How the Dr. Philip Ovadia Carnivore Diet Journey Began

Dr. Philip Ovadia carnivore diet transformation is a powerful rebuttal to decades of failed nutrition advice. Once an overweight, prediabetic heart surgeon, Dr. Ovadia reversed his metabolic health by cutting out processed food, ditching sugar, and embracing a strict animal-based diet. Now, he’s not only a surgeon but a living example of how red meat and butter can save lives.

Weighing over 260 pounds and facing metabolic syndrome, Dr. Ovadia followed standard dietary advice for years. Nothing worked. After exploring low-carb and ketogenic diets, he discovered the carnivore diet — a zero-carb protocol focused entirely on animal foods. Over the next several years, he lost over 100 pounds, normalized his insulin, and eliminated prediabetes.

Dr. Ovadia has since made it his mission to educate others about the root cause of heart disease: not cholesterol, but metabolic dysfunction. He now leads a telehealth practice helping patients across the U.S. and internationally implement the carnivore diet and restore metabolic health.

Why Dr. Philip Ovadia Believes Cholesterol Isn’t the Enemy

The Dr. Philip Ovadia carnivore diet approach challenges the mainstream narrative about cholesterol. While most cardiologists continue to demonize LDL cholesterol, Dr. Ovadia asserts that it’s not cholesterol causing heart disease, but rather insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.

Cholesterol, he explains, is a repair molecule that the body uses to heal damaged blood vessels. The damage is primarily caused by hyperinsulinemia, excess glucose, and seed oil-derived inflammation — not animal fats or saturated cholesterol.

It’s dysfunctional cholesterol — such as oxidized LDL and small, dense LDL particles — that contribute to plaque formation. These forms of cholesterol are more common in individuals with poor metabolic health. When inflammation and insulin resistance are resolved, cholesterol can resume its proper role in the body without causing arterial damage.

Core Health Markers Improved by the Dr. Philip Ovadia Carnivore Diet

Dr. Philip Ovadia carnivore diet results are backed by measurable improvements in key metabolic markers. These are the labs and metrics he uses to track real health:

According to Dr. Ovadia, if these five markers are optimal, total cholesterol and LDL levels are not predictive of cardiovascular risk. Many of his patients have “elevated” LDL but zero coronary calcium and no arterial disease. He often uses CAC (Coronary Artery Calcium) scores to confirm arterial health in those following a carnivore lifestyle.

What Foods Dr. Philip Ovadia Eats on the Carnivore Diet Daily

The Dr. Philip Ovadia carnivore diet meal plan is simple but powerful. It includes only animal-based whole foods:

• Beef (grass-finished preferred, but not required)
• Lamb (often grass-fed by default)
• Eggs (from pasture-raised hens when possible)
• Butter and animal fats (tallow, ghee)
• Beef bacon (no pork)
• Raw dairy (if tolerated)
• Salt (Himalayan, sea salt)
• Organ meats (liver, kidney, heart)

He avoids:

• All seed oils (canola, soybean, sunflower)
• Refined carbs (bread, cereal, pasta)
• Packaged foods (regardless of health claims)
• Plant-based oils and sugars

Lessons from the Dr. Philip Ovadia Carnivore Diet Results

The most profound lesson from the Dr. Philip Ovadia carnivore diet journey is that chronic disease is not inevitable — it is a consequence of what we eat. Heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes are reversible when the underlying causes are addressed: insulin resistance, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction.

Dr. Ovadia uses tools like NMR lipid panels (to assess particle size), coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans, and fasting insulin tests to personalize risk and guide patients toward optimal outcomes — without prescription drugs.

In his clinical practice, he sees patients improve triglyceride-to-HDL ratios, reduce visceral fat, and in many cases, lower or eliminate the need for medications. His approach is built on returning to the foods humans evolved to eat — not engineered, chemical-laced products from the modern food system.

Dr. Philip Ovadia Carnivore Diet Takeaways for Reversing Heart Disease

• You don’t get heart disease from red meat or butter
• Cholesterol is not the enemy — inflammation is
• Statins offer marginal benefit and may increase insulin resistance
• Processed foods and seed oils are the true drivers of plaque
• Animal-based diets are nutrient-dense and sustainable

Dr. Ovadia rarely prescribes statins. He reserves them only for patients unwilling to change their diet and lifestyle — and even then, the benefits are minimal. Statins can also impair mitochondrial function and raise insulin levels, both counterproductive to healing heart disease.

The Carnivore Diet May Be the Future of Heart Disease Prevention

The Dr. Philip Ovadia carnivore diet story is a wake-up call for anyone still clinging to outdated dietary dogma. As a heart surgeon who transformed his life through meat, eggs, and butter, he now helps others avoid the operating table through education and dietary intervention.

For those serious about reversing chronic disease, his message is clear: eat real food, eliminate the toxins, and let your body heal. The answer isn’t found in a pill. It’s found in the foods we were designed to eat.

Authoritative Sources:

• Dr Ovadia’s website

• Ovadia, P. (2021). Stay Off My Operating Table

• Dave Feldman – The Lipid Energy Model