plenty of supplements and is one of the few prominent personalities that has not hidden his use of testosterone replacement therapy. It stems from the principle that food alone cannot always adequately provide the optimal nutrient variety and quantity the body needs. Supplements he has mentioned using include:
General health
Multivitamins, electrolytes, CBD oil, liver capsules, AG1 (Athletic Greens).
Anti-aging
Testosterone, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD or NAD+).
Physical performance
Proteins, creatine, mushroom complex, glucosamine, chondroitin, exogenous ketones
Cognition
Fish oil, lion’s mane mushroom, nootropics (Alpha Brain, Neuro1, TruBrain).
Immunity
Vitamin D, quercetin.
Eyesight
Lutein, zeaxanthin.
Gut health
Probiotics.
Conclusion
Compared to many health and wellness opinion leaders, Joe’s diet is fairly simple. Stay away from artificial and processed foods including anything that has plenty of saturated fat and sugar. Stick to natural animal protein sources such as game meat and free-range eggs. This in addition to practicing intermittent fasting.
That said, the carnivore and keto diet may not work with everyone. Joe is a firm believer that there is no one-size-fits-all diet plan. Different people will respond differently to the same foods. For example, wild game meat may not be a practical option for you. In that case, consider replacing it with a suitable substitute such as grass-fed beef. Likewise, pick and choose the supplements that will best complement your diet.
Related articles: Joe Rogan Supplements, Fad Diet Statistics, Joe Rogan’s Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) Protocol
