The Mediterranean Diet Broke My Body” | Chief Nutrition Founder Veronika Larisova

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In this episode of The Healthspan Collective, host Nicole Doran sits down with exercise physiologist, nutritionist, and Chief Nutrition founder Veronika Larisova to challenge one of wellness culture's biggest blind spots: the idea that there's one right way to eat. Veronika makes the case for bio-individuality with the credibility of someone who learned it the hard way, developing bloating, amenorrhea, and osteopenia on a veggie-heavy Mediterranean approach before resolving her symptoms with a carnivore-style diet and collagen.

Veronika brings scientific rigor and refreshing bluntness to the conversations that have gotten loudest and least useful online. From endurance running's hidden inflammatory load, to why Instagram and AI have made nutrition advice worse instead of better, to how U.S. and Australian food regulations produce genuinely different products on the shelf. She also shares the story behind Chief Nutrition, which began with an accidental invention: a "steak on the go" meat bar built for a jungle trek through Papua New Guinea.

🧬 Why bio-individuality matters and the danger of one-size-fits-all diet advice
🏃‍♀️ Endurance running's inflammatory load and why recovery and sleep are non-negotiable
🥩 Her carnivore recovery story after bloating, amenorrhea, and osteopenia
🧫 Organ-based supplements, collagen, and iron bioavailability versus synthetic options
📱 How Instagram and AI misinformation are shaping nutrition advice, and how to read labels instead
🌏 U.S. versus Australian food regulations, glyphosate, and what "clean ingredients" actually means
💪 Women, hormones, carbs, and the fear of lifting heavy

Chapters:
00:00 Running Inflammation, Food Labels, and the Bio-Individuality Warning
01:20 Meet Veronika: From Dance to Running at 31
04:11 The Papua New Guinea Trek and the Accidental Meat Bar
08:18 Collagen, Organ Supplements, and Iron Bioavailability
10:56 Plant-Based Pitfalls and Her Carnivore Recovery Story
15:48 What She Eats Now and Building Chief Nutrition
21:23 Instagram Misinformation and Why Diet Advice Needs Context
26:33 Women, Hormones, Carbs, and the Fear of Lifting
28:47 Skinny vs. Strong, Miami Fitness Culture, and U.S. vs. Australia
34:31 What Successful Athletes Do Differently
38:56 Gluten, Glyphosate, and Food Quality Australia vs. U.S.
44:11 Alcohol and Pregnancy Reality Check
46:28 Hot Takes Rapid Fire
54:11 What's Next for Chief Nutrition and Wrap Up