Canadian fitness influencer Will Tennyson routinely takes on challenging fitness and diet feats, such as attempting to devour bodybuilding legend Ronnie Coleman’s 6,000-calorie diet. On June 6, 2024, Tennyson shared his experience in Costa Rica with Dr. Paul Saladino, a carnivore diet specialist. He left his comfort zone, trying the alternative foods and exercises that suit Saladino’s lifestyle.
“An animal-based diet is centered around consuming the most optimal foods for humans….meat, organ, fruit, honey, and raw dairy. It’s essentially like a carnivore without the scurvy,” says Tennyson. Learn more below:
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Dr. Paul Saladino’s Reasoning for an Animal-Based Diet
Dr. Saladino shared that adopting an animal-based diet significantly alleviated his childhood allergies, including asthma and eczema, which appeared to worsen with the consumption of vegetables. Furthermore, he emphasized that individuals facing similar health concerns might find relief by altering their dietary habits.
“I had a period of a carnivore diet where I was eating meat for a year and a half. I started that because of my eczema,” says Saladino. “This itchy bumpy rash was on my knees and my elbows; I got fed up, so I did my own ultra-elimination diet of just meat, which is extreme, and it helped the eczema.”
Dr. Saladino may not advocate for vegan diets, yet he acknowledges their deliberate approach to food choices. He argues that meat is a rich source of nutrients not readily available in plant-based foods. (1)
“It’s extremely hard, potentially impossible, to get everything needed to be an optimal human without eating animal foods. So many nutrients and meat are not found in plants, and you can take a million supplements. Many prominent vegans do and still do not get everything they’re missing in meat. Meat has 42,000 components.”
Dr. Saladino’s Meal Plan
Tennyson and Dr. Saladino start their day with all-natural fruits, avoiding artificial flavorings or sweeteners. They eat various meats, cheeses, goat’s milk, honey, and other carefully selected items, described in further detail below:
Meal One
Glass of Blended Watermelon
Grilled Beef
Strawberries
Local Honey
Kefir (Fermented Goat’s Milk)
Grilled Plantains Mixed with Butter
Avocados
Meal Two
A Glass of Naturally Squeezed Orange Juice
Pineapple
Bananas
Meal Three
Beef Burgers
Cucumbers
Raw Egg Yolks (Pasture Raised Eggs)
Lime
Mangoes
Raw Reta Cheese
For his final meal, Dr. Saladino prepares his meat using his meat grinder. He prefers this method as it allows him to control the meat’s fat content.
Despite being late in the day, Tennyson remarks that he still feels content, even with the minimal amount of food consumed earlier. Saladino responds that it’s from eating nutrient-rich foods while avoiding those that hinder metabolism.
Dr. Saladino’s Fitness Training
Dr. Saladino’s training approach prioritizes mobility, flexibility, and functional fitness over physical aesthetics. His dietary habits align with his workout routines, emphasizing a holistic approach to health and wellness.
Dr. Saladino devotes two to three hours daily to surfing, incorporating stretching exercises with a resistance band, balance training, and unilateral leg movements. The following is an overview of his exercise routine:
Dead Hang Pull-Ups
Resistance Band Stretches
L-Sits
Deficit Push-Ups
Balance Board
Rope Walk
During training, Dr. Saladino recommends the dead hang exercise, which activates the coracobrachialis, a shoulder muscle only engaged when hanging. When questioned about the secret behind his impressive physique, he attributes it to a combination of a healthy diet and good genetics.
References
Geiker, N. R. W., Bertram, H. C., Mejborn, H., Dragsted, L. O., Kristensen, L., Carrascal, J. R., Bügel, S., & Astrup, A. (2021). Meat and Human Health-Current Knowledge and Research Gaps. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 10(7), 1556. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10071556
Featured image: @willtenny on Instagram
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