Dr Paul Saladino

Paul Saladino is an American physician, board-certified in psychiatry and trained in functional medicine. Born in 1977, he studied chemistry at the College of William and Mary, worked as a physician assistant, then earned his MD at the University of Arizona (2015) and completed residency at the University of Washington (2019). He became one of the most visible advocates of the strict carnivore diet through "The Carnivore Code" (2020), which made the metabolic and anthropological case for an all-meat approach and remains the most readable summary of the position.

Saladino has since moved away from strict carnivore, publicly advocating what he calls an "animal-based" diet — heavy organ-meat emphasis, raw honey, seasonal fruit, sometimes raw dairy. Animal-based is now the most permissive tier on the carnivore spectrum, and Saladino is its leading proponent. He co-founded the Austin-based supplement company Heart & Soil with Brian Johnson ("Liver King") in 2020 and continues to publish through his podcast and large social-media following. We include him here for foundational influence on the carnivore conversation, not as a current advocate of strict carnivore.