Lion Diet: Is It Just Another TikTok Trend, Or Is It Worth Trying?

There is a saying, "What you eat is what you become." Diet plays a major role in maintaining your overall well-being. Researchers have also done comprehensive studies to understand the relationship between diet and good health. The results show there is a direct link between the two.

Moreover, nowadays, the majority of the population is inclined towards trying a healthier diet plan. If not this, there are also people like me who desire to adopt a wholesome diet. After all, being fit and healthy is the new trend.

Diet is also an integral part of work-life balance. Yes! If you are malnourished, your ability to work productively will decrease, you will feel lethargic, and most importantly, you will feel cranky.

Many people often try to devise different diet plans or lifestyle choices. Some of these experiments are extremely beneficial, while others only affect health negatively.

Talking about trends, the lion diet has grabbed quite the attention of health enthusiasts. It first became viral on the popular social media platform TikTok sometime in 2018. So, what does the lion diet consist of? Does it mean you have to eat what a lion consumes? (That would be crazy, isn't it?) Most importantly, how nutritious is it?

Read on to find out all about the viral lion diet. First, let's learn the dynamics between diet and work life.

Diet And Work Performance

Working in the corporate world is no less than surviving in the wilderness. The perceived impression of the wild and corporate world is harsh and savage. Corporate employees are known to work under immense work pressure. With this, toxic work culture and peers add to the harshness.

Also read: 16 Healthy Late Night Snacks For Night Shift Workers

Also, how you perform at work has a lot to do with survival in the corporate world. Yes, it is one of the basic elements when it comes to working successfully in the private sector. When an employer hires, whatever may be the role and responsibility, there is always the expectation that the employee will perform well and shine with productivity.

So, how does one unlock the gateway to being a productive employee? One word - Diet!

A wholesome and healthy diet is the ultimate key to unlocking a productive work life. In addition to it, a well-rested body and mind are also required to achieve it. The contribution of diet towards work performance cannot be emphasized enough.

How Diet Contributes To A Better Work-life?

A population health management study from 2012 implies that employees with a poor diet have a 66 percent chance of losing productivity at work. The study was conducted on 19,803 employees and concluded that the unhealthy lifestyle choices of employees reduce work productivity.

In this case, the role of employers can make a difference. Nowadays, there are corporate wellness programs that work to motivate employees to lead healthier lifestyles. Vantage Fit is one such company offering wellness programs.

What Is The Lion Diet?

The lion diet belongs to the category of elimination diets. If you ask what elimination diets are- It is a diet where you have to omit the consumption of a particular group of food entirely. Eliminations diets are mostly enforced in individuals with a history of food allergies.

The lion diet is a restricted meat consumption diet plan wherein you can only consume meat, salt, and water. It is similar to the carnivore diet. The only difference is that in the lion diet, you can consume meat from only ruminant animals, whereas in the carnivore diet, you can consume all kinds of animal products and by-products.

The Story Behind The Lion Diet

The lion diet is not your usual eating plan. In 2018, Mikhaila Peterson, a Canadian lifestyle blogger, curated this diet for a medical reason. Yes! The lion diet is specially customized.

Now, why and how did Mikhaila Peterson develop this diet?

Mikhaila Peterson accidentally created an elimination diet to suit her gut health. Diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis at the early age of only 7, Mikhaila had to fight for her life to survive. She was required to take immuno-suppressants for this health condition.

Soon after this, Mikhaila was diagnosed with bipolar disorder stage 2, for which she was prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs.

Later onwards, she had to withdraw from the SSRI drugs. Her struggle didn't end there. Mikhaila faced more medical complications than one can only imagine. The drugs and the multiple health issues made her digestive system fragile.

Mikhaila could eat only a severely limited diet consisting of beef, lamb, or meat from ruminant animals. She termed this eating plan of hers the "Lion Diet."

Mikhaila Peterson has been on this diet since 2017 and claims to be healing her body.

How Does The Diet Work?

The lion diet is termed as a healing elimination diet. According to Peterson's blog, this diet is primarily for individuals diagnosed with any sickness or under medication. To reap its benefits, you must practice this diet for a couple of weeks and eventually reintroduce the other food groups in the eating regime.

Also read: National Nutrition Week: Top 5 Foods To Enhance Your Diet

In the case of people with any health troubles, eliminating the majority of the food items from their dietary plan is believed to help point out which food has the possibility of causing further medical issues.

Studies reveal what you consume has a major part to play in developing the symptoms of underlying health issues. This is where elimination diets like the lion diet help shed some light on the relationship between food and health issues.

What To Eat And What To Avoid?

So far, it is well established that the lion diet is very much restrictive. Here is a break up of what to eat and what not to eat.

What food can you eat on the lion diet?

• Meat from ruminant animals. Ruminants are those animals that have a four-chambered stomach.
• Salt
• Plain water

What food can you not eat on the lion diet?

All food items other than those mentioned above must be avoided while on this diet. Here are some examples of food that you cannot eat are:

Nonruminant animals include pork, rabbit, fowl, turkey, duck, chicken, and geese

• All types of vegetables and fruits
• All types of grains and legumes
• All types of nuts and seeds
• Any kind of dairy product
• Any kind of edible oil
• All types of beverages

Health Benefits Of The Lion Diet

The lion diet sounds like an extreme diet. But it does have its health benefits. Since it is a very newly curated diet, there is no proper research available. However, in the end, the lion diet is nothing but a type of elimination or zero-carb diet. So, in a way, the health benefits of the lion diet seem to be more or less the same.

According to a research study, elimination diets work best for those with food allergies. And one can try eliminating food groups to understand how their body reacts to different food groups.

For a clear picture, below are the health benefits of the general elimination diet:

1. It may help with weight loss

Weight management is a tricky affair. For many people, losing the extra weight is futile despite cutting down the carbs or more. In such cases, trying the elimination diet and reintroducing other food into the eating plan is believed to get a clear picture for better weight management.

Weight loss becomes more difficult for corporate employees with a sitting job, leading to a sedentary lifestyle. Hence, adopting such a diet may be fruitful in terms of weight loss.

2. It may help regulate signs of ADHD

ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a term that pops up now and then in any mental health-related discussion. The Centers for Disease Control refers to ADHD as a commonly occurring neurodevelopmental condition.

ADHD mostly goes undiagnosed during childhood, and its symptoms usually decrease with age. Some of its related symptoms, such as restlessness, and the ability to concentrate, continue to be there till the end. This is worrisome, as people with ADHD are seen to struggle in their work life.

A study suggests that an elimination diet is a probable treatment to minimize the symptoms related to ADHD.

3. It may promote a healthy gut

A diet like this allows the digestive system to heal, relax and restore itself. Moreover, irritable bowel syndrome is a health condition worth mentioning when it comes to the gut. Symptoms of IBS include bloating, erratic bowel movements, and gas formation.

Also, sharing from a personal experience, it is challenging to work efficiently when you have a troubled stomach. The human body doesn't exactly come with a guide.

But, yes, we have a basic understanding of what to eat and what to avoid. This, again, doesnt apply to every individual. For instance, some people have lactose intolerance, and some don't.

Hence, temporarily eliminating maximum food groups from the diet will give you insight into what your gut can digest without causing any trouble.

4. It may minimize skin troubles

Keeping the skin supple and nourished requires quite an investment. And diet has a direct relationship with skin health. It is also noteworthy that a large section of the population suffers from food allergies unknowingly. One of the most prominent symptoms of food allergy is skin breakouts.

This is where elimination diets come into the spotlight. Such a diet helps study any food allergy trigger.

5. It may give you better sleep

Consuming certain foods is known to disrupt your sleep cycle. And we all know how important a good night's sleep is. Waking up in the morning feeling groggy and unfresh is the last thing we want.

Also read: How Sleep Deprivation Affects Work Performance

Is The Lion Diet Meal Plan Safe For You In The Long Term?

The Lion diet is seen to have worked for Mikhaila Peterson and thousands of other people. Even so, this diet has its risk factors or side effects. One can surely try to adopt this eating habit for a limited period of time and see how their body reacts to the change in the diet.

Note: Mikhaila suggests one should try the lion diet for atleast six weeks to see the results. The first few weeks may be tough, but the results should show soon. However, for some, it may take a longer period of time, upto five months.

Continuing such a habit in the long term may lead to vitamin deficiencies or severe malnourishment. Children should not follow this diet at all costs, considering they are growing and require all the vitamins and minerals for proper nourishment.

The lion diet is not sustainable until you have severe health conditions like Mikhaila Peterson. If you have a never-ending chronic disorder causing headaches, insomnia, and allergies, elimination diets may be your ticket out of it.

5-Day Lion Diet Meal Plan For Corporate Employees

If you are keen on trying this viral diet, here is a sample menu you can try on your working days.

Wrapping Up

The human body is a complex system, just like an engine. If you think deeply about how your body functions, it will blow your mind. And the food that you eat is the fuel to keep the biological systems functioning.

There is another beauty about the human body - each person's body is unique inside out. This only turns out to be a reason for concern when an individual cannot lead a normal life due to a certain internal health condition. In severe cases, such individuals may not be able to eat like everyone else.

Mikhaila Peterson is one such instance who could not eat like everyone else. So, she had to improvise her meals, leading to the creation of the lion diet.

The question here is should you adopt this eating habit? If you have a love for meat and love to try viral trends, you may try the lion diet. Proceed with caution, and to be on the safer side, consult your physician regarding this.

It is important to do so if you don't want to suffer from vitamin deficiencies or, worse, that may affect your overall well-being or work life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a lion diet and the carnivore diet?

The lion diet involves consuming meat from ruminant animals, salt, and water. In the carnivore diet, one can consume all types of meat and its by-products.

A lion diet meal plan is more strict with what you can consume, whereas the latter has more food options.

How long should you do the lion diet meal plan?

For people with any chronic disorder causing headaches, insomnia, and allergies, it is advised to adopt this meal plan for six weeks. For regular individuals, we recommend consulting with a dietician or a doctor.

Who invented the lion diet?

Mikhaila Peterson, a lifestyle blogger, accidentally invented the lion diet to suit her gut health.

How long does it take to see the benefits of the lion diet?

It takes atleast 6 weeks to see the health benefits of the lion diet. This again varies from person to person. It may require more than 6 weeks to get the best results.

Why am I not pooping on the lion diet?

The lion diet is similar to yet different from the carnivore diet. Just like in the carnivore diet, being on the lion diet, you may have irregular bowel movements at first. Since the diet is all protein and no fiber, your body may take some time to digest and get used to the new diet regime.