At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
Carnivore Diet, Plant Toxins, and Rethinking Cholesterol With Paul Saladino
- Joe Rogan and physician Paul Saladino dive deep into the rationale behind an animal-based/carnivore diet, arguing that meat and organs are evolutionarily appropriate human foods while many plants contain defensive toxins. They distinguish between beneficial environmental stressors (like exercise, heat, and cold) and molecular stressors from plant compounds, questioning whether the latter offer a net benefit. Saladino challenges mainstream views on cholesterol and heart disease, suggesting LDL is not inherently harmful outside of metabolic dysfunction and highlighting vegetable oils and refined foods as bigger culprits. They also cover regenerative agriculture, hunting ethics, organ meats, fiber myths, and the psychological and cultural dynamics around veganism and diet dogma.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasMeat and organs may be more nutritionally complete than plants for humans.
Saladino argues there are no essential nutrients in plants that cannot be obtained in more bioavailable form from animal foods (e.g., B12, K2, creatine, choline, carnitine, taurine), while many key nutrients exist only or predominantly in animal products.
Many plant compounds act as chemical defenses, not benign superfoods.
He frames plant phytochemicals (e.g., sulforaphane, isothiocyanates) as toxins designed to deter predation; they can activate beneficial pathways like NRF2, but also have ‘side effects’ such as DNA damage or thyroid interference, raising the question of whether their net impact is positive when similar benefits can be achieved via exercise, heat, cold, and fasting.
LDL cholesterol may not be harmful in metabolically healthy individuals.
Using epidemiological stratification and mechanistic reasoning, Saladino suggests elevated LDL in people with good metabolic markers (high HDL, low insulin, low inflammation) may not increase heart disease risk the way it does in insulin-resistant populations, and he points to his own zero coronary calcium score despite very high LDL.
Industrial seed oils and excess linoleic acid are strong candidates in chronic disease.
They highlight historical data showing explosive rises in vegetable oil consumption paralleling obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and discuss how linoleic acid-rich oils may promote fat cell dysfunction, oxidative stress, and possibly cancer, in contrast to traditional animal fats.
Fiber is not strictly necessary for bowel health and can worsen symptoms for some.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, they cite interventional studies where reducing or eliminating fiber improved idiopathic constipation and GI symptoms, and note that many people report less bloating and gas on low- or zero-fiber carnivore-style diets.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesMost plants are not edible, but almost every animal is edible.
— Paul Saladino
We’ve assumed that plants are good for us. What if they’re not, and we’re misinterpreting the research?
— Paul Saladino
It makes no sense that something our ancestors have eaten forever, like red meat, is suddenly the thing killing us.
— Paul Saladino
When I did a total animal diet for a month, my energy was a flat line all day.
— Joe Rogan
Hunting an animal and eating it is one of the most spiritual experiences of my life.
— Joe Rogan
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