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The Plant Slant’s Liam Layton Pursues a Bachelor’s Degree with the Same Philosophy He Brings to Food Choices: “Don’t Let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good”
His interest in the subject began in childhood. “Basically, my mom was always focused on nutrition,” said Layton. “My mom said it has to be healthy, and it has to be easy.”
The Albany, New York, native’s career as a sleep technician took him to Ohio, where he also began a nutrition degree.
Now, with his family’s move back to the Albany area, Layton has transferred to Russell Sage College to complete his B.S. in Nutrition Science. (The Russell Sage connection is another thing he shares with his mom, English graduate Lyoni Fisher ’93.)
The Growth of The Plant Slant
Layton began creating content to help people enjoy inexpensive but balanced meals without getting preoccupied by sensationalized food fears around the time he started his nutrition degree in Ohio. His audience grew steadily from 2021 through 2024, when he hit 1 million followers on TikTok. He’s added platforms and millions of followers since then. Today, Layton’s digital presence is a full-time job; he spends roughly two hours planning, filming, and editing each video and aims for 16 new posts every week.
His videos typically use a split-screen to bring nuance to online dietary debates. For example, in a recent clip, after another creator dramatically throws out deli meat because it is carcinogenic, Layton cuts in to point out that while processed meat is classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization, so is sunlight — and that dosage and overall lifestyle are more significant factors.
Layton argues for a broader view, pointing to the longevity of people who eat a Mediterranean diet. “It’s almost like balance is important,” he tells his audience. “Instead of focusing on all the things you have to remove from your diet to be healthy, how about you focus on a few things you could add?”
Choosing an Evidence-Based Nutrition Degree
While millions already turn to Layton for nutrition content, he wants the bona fides that come with a formal degree.
“I’d like to have a degree in what I talk about. I’d love to have a degree in nutrition,” he said.
Beyond the credential, college offers an evidence-based break from the unpredictable directions some of his internet conversations can take.
“What I look forward to is going to a class where other people are also interested in nutrition. People who are sensible,” he added in his signature, unfiltered style.
Because he is balancing full-time work as a content creator with marriage and raising a 2-year-old daughter, Layton plans to take one or two classes a semester as he completes his degree. It’s an approach that reflects his advice on social media: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“I think that’s something that a lot of people get hung up on,” he said. “In life, in food, in anything, you try to be perfect, and it ends up causing you to crash and burn.”
“Even if I just take a class, a class is better than no class toward my goal,” he continued. “So, I’m gonna do that, and get there one day.”