Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina

Timeline: Get 10% off Mitopure, clinically proven to boost mitophagy.  Go to timeline.com/vanessa. What if the key to a leaner body, a clearer mind, and total food freedom isn’t willpower… but your gut bacteria? In this powerful episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast, I’m joined by world-renowned physician, author, and gut health pioneer Dr. Steven Gundry to dive into the bold insights from his new book, The Gut-Brain Paradox. Dr. Gundry reveals how an imbalanced microbiome doesn’t just affect digestion — it can hijack your cravings, dull your focus, and even impact your mood, behavior, and metabolism. But here’s the good news: these changes are reversible. And it starts with a targeted reset. We explore how gut health connects to everything from depression and addiction to Alzheimer’s and disordered eating — and how a protein-optimized, keto-friendly lifestyle can help restore your gut-brain axis for long-term health, vitality, and leanness. Visit https://ketone.com/VANESSA for 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS receive a free gift with your second shipment—fun surprises like a free 6-pack, Ketone-IQ merch, and more! 🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • How your gut microbiome may be controlling your food choices, mental clarity, and body composition • Why gut dysbiosis and leaky gut are linked to brain fog, anxiety, addiction, and neurodegenerative disease • The shocking connection between gut bacteria and eating disorders like anorexia and binge-eating • How ketones act as anti-inflammatory signals to support the gut-brain axis • How to follow a high-protein, low-carb diet that heals your gut and boosts cognitive function • What the latest science says about 13 specific gut bacteria linked to depression • The microbiome’s role in dopamine, serotonin, and personality • How to reset your microbiome for fat loss, mental sharpness, and food freedom • Why some herbs may only work because of the microbes they carry • Practical steps, supplements, and food strategies to transform your inner terrain 🔥 Key Takeaways: • Gut bacteria are influencing your cravings, thoughts, and even motivation — but you can reprogram them. • A well-formulated ketogenic diet can reduce inflammation and support a diverse, resilient microbiome. • Optimizing your gut-brain axis may be the most powerful lever for fat loss, focus, and sustainable health. 📚 Featured Book: The Gut-Brain Paradox: Improve Your Mood, Clear Brain Fog, and Reverse Disease by Healing Your Microbiome Visit https://ketone.com/VANESSA for 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS receive a free gift with your second shipment—fun surprises like a free 6-pack, Ketone-IQ merch, and more! Get 20% off on the Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy Mask or the Tone Device breath ketone analyzer at Ketogenicgirl.com with the code VANESSA Join the Community! Follow Vanessa on instagram to see her meals, recipes, informative posts and much more! Click here @ketogenicgirl Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/   The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Rethink everything you knew about keto with a high-protein twist! Discover how traditional macros might be hindering your goals and why protein reigns supreme for fat loss. Dive into the science of protein and ketones, unlocking energy and cognitive benefits. Learn the secrets to becoming fat-adapted faster, avoid common pitfalls, and master your dietary strategies. Plus, find out why you don’t need to chase high ketone numbers for success. It’s a refreshing approach to achieving your health goals!

Timeline: Get 10% off Mitopure, clinically proven to boost mitophagy.  Go to timeline.com/vanessa. In this insightful and practical episode, Vanessa sits down with Dr. Latt Mansor—metabolism researcher and Scientific Director at Ketone-IQ—to talk about what it really takes to shed the last 20 pounds of body fat. Dr. Mansor shares his current fat loss journey, including how he’s incorporating strategic carbs to break through a plateau after already making incredible progress. Together, they explore the science behind using ketones for fat loss, and debate the merits of strategic carbs vs. high-protein keto—which is the exact approach Vanessa used to achieve her own transformation. This episode brings a perfect blend of real-world experience, nuanced science, and actionable tools to help you navigate the final stretch of fat loss or simply optimize your metabolic health. 🔥 Topics Covered: • Dr. Latt Mansor’s fat loss journey & working on the final 20 lbs • Strategic carbs: How he’s using them to stay lean while losing fat • High-protein keto: Why Vanessa prefers this approach and how it compares • Breaking through a fat loss plateau with metabolic flexibility • Using ketones to support energy, brain function, and appetite control • The role of exogenous ketones like Ketone-IQ in performance & fasting • Ketones and women’s health: metabolism, hormones, and menopause • Cognitive performance, mitochondrial health & longevity benefits Visit https://ketone.com/VANESSA for 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS receive a free gift with your second shipment—fun surprises like a free 6-pack, Ketone-IQ merch, and more! Get 20% off on the Tone Device breath ketone analyzer OR the Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy Mask Ketogenicgirl.com with the code VANESSA Join the Community! Follow Vanessa on instagram to see her meals, recipes, informative posts and much more! Click here @ketogenicgirl Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/   The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.   🧠 Featured Guest: Dr. Latt Mansor is the Scientific Director at Ketone-IQ and one of the world’s leading experts in human metabolism and ketone science. With a PhD in Physiology from Oxford, his work spans elite athletic performance, military research, and health optimization. In this episode, he shares a more personal side of the science—his own body recomposition strategy and the biohacks he’s testing along the way. 🔗 Follow Dr. Latt Mansor: Instagram: @lattmansor

IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% OFF all IQBAR products, plus get FREE shipping. To get your 20% off, text VANESSA to 64000.  That’s VANESSA to sixty-four thousand. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. In this solo science breakdown, we explore one of the most impactful studies on protein intake in women who resistance train. This 8-week randomized controlled trial looked at how eating either high or low protein influenced muscle gain, fat gain, and strength in women training for physique competition. Despite eating more calories, the high-protein group experienced a shocking amount of muscle gain and fat loss. The findings challenge conventional bulking and cutting wisdom and highlight the power of protein for female body recomposition. 📌 Topics Covered: • Overview of the study design: 8 weeks, trained women, controlled protein intake • Why the RDA for protein is insufficient for active women • How high protein builds muscle without fat gain—even in a surplus • The metabolic advantages of high protein (TEF, nutrient partitioning, satiety) • Practical recommendations for women lifting weights • Limitations of the study and why it still matters • Your action plan for applying the research 📖 Reference: Campbell, B. I., et al. (2018). Effects of high versus low protein intake on body composition and maximal strength in aspiring female physique athletes engaging in an 8-week resistance training program. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 28(6), 560-565. 🧠 Quote of the Episode: “You can eat more—especially protein—and still stay lean, or even lean out." Get 10% off Magnesium Breakthrough by BiOptimizers, using the code VANESSA at bioptimizers.com/Vanessa  Get 20% off the TONE LUX red light collection or the 2nd Generation Tone Device HERE  with the code VANESSA Follow @ketogenicgirl for updates on the latest studies and strategies to optimize protein intake and metabolic health.  Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/ The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Dr. Dominic D’Agostino is a leading expert in ketogenic science and metabolic therapy. He discusses how ketones serve as effective fuel and signaling molecules, promoting fat loss and muscle preservation. Dr. D’Agostino emphasizes his daily pursuit of ketosis and explores the dynamics between protein and ketones. Listeners dive into appetite suppression on a keto diet, the benefits of exogenous ketones, and the role of strength training. He also shares insights on the latest science behind ketosis for performance, metabolic health, and aging.

IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% OFF all IQBAR products, plus get FREE shipping. To get your 20% off, text VANESSA to 64000.  That’s VANESSA to sixty-four thousand. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. In this episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast, I take a deep dive into two exciting new studies that could reshape how we think about fat loss and body composition. The first study investigates how a medically supervised ketogenic diet not only promotes fat loss but reverses biological aging by more than 6 years. And it’s not just the calorie restriction—the study found that elevated ketones, especially beta-hydroxybutyrate, played a key role in reducing epigenetic age and promoting longevity pathways. The second study examines high-dose vitamin D supplementation and how it may direct surplus calories away from fat storage and toward muscle growth—via mechanisms involving myostatin and leptin signaling. While preclinical, the findings open up new conversations around vitamin D as a muscle-preserving, fat-loss–enhancing tool. If you’re focused on losing fat, preserving muscle, and optimizing metabolic health, this episode is packed with cutting-edge insights.  Get 20% off the TONE LUX red light collection or the 2nd Generation Tone Device HERE  with the code VANESSA Follow @ketogenicgirl for updates on the latest studies and strategies to optimize protein intake and metabolic health.  🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • How the very-low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) reversed biological aging in adults with obesity • The role of ketonemia (beta-hydroxybutyrate) in slowing cellular aging • Ketones as signaling molecules: antioxidant effects, insulin sensitivity, autophagy, and more • The potential for endogenous ketones to promote longevity • How high-dose vitamin D may reprogram calorie allocation—favoring muscle over fat • The roles of myostatin suppression and leptin signaling in body recomposition • Why optimizing vitamin D status could matter for muscle preservation and fat loss • What this research means for your own diet, supplementation, and metabolic strategy 📚 Studies Referenced: 1. Epigenetic Aging Acceleration in Obesity Is Slowed Down by Nutritional Ketosis Following Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD): A New Perspective to Reverse Biological Age Published in Nutrients, March 2025 Read the Summary 2. High dose dietary vitamin D allocates surplus calories to muscle and growth instead of fat via modulation of myostatin and leptin signaling Preprint, Research Square, May 2024 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4202165/v1 Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/ The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.

Timeline: Get 10% off Mitopure, clinically proven to boost mitophagy.  Go to timeline.com/vanessa. In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Victoria Felkar, a leading expert in women’s health, endocrinology, and performance. Victoria’s work challenges common myths and misconceptions surrounding women’s health — from hormone fluctuations to muscle growth and strength training. In this episode, we discuss: ✅ Why the belief that women and men are vastly different in muscle growth and strength isn’t as clear-cut as you might think ✅ Misconceptions about cycle syncing and whether tailoring training to the menstrual cycle is backed by solid science ✅ Why overly simplified messages about hormones and female health can do more harm than good ✅ The dangers of focusing solely on estradiol in peri- and post-menopause and why this narrow focus is bad science ✅ Why isolating health into distinct processes — like sleep, nutrition, or hormones — overlooks the interconnectedness between these factors Victoria’s insights will empower you to better understand the complexities of female physiology and take a science-backed approach to improving your health, performance, and body composition. Episode Highlights: 🧠 Common misconceptions about women’s health and performance — and what the science really says 💪 Are women and men really that different when it comes to building strength and muscle? 🔍 Why oversimplifying menstrual cycle training strategies can mislead women 🔥 The surprising truth about hormonal influences in peri- and post-menopause 🌐 Why sleep, nutrition, and hormones shouldn’t be treated in isolation — and how interconnected these systems really are Get 20% off on the Tone LUX Crystal Red Light Therapy Mask Ketogenicgirl.com with the code VANESSA Join the Community! Follow Vanessa on instagram to see her meals, recipes, informative posts and much more! Click here @ketogenicgirl Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/   The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen. Connect with Victoria Felkar: 🔗 Website 🔗 Instagram 🔗 ResearchGate

IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% OFF all IQBAR products, plus get FREE shipping. To get your 20% off, text VANESSA to 64000.  That’s VANESSA to sixty-four thousand. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. In this episode, I share my personal experience trying Myo-reps and break down the science behind this innovative muscle-building technique. Key Topics Covered: ✅ What are Myo-reps and how do they work? ✅ The science behind maximizing “effective reps” for muscle growth ✅ Studies supporting Myo-reps, including insights from Dr. Antonella Schwarz’s latest research ✅ My personal experience testing Myo-reps — results, recovery, and tips ✅ Who should try Myo-reps and how to implement them effectively Featured Research: • Study by Jonato Prestes on rest-pause training vs traditional resistance training • Dr. Antonella Schwarz’s study on Myo-reps’ impact on performance, recovery, and psychological benefits • Key findings from ISSN Conference insights on Myo-reps Links & Resources: • Dr. Antonella Schwarz’s Study • Myo-Reps: Much Ado About Something - ISSN Presentation 🎯 Tune in to learn how Myo-reps can save you time while maximizing your muscle gains! Get 20% off the TONE LUX red light collection or the 2nd Generation Tone Device HERE  with the code VANESSA Follow @ketogenicgirl for updates on the latest studies and strategies to optimize protein intake and metabolic health.  Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/ The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.  

Dr. Antonella V. Schwarz, an Assistant Professor of Exercise Science and former competitive bodybuilder, shares her expertise on the vital connection between strength training and body composition. She emphasizes that prioritizing muscle gain, rather than just fat loss, is essential for long-term health and metabolic performance. Dr. Schwarz discusses innovative assessments of strength like hand grip tests and the impact of protein intake on muscle preservation. Her practical strategies encourage listeners to shift their focus to healthy habits for optimal wellness.

IQBAR is offering our special podcast listeners 20% OFF all IQBAR products, plus get FREE shipping. To get your 20% off, text VANESSA to 64000.  That’s VANESSA to sixty-four thousand. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Jump straight to the studies breakdown: 14:36  In this episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast, we dive deep into two groundbreaking studies that reveal powerful insights into appetite regulation, fat loss, and muscle maintenance. You’ll learn how weight loss impacts hunger hormones — and how a strategic focus on protein intake can help you stay fuller for longer, improve metabolic health, and preserve lean muscle mass. Key Topics Covered: 🔎 Study 1: "Fasting appetite-related gut hormone responses after weight loss induced by calorie restriction, exercise, or both in people with overweight or obesity: a meta‐analysis." • Why researchers explored the hormonal responses to different weight loss strategies • How calorie restriction, exercise, or a combination of both affects hunger hormones like ghrelin, PYY, GLP-1, and CCK • Why individuals who lose more fat-free mass (FFM) may experience greater hunger spikes — and how resistance training and protein can help mitigate this effect 🍳 Protein and Satiety Hormone Research • How high-protein diets increase key satiety hormones like PYY, GLP-1, and CCK • The exciting discovery of LEAP2, a hormone that suppresses ghrelin and helps reduce appetite — especially in ketogenic and high-protein diets 💪 Study 2: "Exploring Opportunities to Better Characterize the Effects of Dietary Protein on Health Across the Lifespan" • How much protein older adults require per meal to stimulate muscle protein synthesis • How to balance protein distribution across meals for superior results in muscle maintenance and appetite control • Which protein source proved particularly effective for boosting MPS, especially when paired with resistance training • Insights on how increased protein intake improves insulin sensitivity, glucose control, and enhances satiety hormones to help manage long-term appetite 🎧 Tune in now for practical insights you can apply to your nutrition and fitness strategy today! 🎧 Tune in now for powerful insights you can apply to your diet and lifestyle!  Get 20% off the TONE LUX red light collection or the 2nd Generation Tone Device HERE  with the code VANESSA Follow @ketogenicgirl for updates on the latest studies and strategies to optimize protein intake and metabolic health.  Follow @optimalproteinpodcast on Instagram to see visuals and posts mentioned on this podcast. Link to join the facebook group for the podcast: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2017506024952802/ The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet or exercise regimen.