Two sisters who attempted to cure their autoimmune disease with a plant-based diet claim adopting a raw meat diet finally healed them of the crippling symptoms.

Ashley Armstrong, 26, and Sarah Armstrong, 23, from Central Illinois, tried diets ranging from plant-based to macro-based eating to a traditional low fat diet in the hopes of easing the crippling autoimmune issues they've suffered since their teens.

The siblings, who now feast on a mostly raw meat diet of uncooked organs, fat and eggs, say that since becoming 'raw carnivores' in June this year, they've been able to cure their chronic symptoms of constipation, bloating, depression, fatigue, circulatory problems and Raynaud's syndrome.

The pair pride themselves on eating the 'whole dang animal - nose to tail' with no vegetables in sight.

Ashley Armstrong (left), 26, and Sarah Armstrong (right), 23, from Central Illinois, have revealed the benefits they've experienced from eating raw meat

The sisters, who previously tried, plant-based, low-fat and macro-based diets, claim that raw meats eased their symptoms of autoimmune disease

Sarah (pictured) and Ashley now document their 'raw carnivore' lifestyle on Instagram, with plans to co-author a cookbook

Ashley and Sarah, who boast almost 12,000 followers on Instagram with the handle @strong.sistas, are educating others about the benefits of a raw diet, and are even co-authoring a cookbook of carnivore-inspired recipes which will be published early next year.

Mechanical Engineering graduate student Ashley revealed how how they had struggled to get adequate nutrients on other diets.

She said: 'The carnivore life has been so powerful in helping our health. For years, our autoimmune disease had a huge impact on our lives. Even though we were eating 'healthy' and working out, nothing helped.

'As time wore on, day-to-day tasks became unreasonably tough and life was just hard, for no good reason.

'Looking back, I can see that we really weren't getting enough nutrients. Vegetables do not contain a high quality of nutrients when compared to raw meat and clearly, they had also been irritating our digestive system.

'As soon as we switched to a carnivore diet of purely animal, we felt amazing and also raw meat just tastes so delicious.'

Ashley (pictured left with Sarah) shared how their digestive systems were irritated on a plant-based diet as they struggled to get enough nutrients

Ashley (pictured) claims previous diets made day-to-day tasks unreasonably tough, raw meat has benefited their health while also tasting delicious

Sarah (pictured left with Ashley) says raw meat gives a nutrient high that you don't experience with cooked meat

Ashley and Sarah's day on a plate MEAL ONE: Raw Beef Steak e.g. Round steak, stew meat, chuck, sirloin and ribeye

Raw Frozen liver

Salmon Roe (which Ashley and Sarah call "Carnivore Dippin' Dots")

Raw Fat e.g. Suet Pictured, the sisters' raw meat platter MEAL TWO: Steak (usually a cut from a different animal besides beef e.g. lambshoulder)

A few eggs or just egg yolks

Raw Fat e.g. suet or iberico pork fat

Random fun meat cuts (e.g. Tongue tongue, heart, beef bacon, trotters, tendon, chicken feet, chicken necks)

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Sarah, who is a trainee farmer, added: 'Raw meat is not only tasty, but you feel this nutrient high that doesn't come the same with cooked meats, which is a really nice feeling.

'Our daily staples include steak, suet, salmon and liver. We love to have a raw steak for our first meal of the day with a pile of raw fat to follow.

'And we can incorporate anything from heart, tongue, trotters, chicken feet, Iberico pork fat to eggs in our evening meat.

'It's not weird, restrictive or socially exclusive to eat this way. There are so many fun animal cuts to try and we encourage people to own being a carnivore and not be embarrassed or intimidated to eat like this when out or with family. We love it and we're proud of it and we hope others develop the mindset too.

'We want to show people how powerful carnivore can be for both mind and body - from healing chronic issues to releasing you from food addictions and other disorder mindsets.'

Ashley and Sarah spent over ten years trialing different diets, desperate to find one that would make them feel better and alleviate the debilitating symptoms of autoimmune disease.

Ashley (pictured left with Sarah) dealt with chronic constipation and bloating for over a decade before the sisters were diagnosed with autoimmune disease

Ashley says the symptoms of she and Sarah's autoimmune disease got worse with age, impacting every area of their daily lives. Pictured: A cow's heart which they eat in their raw diet

Sarah (pictured right with Ashley) revealed they've always been interested in wellness and eager to try 'healthy' diets

The sisters tried the traditionally recommended low-fat diet as well macro-based eating plans in their late teens. The siblings then tried a plant-based diet, intermittent fasting as well as a low-meat ketogenic diet throughout their twenties.

'Many of our health issues had been going on for quite some time before we were diagnosed with autoimmune disease.

'From as early as high school, Sarah suffered with poor circulation, extreme sun sensitivity, dry eyes, depression and mood swings. It became her "normal".

'Before our diagnosis, I dealt with chronic constipation and bloating for over a decade. We both were dealing with extreme fatigue and brain fog on a regular basis.

WHAT IS THE CARNIVORE DIET, AND IS IT SAFE? Followers of the carnivore diet typically eat just meat, with no carbohydrates, vegetables, fruit, grains or nuts. Some also have dairy and fish. People who adopt the only-meat approach may initially feel better due to cutting out sugar and processed food, and many have reported mental clarity, faster weight loss, improved athletic performance and a healthier digestive system. But, considering health officials are trying to steer us more towards a plant-based protein for both health and environmental reasons, it's worth considering the health risks of a carnivore or generally high-meat diet: What are the dangers? Followers of such an eating regimen miss out on fiber, antioxidants and vitamins, some experts say. Lacking in these nutrients can affect a person's immunity, digestion, circulation and cognitive function.

A diet lacking fiber can cause constipation, bad breath and headaches.

Although eating only protein and fats can make someone feel fuller for longer, a diet low in vegetables cuts out a huge amount of essential vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C and vitamin K.

Among those who take it one step further and eat raw red meat, they are putting themselves at risk of food poisoning if they become infected with bacteria like Salmonella.

Eating plans are often unsustainable, causing dieters to feel frustrated and defeated.

Excessive amounts of red meat have previously been linked to bowel cancer, colorectal cancer, pancreatic and prostate cancer.

When cooked at temperatures exceeding 300°F, flesh produces certain chemicals that are carcinogenic, according to the WHO.

The large amount of red meat - and sometimes dairy products and fat -can increase your risk of heart disease. The NHS states: 'Red meat – such as beef, lamb and pork – is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals, and can form part of a balanced diet. But eating a lot of red and processed meat probably increases your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer. 'That's why it's recommended that people who eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red and processed meat per day cut down to 70g, as this could help reduce your risk of bowel cancer.' Source: Health.com and Mayo Clinic Advertisement

'As we got older, the symptoms took full swing and the best way I can describe the impact they had on our lives is that it simply just made everything unnecessarily harder,' said Ashley.

Sarah added: 'Ashley and I were always interested in wellness so we tried lots of different 'healthy' diets to try to alleviate our pain.

'We tried the traditional low-fat diet, consuming plenty of wholegrains, fruits and veggies during our teens. Then we gave the IFYM Macro diet a go before switching to a plant-based lifestyle for a few months.

'Then last year, we tried a vegetarian Ketogenic plan which consisted of hardly any meat besides egg whites and eating tons of veggies.

'Yet despite eating a ton of 'healthy' foods and working out regularly, we always felt like crap.'

The sisters (pictured) chose to go on a carnivore diet for thirty days, after a friend suggested that it might improve resolve their health issues

Ashley and Sarah's diet includes this meat platter (pictured), since they began noticing improvements in their health

Ashley (pictured right with Sarah) and Sarah had initially planned to introduce vegetables back into their diet after thirty days of trying a raw carnivore diet

Ashley and Sarah made the decision to go on a carnivore diet for thirty days after a friend suggested earlier this year that it might be able to resolve their digestive issues.

The diet entailed the sisters only eating meat, fish and other animal foods like eggs. Almost immediately, the sisters began noticing a huge improvement in their health.

Ashley said: 'By the end of last year, we were still suffering with auto immune conditions and our friend suggested we try the Carnivore diet to fix our digestion issues. We committed to trying it for 30 days.

'We initially planned on adding things back in like certain veggies. But pretty soon into those 30 days, I realized this would likely be a long term approach to food! I felt so amazing!

'The carnivore diet is ultimately the best elimination diet. You remove food items that could potentially cause inflammation inside the body. For example, we used to consumed tons of veggies each day.

'We noticed immediate digestion and bloating improvements when removing vegetables. Clearly, some of those veggies were irritating our digestion system!'

Sarah (pictured) claims their raw meat diet led to improvements in their concentration and energy levels

Ashley believes their carnivore diet removes things which could potentially cause inflammation inside the body

The sisters have noticed their ability to build muscle has also improved since going carnivore

Sarah added: 'We also noticed an improvement in our concentration and energy. And last but not least, we have really been able to build quite a bit of muscle since going carnivore! We did not prioritize meat in our diet prior to going carnivore.

'So this tells me that the high protein quality and bioavailable nutrients allowed us to thrive both inside and outside the gym! Carnivore would end up being the final step that needed to be taken to feeling at our best.'

The sisters decided to try out raw meat after starting the carnivore diet. They began by tasting uncooked steak, mince and organs, and the pair could not believe how delicious raw meat was.

'Our first foray into raw meat was lightly seared ground lamb. When we tried it, it honestly tasted so delicious, that next time around, there was no need to sear any of it.

'So we began trying out all sorts of uncooked meat and organs. Raw just tastes so good! Once you get over that fear, and if you try the right cuts raw, you'll see what we mean.

The sisters began their raw meat diet by trying uncooked steak, mince and organs, and were surprised that it tasted delicious

Ashley (pictured) says they have at least one steak cut raw a day, and always raw liver and raw fat sources

Ashley (pictured right with Sarah) revealed their first meal of the day often includes raw frozen liver and salmon roe

'It's not only tasty, but you feel this nutrient high that doesn't come the same with cooked meats, which is a really nice feeling.

'When you eat raw meat, there's no chance you'll cook any of the nutrients out, and there's no chance you'll cook 'in' any of the potential carcinogens from grills or pans,' said Sarah.

By June 2019, the sisters had switched to a fully carnivore diet. They now enjoy a 60/40 raw to cooked meat diet with daily staples including uncooked steak, suet, salmon roe and liver.

Ashley continued: 'We eat a lot of raw meat. We probably have at least one steak cut raw a day, and always raw liver and raw fat sources.

'Our first meal is typically some sort of raw steak - whatever we have in the fridge from our full cow. There's so many cuts to explore and we make sure to eat the whole animal - nose to tail!

'In our first meal, we always try to have some raw frozen liver too and salmon roe. Then we finish off this plate with a pile of raw fat, typically suet.

Sarah (pictured) and Ashley eat 60 per cent raw meat and 40 per cent cooked meat, with their last meal of the day being their largest

The sisters hope to educate others on how a meat diet can benefit the environment, with regenerative farming that can help prevent climate change

Ashley (pictured) says they enjoy using social media to spread more accurate information about following a carnivore diet

'Our second and last meal of the day is similar but larger. We have more steak or a lamb shoulder, a few eggs, raw fat like suet or iberico pork fat. Then we throw in some random other fun cuts and organs from time to time such as tongue, heart pig's trotters, chicken necks or feet.

'The carnivore diet is not restrictive, and there's absolutely a way to practice balance. From time to time, we may try to incorporate seasonal, benign carb sources but honestly, we prefer just eating meat anyways!'

Ashley (pictured left with Sarah) wants to help others, by sharing how the raw meat diet has benefited their health

Now the twosome are inspiring others online to consider the raw carnivore diet and sharing the health benefits they've experienced with the lifestyle.

As well as sharing their journey on social media, they are currently developing a podcast and are co-writing a carnivore recipe book with Dr Paul Saldiano.

The sisters also want to educate people on how it's not just the popular plant-based movement that helps the planet and how meat only diet fueled by regenerative farming can help prevent climate change.

Ashley added: 'We love using social media, the first being to simply share our journey. In the process, we also hope to spread how easy and enjoyable it can be to live a healthy lifestyle - including spreading more accurate information about following a carnivore diet.

'Being carnivore is NOT boring - there's so many delicious ways to prepare animal proudcts and we can't wait to share our nose to tail cookbook coming out in 2020.

'The carnivore way of life has been so powerful in helping our health, if we could lead just a few other people in the right direction on their own health journeys - that makes it all the more worth it.'