Florida tattoo shop owner Wendy Marshall is so fond of raw meat that she downs two pounds of it daily. Ground chuck, cold cuts, whole roasts, porterhouse steaks, the bloodier the better — Marshall devours it all. Her diet is extreme — and potentially dangerous. Experts warn that raw meat can harbor harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, listeria, and E. coli, as well as parasites like trichinella. In addition, Marshall’s carnivorous customs don’t seem particularly hygienic. When at a nail salon, Marshall pulled out a package of ground beef and started gobbling it down (see photo below). Her nail technician was so grossed out that she refused to give Marshall a manicure. “I do understand that it’s not socially acceptable to eat raw meat,” Marshall confessed. “People kind of gag or they look at me crazy, but I don’t care.” Marshall’s boyfriend Robert doesn't share her love of raw meat, confessing that it makes him sick just thinking about it. In fact, his family’s concerns prompted Marshall to meet with nurse practitioner Vanessa Cabrera about what’s a "stake" if she doesn’t "chuck" her habit. While Cabrera identified an E. coli infection in Marshall’s colon from tests, she noted that Marshall’s body has adapted to it. Unfortunately, the immune-compromising bacteria have become resistant to almost every type of antibiotic. “So if you were to get sick with any other type of illness coupled with that bacteria, it would be very difficult for the antibiotics to work,” Cabrera told Marshall. While Marshall admitted that it was scary to learn that antibiotics might not work in a life-or-death situation, she vowed not to give up raw meat. “I plan to eat grass-fed, only from a good source,” she said.
