Vegan switches to raw meat diet - and still eats chicken after it's turned green

31 August 2023 , 09:05

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He claims to have never been sick while on the diet (Image: PA Real Life)

A man has gone from one extreme to another as he's swapped veganism for raw meat, eating uncooked items, including hearts and liver, on a daily basis. He made the swap four years ago and claims he has "never gotten sick". Jones Hussain, 20, from Stockholm, Sweden, eats raw chicken and raw cuts of beef, minced meat and fish without batting an eyelid – even if they are brown or smell slightly.

He says he would happily eat any meat as long as it's good quality, anything from "wild boar to camel", but he prefers minced beef because it is cheap, accessible and does not smell compared to chicken. Jones made the decision to eat raw meat just a few months after giving up veganism in 2019 "in the name of health". He had watched a YouTube video with the late American alternative food nutritionist, Aajonus Vonderplanitz, whose "Primal Diet" has inspired individuals all over the world.

Jones gave up veganism in 2019 (YouTube/Excellent Health)

Health has always been Jones' top priority and he includes fruit and juiced vegetables in his diet. He is so turned off by unhealthy food that he said he wouldn't eat cake for £10,000 because of the sugar - and even claims to have not had a slice since the age of 13. "If any food safety expert looked at the food I eat, I think they would have a heart attack because the beef is sometimes brown, the liver looks green, the chicken stinks," Jones said. But I eat that and then nothing happens. I did the experiments on myself to see whether what we have been led to believe is actually true and surprise, surprise, it wasn't."

The raw meat diet that Jones follows was designed by Aajonus, who touted the benefits of eating raw foods, in particular meat and dairy. "I found one of his lectures on YouTube and started listening," Jones shared. "At first, I was just as shocked as anyone would be to see someone eat such a diet." But Jones said he found Vonderplanitz's arguments to be "honest and convincing" and so decided to give it a try. He added: "I ate raw meat for the first time in November 2019 and I felt great. It was just a straight cut of raw beef."

He eats raw meat every day (YouTube/Excellent Health)

Having not fallen ill, Jones then decided to try raw ground beef. "That was the scary part because that's when you enter into uncharted territory. I was like, if I get sick then I won't do this anymore. Lo and behold, again, I didn’t get sick, so I started eating raw ground beef because it's much cheaper than straight cuts," he explained. While initially Jones would flavour the raw meat with spices and garlic, he eventually felt like he didn't need them, so started consuming meat as is. Since then, he has eaten raw ground beef almost every day. By the summer of 2020, Jones had become accustomed to eating all types of meat.

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"I had no problems eating raw chicken because I had found a fairly good source in the supermarket so I ate it like KFC," he said. "I also started buying raw liver here and there, and eating a small amount every day." The raw meat Jones kept in his fridge soon started to turn "green", but this did not stop him from chowing down on it. "Since I was so convinced about what Aajonus was saying, I was not worried and just consumed it. But if there was any white mould, then I got rid of the batch, although this did not happen very often," he said.

Jones likes to eat ground beef because it's cheaper (PA Real Life)

Jones has continued eating raw meat ever since, although his family prefers ground beef to chicken because of the smell. Nowadays he doesn't eat as much raw chicken because it stinks up the house. In a single sitting, the 20-year-old said he is capable of consuming around 400g of raw liver. He believes dumping veganism for raw meat has improved his gut health and helped get rid of his acne. "The thing with raw meat is that the nutrients are more easily absorbed and unaltered," he claimed. "It's not that raw meat has some kind of special superpower, it's just that by not cooking it, I get more nutrients and no byproducts." NHS guidelines, however, state that "cooking meat properly" kills harmful bacteria which can cause food poisoning.

Jones believes that humans are unable to survive on a vegan diet successfully. He explained: "Of course, you can take supplements but it's not the same thing, because they are processed. There is no other way of getting these nutrients naturally other than by eating animal products. So veganism on that basis, falls on its face." Jones also eats raw fish such as salmon and tuna and said he is happy to eat any type of meat provided he can find a reliable supplier. The Primal Diet also includes fruit and vegetables, all of which are consumed raw. He eats cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as oranges and apples when they're available. The philosophy is to not cook the food, but he said there is a variety. Jones’ unusual diet often shocks people, including his parents who are concerned for his wellbeing.

"Usually people have the same reaction, at first they think, 'What the hell is this guy doing? He's going to die in a few days,'" he said. "Then they speak to me and find out that I've been doing it for three and half years, that I've never gotten sick, that my arguments are logical and that I look healthy. They are like all right, that's a new perspective that I had not heard before. The only time I ever got food poisoning was from a frozen bag of raspberries before I started eating meat. I decided not to act out of fear, but to see what is true and what isn't true."

However, according to the NHS, it's important to prepare and cook food safely. This means cooking meat, such as chicken, turkey, duck and pork, all the way through. The organisation states: "If meat is not cooked all the way through, these bacteria may cause food poisoning. Bacteria and viruses can be found all the way through poultry and certain meat products (such as burgers). This means you need to cook poultry and these sorts of meat products all the way through. When meat is cooked all the way through, its juices run clear and there is no pink or red meat left inside."

Billie Schwab Dunn