This article covers what Joe Rogan eats in 2026, how his diet has shifted since the strict carnivore phase, what he says it does for his focus and his appetite, and the side effects he has reported.
Joe Rogan first tried the carnivore diet in January 2020.
It helped him:
- Increase focus
- Decrease body fat
- Improve energy levels throughout the day (less ups and downs)
- Control his appetite, to the point where a 24 hour fast feels easy
Then in 2023, Rogan decided to go back to Carnivore because he realized it was when he was feeling the best. His brain was performing better and he experienced many health benefits.
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What Joe Rogan Eats in 2026
Joe Rogan described his current diet on JRE episode #2537 with Harvard geneticist David Sinclair, released on 7 August 2026. Talking about how he keeps his hunger in check, he laid out what he actually eats.
“The bulk of my diet, it’s meat and fermented vegetables. It’s meat and kimchi and sauerkraut and stuff along those lines.”
That is a shift from the strict version he ran in 2020, when he ate only meat, fish and eggs. It puts him closer to an animal-based diet than a true carnivore one, and he described himself in the same conversation as “mostly on a carnivore-based diet” (source).
The reason he gives is appetite. “When I eat like that, my hunger is very easy to control,” he said. He contrasted it with how he used to eat, where pizza and pasta left him chasing the next meal.
Joe Rogan’s Fasting Routine in 2026
Joe Rogan eats his first meal around noon and does not follow a fixed eating window. He describes long gaps without food as something that got easier once he changed what he eats.
“I’ve gone 24 hours like it’s nothing, not eating. It’s like not a problem at all,” he said in August 2026 (source).
Protein and fat are more filling per calorie than refined carbs, which is the usual explanation for that drop in appetite. Twenty four hours is his ceiling though. He has said it is the longest he has ever gone (source).
Joe Rogan Carnivore Diet Benefits
A carnivore diet consists of eating only animal products. Specifically meat, fish, eggs, and dairy. With a focus on meat – which humans have been eating since their beginning.
On JRE episode #1994 (June 2023) with Theo Von, Rogan announced being back on the carnivore diet and feeling great.
Part of Rogan’s motivation for trying the carnivore diet was listening to Jordan Peterson and his reports on cognitive performance and auto-immune benefits.
Rogan observed similar effects. After eating only meat and eggs for about a week, he started noticing it was much easier to form sentences. He felt more mental clarity and his conversations improved. He remembers thinking that wasn’t how he normally felt, it was him at his peak. But when he was on a carnivore diet, he could sustain that optimal mental performance for days.
Another thing Rogan noticed was how steady his energy levels were. Because of a low carb intake, a carnivorous diet induces ketosis, helping your body use ketones for fuel instead of sugars. As a result, there are fewer energy highs and lows associated with high-carbohydrate diets.
In the podcast episode #1424 with Tom Papa, Rogan discussed the benefits of being on a carnivorous diet for a month. He reported losing seven pounds after 11 days, and 12 pounds after one month. And it was mostly fat.
In the more recent, #1994 episode, he reports losing five pounds in two weeks. Again, it was mostly fat.
Back in 2020, Rogan also experienced some improvements with vitiligo (an autoimmune disorder). His white spots filled up, helping his skin look more even.
Regular Diet and Inflammation
Rogan states that one of the reasons he feels better on a carnivore diet is due to lower inflammation. Our regular diets contain many processed and sugar-packed foods, which contribute to overall inflammation.
According to research, higher consumption of processed foods can lead to low-grade inflammation, leading to many chronic conditions.
How processed foods contribute to inflammation – source
A lot of foods we eat contain preservatives and other ingredients that make it harder for our body to process. So our body has to use a lot of resources to digest these foods, becoming overburdened with extra work.
In the #1424 episode, Rogan mentions that he loves pasta so much, but he only feels good for five minutes after eating it. Extra carbs send him on an energy roller coaster, and he usually feels the consequences of inflammation in the following days.
He also explained that some people don’t tolerate leafy greens and other vegetables. They have certain reactions to those foods due to high oxalate levels and other compounds. Research agrees that plant-derived foods are the most common sources of allergens for adults.
What Does Joe Rogan Eat in a Day on a Carnivore Diet?
When Rogan is on a carnivore diet, he mostly eats meat and eggs, with a preference for grass-fed beef and elk.
He continues taking his essential vitamins and other supplements (see the list of Joe Rogan’s supplements).
Rogan explains that elk is very lean meat, so he usually cooks it in grass-fed beef tallow to get some additional fat in. He also eats a lot of bacon for fat.
Initially, he was very strict about eating only meat, fish, and eggs.
But in episode #1994 of his podcast, Rogan explains that he now adds fruits and veggies here and there.
In the #1424 episode, we got a little sneak peek into what Joe Rogan eats in a day on a carnivore diet.
Back in episode #1424 he gave a sense of his day of eating:
- First meal – Steak or eggs, sometimes with bacon, around noon after training
- Lunch – Skipped
- Dinner – Steak
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Supplements he has named recently:
- Creatine – One of his daily supplements (his creatine routine)
- Alpha Brain Black Label – What he reaches for before a long recording
- Neuro Gum – Another one he uses for podcasts and commentary (what is in it)
- Ketone IQ – Taken before a UFC broadcast
He named the last three on episode #2537 (source). Alpha Brain is an Onnit product. Rogan has promoted Onnit for years, and Unilever bought the company in 2021 (source). More on all of these in our guide to what Rogan takes for focus and memory.
Side Effects of Joe Rogan’s Carnivore Diet
When he first started the carnivore diet, Joe Rogan mentioned one huge side effect – diarrhea. It lasted for about two weeks before his digestion got back to normal.
Rogan also warns against rabbit starvation syndrome (see wikipedia). This phenomenon was first observed in Arctic explorers who only ate rabbits. They ate enough calories, but it all came from protein. So, their body was starving for fat and they experienced side effects like fatigue, nausea, and diarrhea.
The main point is that for people to thrive on a carnivore diet, they need fat. That’s why Rogan adds beef tallow and enjoys fatty bacon.
In episode #1958 of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, in a discussion with Andrew Huberman, Rogan mentioned that his high-intensity training sessions were affected while eating a carnivorous diet. And that’s basically why he added fruit to his routine.
Is Joe Rogan Still on the Carnivore Diet?
Yes, mostly, though not in the strict form he ran in 2020.
He does not carb cycle with sweet potatoes and wild rice before workouts. He does not follow a fixed 16 hour fast from noon to 8pm, though he does usually eat his first meal around noon. And he does not do multi-day water fasts. He has said 24 hours is the most he has ever fasted (source).
His January carnivore month is real but not annual. He posted about it in 2020 (source) and 2021 (source), and the 2022 version was meat and fruit rather than strict carnivore (source). He went back to carnivore in mid 2023, though there is no public record of a January run since.
Further Reading
If you have any questions or comments about the current Joe Rogan diet, please leave them below in the comments section.
If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy:
- Joe Rogan Supplements List – Everything he takes daily, with doses
- Joe Rogan’s TRT Protocol – His testosterone routine and what he injects
- Joe Rogan’s Peptides List – What he uses for recovery and injury healing
- Joe Rogan on Methylene Blue – What it does and how he takes it
Disclaimer: The above information is for research and educational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full medical disclaimer.
Note: We have no affiliation with Joe Rogan - this article is based on publicly shared information.
