The 52-year-old TV personality opened up about her dramatic health journey on The Heal Squad podcast, sharing that her body violently rejected veganism despite its popularity. “I tried vegan, and I almost died.
I literally almost died,” McCarthy told host Maria Menounos, describing how the carb-heavy plant-based diet left her “exhausted, fatigued, and a mess” given her celiac disease, dairy allergy, and soy intolerance.
McCarthy’s complex health history—including Hashimoto’s disease, leaky gut syndrome, and mast cell activation disorder—led her to experiment with nearly every restrictive diet without success. “Healing leaky gut and Candida can take years,” she admitted, recalling how even specialized elimination diets failed to relieve her lifelong digestive issues.
Her turning point came when a functional medicine doctor suggested the radical carnivore diet last year. Though initially skeptical (“I was like, ‘Ugh, okay'”), the Chicago native committed to the meat-focused regimen—and experienced transformative results.
“I have been a constipated little girl since I was younger… now I go every day without laxatives,” she marveled. The diet also resolved her chronic fatigue, though she cautions: “Some people heal better on vegan—this just works for me.”
