How to Eat to Avoid a Heart Attack (The Animal Based Way)
Most people are told the same story: fat is the enemy, cholesterol is a ticking bomb, and a low fat plate full of “heart healthy” seed oils will keep you alive. That story is outdated, and it is costing people their health.
At CrossFit Uncommon we train for a long life under the bar, not a short life on a treadmill diet. The way we eat should match that. Paul Saladino’s animal based approach is one of the clearest maps for that: prioritize real animal foods, cut industrial oils, and stop treating your metabolism like an afterthought.
This is education for athletes who want better energy, better recovery, and a stronger shot at long term heart health. It is not medical advice. If you have heart disease or are on medication, talk to your doctor before you change how you eat.
The real problem is not steak
Heart disease is heavily tied to metabolic dysfunction: chronically high blood sugar, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, and a body that never recovers from the food environment we live in.
Ultra processed food, seed oils, and sugar bombs hit that system every day. A ribeye with salt does not.
Animal based eating flips the default. You build the plate around nutrient dense animal foods first, then add the carbs and plants that actually work for your body.
1. Cut seed oils hard
Canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, and “vegetable oil” are industrial products. They show up in restaurants, salad dressings, protein bars, and almost every packaged snack.
Saladino’s stance is blunt: these oils drive oxidation and inflammation in ways butter, tallow, ghee, and olive oil (used thoughtfully) do not. For heart health, the first win is boring and powerful.
Cook in butter, tallow, ghee, or animal fat. Read labels. If the ingredients list starts with seed oil, put it back.
2. Eat ruminant meat like it matters
Beef and lamb are not the enemy of your heart. They are some of the most complete foods you can buy: protein, fat soluble vitamins, minerals, creatine, carnitine, and the amino acids your body actually uses to rebuild after training.
Prioritize grass finished when you can, but do not let perfect stop you. Regular ribeyes, ground beef, and stew meat beat a “heart healthy” snack pack every day of the week.
3. Eat the organs (even a little)
Muscle meat alone leaves gaps. Liver, heart, and other organs carry nutrients that support energy metabolism and tissue repair in a way chicken breast never will.
You do not need a daily liver feast. Once or twice a week is enough for most people. If whole organ food is a hard sell, start with a small amount of liver mixed into ground beef, or a quality desiccated organ supplement while you build the habit.
Heart, ironically, is one of the most underrated cuts for people who care about cardiovascular resilience. It is food, not a slogan.
4. Use carbs that come from nature, not factories
Animal based is not “zero carb forever.” Saladino’s modern framing includes fruit, honey, and other simple carbs that humans have eaten for a long time, especially if you train hard.
That is different from soda, pastries, and seed oil fried carbs that spike you, crash you, and leave you inflamed.
If you CrossFit, you need fuel. Choose fruit and honey over packaged “performance” junk when you can.
5. Dairy if you tolerate it
Raw or minimally processed dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt) can be a powerful addition for people who digests it well: fat, protein, and minerals in a dense package.
If dairy wrecks your gut or skin, skip it. Animal based is a framework, not a purity contest.
6. Stop fearing cholesterol. Fix the context.
For decades, dietary cholesterol and saturated fat were treated like villains. The picture is more nuanced. Many people thrive on animal fat when they also remove ultra processed food, manage stress, sleep, and train.
Markers matter in context. A strong athlete with good metabolic health is not the same as a sedentary person living on fried snacks, even if a lab number looks similar on paper.
Work with a practitioner who understands metabolic health, not just a single cholesterol number in isolation.
7. Train. Sleep. Stress less. Then eat.
No nutrition plan outruns zero sleep and chronic stress. Strength training, Zone 2 style work, and consistent recovery are part of heart resilience.
At Uncommon we care about the whole loop: how you train, how you recover, and what you put on the plate after class.
A simple animal based plate
Protein and fat: beef, lamb, eggs, fish, or organ rich meals
Cooked in: butter, tallow, or ghee
Carbs: fruit, honey, white rice or potatoes if they sit well with you
Skip: seed oils, ultra processed snacks, fake “heart healthy” packaged food
Bottom line
Avoiding a heart attack is not about living on cardboard cereal and fear. It is about metabolic health, real food, and a life that includes hard training.
Eat animals. Cut seed oils. Fuel with fruit and honey when you need carbs. Train like your future depends on it, because it does.
Want help building this into your week? Book a free intro at CrossFit Uncommon in Austin and we will meet you where you are.
Not medical advice. Educational content only.
Want to go deeper? Here is Paul Saladino breaking down why "bad" cholesterol is not the whole heart disease story.