If you follow Lauryn on Instagram, you might have noticed that she’s been talking about how much more protein she’s been eating lately. Namely, MEAT.
Over the last year she’s been incorporating much more red meat, eggs and raw dairy into her life and can really feel the difference: think more energy, more effective workouts, better sleep, better hair, skin & nails – always a win.
Anyway, more and more we’re seeing doctors, integrative wellness coaches & other health professionals speak on the benefits of meat, eggs and dairy. But just a few years ago it seemed like everything was vegan, vegan, vegan. It’s hard to keep up, right?
As always, we’re here to INFORM and present all sides of the coin, if you will. If you’re a vegan- great, if you’re a carnivore- good for you, if you’re a pescatarian- we love it. You do you, always. We’re not trying to change any minds here, we just always want to explore different views and facts with openness.
With that, today on the blog we have a little q & a from Dr. Paul Saladino of Heart & Soil. He was recently on the podcast too, which is just so factual and science-backed. He is a doctor who has personally seen incredible changes in his patients’ issues and health challenges and in his episode he gets into the vegan diet, ‘irreversible’ illness and health conditions, and misconceptions around an animal-based diet. We’re so happy to have in on the blog too where he shares his idea of a balanced diet, how a vegan can start incorporating meat into their diet, food quality and more.
Let’s get into it with Dr. Paul Saladino.
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♡ Introduce yourself to The Skinny Confidential audience.
Paul Saladino: My name is Paul Saladino and I’m a double board-certified Medical Doctor.
Throughout my medical training, I came to realize that our Western medical system isn’t helping people lead healthy lives. I left the practice of mainstream medicine when I realized how broken that system is. And I now help millions more people by sharing information on my social media channels.
I believe in questioning our assumptions about health and nutrition. I also believe that most chronic illnesses are preventable and reversible. And I believe nutritional choices lie at the root of the majority of chronic illnesses people suffer from today.
♡ How did you personally discover the benefits of an animal-based diet?
PS: My personal health journey has seen me experiment with a number of different diets. I’ve done vegan, keto, paleo, and carnivore, all in my pursuit of optimal health. A common thread throughout this journey was a willingness to question my assumptions about nutrition and to refuse to become beholden to any one particular nutrition dogma.
This allowed me to arrive at what I call an animal-based diet, which is centered around the most sought after, nutrient-rich foods available to humans. Meat, organs, fruit, honey, and raw dairy. These are foods our ancestors sought above all else.
♡ Can you tell us some scientific evidence and benefits that humans need animal-based foods?
PS: Consider the fact there are ZERO nutrients essential for human health found only in plant foods. But there are many, many nutrients essential for human health found ONLY in animal foods.
Things like creatine, carnitine, carnosine, anserine, taurine, K2, B12, riboflavin, choline, biotin, retinol, heme iron, etc… the list goes on.
Interventional studies with meat consistently show that animal foods lead to better fertility, memory, intelligence, strength, and improvements in chronic illness, weight loss, diabetes etc…
I’ve talked about these studies many times on my social media channels and podcast.
Those who claim vegetables are full of nutrients are forgetting that those nutrients are bound in anti-nutrients, making them less available for your body to use. But animal foods contain the most readily available nutrients for your body to absorb and utilize (consider bioavailable heme iron found in meat vs non-heme iron found in vegetables as an example).
And if we take a look at our evolution, the importance of animal foods becomes abundantly clear. About 2 million years ago, we saw an increase in human brain growth size, and this aligns exactly with when we began hunting and eating meat and organs.
♡ What does a balanced diet look like to you?
PS:The idea of a balanced diet is a modern concept. Our human ancestors did not seek a balanced diet, they sought the most nutrient-rich foods they could find. Inevitably this led them to seek animal foods like meat and organs, and ripe fruits and honey.
Instead of aiming for a balanced diet I would suggest aiming to get the most nutrients in your diet as possible, while limiting foods that come with added anti-nutrients such as those found in grains, beans, nuts, seeds and vegetables.
♡ If someone has been vegan for a while, isn’t feeling their best, and looking for a change, what is an easy animal-based addition they can make.
PS: I would absolutely start by adding grass fed meat to the diet. Start slowly if needed. And start eating liver – 0.5oz per day is all you need. Or just 4 oz per week. Liver is the most nutrient dense food on the planet.
If you can’t get fresh organs, definitely try our desiccated organ supplements at Heart & Soil. Our supplements don’t taste like anything, so it’s going to be an easier transition for you than going straight to fresh meat or organs. But I’m confident that once you start feeling the benefits, you won’t look back.
♡ What’s your opinion on the quality of animal-based foods? Is lower quality better than none due to affordability and availability?
PS: Lower quality animal-based foods will almost always be better than zero animal-based foods.
But I do think the quality of your food matters… particularly what the animal was fed, and whether or not there are added ingredients such as fillers, gums, seasonings etc. I stick to grass fed beef most of the time.
The good news is that it is absolutely possible to eat a high-quality animal-based diet on as little as $10 per day. I’ve shown this is possible even in Beverly Hills.
Many people on a budget end up compromising food quality, but I think this is a HUGE mistake. And even on a small budget you can still eat very high quality foods that will lead to incredible health.
♡ What’s your favorite meal to cook on a busy weeknight that you feel good about?
PS: My favorite meal to eat is without a doubt grass fed ground beef. I make them into burgers and cook them on my grill. To this I will add some organs (fresh or desiccated from Heart & Soil), some fruit (pineapple, mango, banana), raw dairy (fermented kefir and raw cheese/butter), and raw honey.
Not only is this meal incredibly nutritious but it is so delicious that I never tire of eating it. It’s also incredibly quick to make.
♡ Are there any animal-based foods you are not a fan of?
PS: I am not a huge fan of pork and chicken.
The quality of what your chicken or pork is fed matters a lot, and it is INCREDIBLY challenging to find chicken or pork fed on a species-appropriate diet.
That said, choosing to eat chicken or pork over grains or vegetables will still be a huge upgrade for your health, because they are more nutrient-rich, and the nutrients are more bioavailable and absorbable than the nutrients in plant foods.
♡ Tell us a success story about someone benefiting from your supplements or philosophy.
PS: There are SO many!
Check out what happened when Caitlin started taking our Beef Organs supplement:
Stop thinking about it, and just get it!! I’m on my second bottle and I’ve already had to lower my thyroid medication for my Hashimotos. I’ve had more energy, better sleep, and my skin has started to get better as well. I am much stronger now and I went from working out 3 days a week, to 5-6 days a week. The changes are gradual. But one day you look back and you’re like WOW. It’s the small changes that stack up to life changing results. Thank you so much for this product!
At Heart & Soil we have thousands of stories like this from people who have begun nourishing their bodies with our desiccated organ supplements. You can read more of them over on our website.
♡ What’s a book, podcast or resource you recommend?
PS: If you’re interested in long-form content and a deeper dive into health and nutrition then check out my podcast Fundamental Health.
Otherwise check out my Instagram where I’m regularly talking about an animal-based diet and other health-related topics.
♡ Where can everyone find you? Pimp yourself out!
PS: Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, Twitter, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
You will also find me on my website: paulsaladinomd.co
And if you’re ready to experience the power of organs, then visit Heart & Soil (start with Beef Organs).
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Be sure to check out more from Dr. Saladino on his platforms. He’s always sharing success stories and facts around an animal-based diet. Also, you can use code SKINNY for 10% off your order at Heart & Soil.
x, The Skinny Confidential team.
+ learn how to heal your gut after taking antibiotics here.
++ stalk these Mediterranean recipes by Neda Varbanova.
SHOP DR. SALADINO’S FAVES:
