Paul Saladino, the once-militant carnivore advocate, has launched his own whey protein powder. This is quite a remarkable pivot for an influencer who previously called protein powders “BS” and urged followers to avoid them entirely.
The irony hasn’t been lost on critics, particularly Dr. Layne Norton, who highlighted Saladino’s dramatic reversal in a YouTube video.
Just three years ago, Saladino was unequivocal in his condemnation: “Why would you eat or drink a protein powder that is highly processed that is going to degrade so many of the vital nutrients in your food? Stop eating those bulls**t foods. Focus on real meat and organs. Whey protein, soy protein, beef protein isolate, they’re bulls**t.”
The video, which Norton references, appears to have been scrubbed from the internet, conveniently timed with Saladino’s new product launch.
Now, Saladino proudly proclaims that “Heart and Soil has built a protein powder. We made the best whey protein powder on the planet.”
The transformation is complete, but the explanation is absent. Where previous influencers might acknowledge their change of perspective, Saladino has simply moved forward as if his earlier stance never existed.
This isn’t Saladino’s first philosophical about-face. After years of championing the carnivore diet as the “optimal human diet” and even writing a book on the subject, he quietly abandoned the approach after experiencing lethargy and other symptoms—symptoms he was apparently experiencing while writing that very book. He then pivoted to including fruit in his diet, leaving his carnivore followers to reconcile the shift on their own.
Norton points out the intellectual inconsistency in Saladino’s approach to scientific evidence. Saladino has repeatedly dismissed epidemiological studies as “garbage,” particularly when they show associations between saturated fat or LDL cholesterol and heart disease.
Yet he’s been caught citing epidemiological studies when they support his positions, including during an appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
The issue isn’t necessarily that influencers change their minds—scientific literacy requires updating beliefs when presented with new evidence.
Norton himself cites his evolution on intermittent fasting, where he acknowledged being wrong and explained his reasoning transparently. The problem arises when influencers make extreme, dogmatic claims, build audiences around absolute certainty, then pivot without acknowledgment or explanation.
Saladino’s whey protein concerns centered on processing supposedly degrading nutrients. However, the processing of whey protein involves separating it from milk through centrifugation and acid precipitation—straightforward food science, not chemical manipulation. His confusion between denaturation and degradation further undermines his earlier criticism, as protein denaturation occurs naturally during digestion anyway.
