Paul Saladino

Paul Saladino is an American physician, psychiatrist, health influencer, author, and entrepreneur whose public profile is centered on nutrition, metabolic health, and animal-based diets. He first became widely known as one of the most prominent advocates of a strict carnivore diet, presenting an exclusively or almost exclusively animal-food-based regimen as a possible answer to conditions including anxiety, eczema, depression, and autoimmune disorders. His arguments gave the diet a prominent medicalized and social-media-friendly advocate, although mainstream scientific and medical commentators have generally said that evidence for broad therapeutic claims is inadequate. Saladino studied chemistry at the College of William and Mary, spent several years traveling in North America and New Zealand, subsequently trained as a physician assistant, and later earned an MD from the University of Arizona in 2015. He completed a residency at the University of Washington in 2019 and is board-certified in psychiatry. He has also presented himself as a practitioner of functional medicine. His medical credentials have been an important part of his online positioning, allowing him to frame dietary arguments through the language of physiology, clinical experience, and scientific literature. Reference material reported that his California medical license was delinquent in 2022 because of unpaid fees; this does not establish whether the status later changed. His first major publishing milestone was The Carnivore Code, released in 2020. The book argued that many plant foods contain defensive compounds that Saladino characterized as harmful and helped establish his reputation within the low-carbohydrate, paleo, and carnivore communities. He later changed his own diet and public recommendations after reporting sleep problems, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, and reduced testosterone while following a strict carnivore regimen. By 2020 he had begun adding carbohydrates, especially fruit and honey, and came to promote what he describes as an animal-based diet rather than a completely meat-only diet. His current content continues to emphasize meat, organs, dairy, fruit, and honey while opposing seed oils and criticizing many conventional dietary recommendations. Saladino's media operation is built around social platforms, podcasts, video commentary, personal health routines, and lifestyle demonstrations. His material has included supermarket visits, discussions of organ meats and raw dairy, exercise and surfing content, travel, and highly personal demonstrations of hygiene and diet. He has appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, with the first cited appearance occurring in 2020, an event that substantially expanded his reach. He has also collaborated with figures in the low-carbohydrate and animal-based diet communities, including Anthony Gustin, and has been associated with the promotion of ancestral-diet narratives following travel to Tanzania to meet the Hadza. Commercially, Saladino is associated with Heart & Soil, an Austin, Texas-based supplement company that sells encapsulated organ-meat products, including liver-focused supplements. Reference material identifies him as a co-owner with Brian Johnson, also known as Liver King. He has additionally used his personal platform to promote products and collaborations in the wellness and food sectors. In 2023 he worked with Erewhon on a raw animal-based smoothie containing fermented dairy, beef organs, and a colostrum product. The collaboration attracted attention because of the use of raw animal products and the associated food-safety concerns. Saladino's advocacy has also extended to raw milk, opposition to seed oils, criticism of vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and claims about household products and hygiene. Critics have described his communication style as pseudoscientific or alarmist, arguing that he selectively emphasizes risks from particular studies while overstating their practical importance and presenting weakly supported claims with medical authority. A May 2024 post promoting raw dairy for infants was removed after public backlash. In May 2025 he interviewed United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the White House in a promotional video featuring raw milk and honey. His influence rests on the combination of professional credentials, high-production digital media, personal accessibility, and a distinctive anti-establishment health message.

Paul Saladino built his public identity at the intersection of medicine, functional-health advocacy, social-media influence, and dietary entrepreneurship. He initially trained in chemistry at the College of William and Mary and then spent approximately six years traveling in North America and New Zealand. He later worked as a physician assistant, pursued medical education at the University of Arizona, received his MD in 2015, and completed psychiatric residency training at the University of Washington in 2019. He subsequently became board-certified in psychiatry and described himself as a functional-medicine practitioner. Before becoming associated with carnivore dieting, Saladino had been vegan. He later adopted and promoted a strict meat-only diet, claiming that it could improve or cure a broad range of physical and psychological conditions. His 2020 book, The Carnivore Code, became a central text of his public message. The book presented plants as potentially harmful because of naturally occurring defense chemicals and encouraged readers to prioritize animal foods. Critics argued that the claims exceeded the available evidence and that the diet's long-term safety and effectiveness had not been established. Saladino later revised his position after experiencing adverse effects that he associated with strict carnivore eating, including sleep disruption, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, and a fall in testosterone. He began consuming fruit and honey and shifted toward an animal-based model that retained meat and organs as central foods while allowing selected carbohydrates. He continued to advocate raw milk, animal organs, and the avoidance of seed oils. He also made claims about hygiene products, including a 2022 video in which he described avoiding shampoo, soap, deodorant, and toothpaste in favor of water. His influence expanded through social platforms under the name paulsaladinomd and through podcast appearances, particularly his first cited appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience in 2020. His videos combine dietary instruction, scientific interpretation, personal routines, shopping, travel, exercise, and lifestyle demonstrations. Supporters view this as an accessible alternative to conventional nutrition advice. Critics say that his medical training and polished, pseudo-academic presentation can make unsupported claims appear more authoritative than they are. Commentators have specifically criticized his treatment of vaccine effectiveness, raw dairy safety, plant compounds, and disease prevention. Saladino also developed a commercial presence through Heart & Soil, an Austin-based supplement business associated with encapsulated organ meats and liver products. Reference material identifies Saladino and Brian Johnson, known as Liver King, as co-owners. His business and media activities overlap: the same animal-based worldview informs his educational content, product endorsements, collaborations, and audience-building strategy. His collaborations have included Anthony Gustin and a 2022 visit to the Hadza people of Tanzania, which Saladino presented as an opportunity to study an ancestral dietary model. In 2023 he partnered with Erewhon on a raw animal-based smoothie containing fermented dairy, beef organs, and colostrum. The use of raw animal products generated food-safety concerns, particularly in the context of infectious disease risks. In May 2024 he posted material promoting raw dairy for infants; the post was removed after backlash. In May 2025 he recorded a White House interview with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that featured raw milk and honey. These episodes reinforced both his visibility and the controversy surrounding his recommendations.

• 2023

  Launches an Erewhon smoothie collaboration

  [1]Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org

  He collaborated with Erewhon on a raw animal-based smoothie incorporating fermented dairy, beef organs, and colostrum.

• 2022

  Travels to Tanzania with Anthony Gustin

  [1]Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org

  Saladino and Anthony Gustin visited the Hadza and promoted the group as relevant to ancestral-diet discussions.

• 2020

  Publishes The Carnivore Code

  [1]Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org

  The book articulated Saladino's early strict-carnivore position and became a prominent text in the carnivore-diet movement.

• 2020

  Begins moving away from strict carnivore eating

  [1]Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org

  After reporting personal side effects, Saladino added fruit and honey and adopted a broader animal-based dietary framework.

• 2019

  Completes psychiatric residency

  [1]Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org

  He completed residency training at the University of Washington and later became board-certified in psychiatry.

• 2015

  Receives an MD from the University of Arizona

  [1]Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org

  Saladino completed his medical degree at the University of Arizona.

A physician-led, anti-establishment wellness and nutrition brand focused on animal-based eating, metabolic health, organ meats, raw dairy, and criticism of conventional dietary guidance. The brand combines medical credentials with influencer media, personal experimentation, and entrepreneurial supplement activity. Its claims are controversial and are frequently characterized by scientific commentators as unsupported, exaggerated, or pseudoscientific.

• Book · 2020

  The Carnivore Code

  Saladino's 2020 book presents the strict carnivore diet as a therapeutic and evolutionary model. It argues that many plant foods contain compounds that may be harmful and places meat and other animal foods at the center of human nutrition. The book became an influential manifesto-like publication within online carnivore and paleo communities, while medical and science writers have criticized its evidentiary basis and broad health claims.

• Dietary supplements

  Heart & Soil organ-meat supplements

  Heart & Soil sells encapsulated animal-organ supplements, including liver-focused products. The brand is built around the idea that consuming organ meats can support immunity, gut health, weight management, and structural health. Reference material identifies Saladino as a co-owner with Brian Johnson, known as Liver King. These products are part of Saladino's broader animal-based health system rather than a conventional pharmaceutical offering.

• Food and beverage collaboration · 2023

  Raw Animal-Based Smoothie

  Created with Erewhon in 2023, this smoothie combined fermented milk, beef organs, and a freeze-dried cow-colostrum product. Its positioning reflected Saladino's promotion of raw dairy and organ meats. The collaboration also brought attention to the microbiological risks associated with consuming raw animal products.

• 2024

  Backlash over promotion of raw dairy for infants

  A video posted by Saladino on X promoted feeding raw dairy to infants. The post drew strong public criticism and was removed the next day. The episode intensified concerns about the safety implications of his raw-dairy advocacy.

  Source

Read more

• 2023Erewhon Raw Animal-Based Smoothie

  United States

  Saladino partnered with Erewhon to commercialize a smoothie based on fermented dairy, organ meats, and colostrum.

  Outcome. The product extended his animal-based positioning into premium grocery retail and prompted discussion of raw-food safety.

  Source
• 2022Hadza ancestral-diet content

  Online international audience

  Saladino and Anthony Gustin traveled to Tanzania and presented the Hadza as a reference point for ancestral dietary practices.

  Outcome. The material reinforced Saladino's evolutionary and ancestral framing, while anthropological commentators cautioned against treating one population as proof of a universally correct diet.

  Source
• 2020Carnivore diet advocacy

  United States · Online international audience

  Saladino used his book, website, podcasts, and social channels to promote a strict meat-only diet and associate it with improvements in a wide range of health conditions.

  Outcome. The campaign made him a prominent carnivore-diet influencer, but also attracted sustained criticism from medical and science communicators.

  Source

• 2023

  Introduces the Erewhon raw animal-based smoothieProduct launch

  Background

  Saladino sought to extend his animal-based nutrition message into a premium retail food collaboration.

  Action taken

  He worked with Erewhon on a smoothie containing fermented dairy, beef organs, and colostrum.

  Aftermath

  The collaboration increased the visibility of organ-based and raw-dairy products while generating food-safety discussion.

  Source

• 2020

  Pivots from strict carnivore to animal-based eatingStrategy

  Background

  Saladino reported sleep problems, palpitations, muscle cramps, and reduced testosterone while following a strict carnivore diet.

  Action taken

  He added fruit and honey and began promoting a meat-heavy diet that was no longer exclusively meat-based.

  Aftermath

  The change preserved his position as an animal-food advocate while acknowledging limits to long-term ketosis and strict carnivore eating.

  Source

1. 1Paul Saladinoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Paul Saladino official websitepaulsaladinomd.co