About Kelly Brogan

KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.

“I used to be vegan,” Kristen confessed reflecting on the trajectory she’d traveled since we met. “I remember, before I came in for my consultation, I spent weeks walking in the meat aisle of my neighborhood coop, trying to get comfortable with the idea of buying animal foods. I finally took the leap, tried the meat sauce, and now I eat red meat several times a week and it’s almost like my body is saying ‘thank you!"

I can relate to these women. They listened to doctors, blogs, and maybe even their hearts, finding themselves saying no to anything with 4 legs on their plate…even if this means eating hyperprocessed chicken-like “foods,” and refined carbs 6 times a day. Even if they began to struggle with what became chronic illness after a 2 month honeymoon of feeling great.

I’m no longer interested in debates about the sentience of beings on the evolutionary hierarchy, about discussions of molar anatomy, intestinal length, and degradation of proteins at a given temperature. I’m interested in giving people permission to discover their primal relationship to food as a therapeutic experience.

Based on my personal and clinical experience, and my work with Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, I have come to believe that there is a large subset of the population – and particularly those that struggle with fatigue, depression, attentional problems, chronic pain, and chemical sensitivities – who need animal foods and specifically red meat to be well.

To facilitate the transition, here is one of the simplest and most delicious recipes I offer my patients. No chewing big bites of steak required.

😉

For the first several months of eating red meat, 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, bitters, and/or digestive enzymes with meals would be helpful.

Ingredients:
  • 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee
  • 1-2 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 10 – 15 leaves of kale
  • 4 stalks of celery
  • 5 carrots
  • 1 whole onion
  • 24 oz. glass jar strained tomatoes
  • 1 lb. of beef, bison or pork (can be a combination)
  • 1 tablespoon of turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon of grass fed liver powder
  • Salt & pepper
Instructions:
  • Blend vegetables – carrots, kale, celery and onion in food processor.
  • Melt oils over medium heat in pot.
  • Add chopped vegetables to pot. Saute for 3 minutes until onions are translucent.
  • Add meat. Cook until brown.
  • Add tomatoes, turmeric, and grass fed liver powder.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

For more recipes like this one, check out my new Vital Mind Reset program, and give your mind and body the foods they need to thrive!

Relating to Your Food

I began meditating over my food after I read the book Mutant Message from Down Under. In it, a tribeswoman expresses to the protagonist about to enjoy a rare feast, this camel lived it’s life for you. I read those words and my heart seized, convicted with an unassailable truth. Of all the foods on all the planet, in all time, what you take a bite of has journeyed its entire life to meet you. Think about that for a moment, and preferably every time you eat. Sit down with this dish and visualize the lifespan of the carrot from a seed, the tomato, the kale, even the salt, and the cow from its birth through its life and death. Connect to the lifecycle in your mind and heart. Eat mindfully.

Interested in step-by-step support to help you optimize your health?

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