A woman with an unusual diet of consuming two pounds of raw meat daily has shared the alarming effects it has had on her health.
Wendy Marshall, who has been eating raw red meat since she was young, continued this habit for over 20 years. However, a warning from a nurse last summer made the 28-year-old reconsider her choices.
Appearing on TLC’s My Strange Addiction, the tattoo shop owner expressed her passion: “I love ripping the flesh straight off the bone.”
Residing in Florida, Marshall was shown savoring a piece of marbled steak and emitting what she called a ‘raw meat burp’.
Her fondness for raw meat started with her grandmother. She reminisced fondly to the Post: “It was a bonding time for us. She’d visit, and we’d chat about life while enjoying raw meat together.”
Tragically, Marshall’s grandmother passed away from bladder cancer five years ago.
Despite the potential life-threatening consequences of her diet, she is hesitant to stop—though a conversation with nurse practitioner Vanessa Cabrera has given her pause.
The risks of eating raw meat are well-documented—it can harbor harmful bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, listeria, campylobacter, and parasites such as trichinella.
Cooking meat eliminates these bacteria and reduces the risk of foodborne illnesses.
An encounter with her husband’s family prompted a potential change.
“I’m about to throw up,” remarked her boyfriend’s cousin’s wife as Marshall ate her uncooked steak on the show.
“It’s a little hard to accept someone who eats raw meat at the dinner table,” she added.
Upon consulting Cabrera, the nurse found a chronic E. coli infection in her colon from a stool sample.
Although many strains of E. coli in the gut are benign, some can cause severe health issues.
Cabrera explained to Marshall: “Typically, someone with this would experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, all of that.”
“The absence of symptoms suggests your body has adapted to the presence of the bacteria,” Cabrera noted.
She warned that due to the adaptation, Marshall might have developed resistance to many antibiotics.
“If you contract another illness alongside this bacteria, antibiotics may not be effective,” Cabrera cautioned.
Following the concerning diagnosis, Marshall promised to make healthier food choices, though she stopped short of eliminating raw meat entirely.
“I’m not going to stop eating raw meat—I plan to choose only grass-fed from reputable sources,” Marshall declared.
“I’ll avoid ground meat entirely, even if it’s grass-fed,” she concluded. “For my health and to be present for my children, husband, and family.”