Optimal Protein Podcast with Vanessa Spina

In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Dr. Carlene Starck to break down her newly published research on protein and essential amino acid requirements — and why current recommendations may be too low. 🔗 PSMF LIBRARY (PRE-ORDER)Time Limited Offer The PSMF Library is officially live for pre-order 🎉 get the LAUNCH discount  HERE They explore how protein needs have traditionally been calculated, what'...

In today's episode, Vanessa breaks down five of the most popular diet protocols of the last 50 years — and compares them directly to Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting (PSMF) days. 🔗 PSMF LIBRARY (PRE-ORDER) The PSMF Library is officially live for pre-order 🎉 get the LAUNCH discount HERE She unpacks: The Bernstein Diet The Zone Diet (40/30/30) The Ornish Diet (very low fat) The HCG very low calori...

The PSMF Library is officially live for pre-order — and I'm so excited to finally share this with you! This is a resource I created based on what worked so effectively for me for fat loss and body recomposition — using a structured, high-protein approach instead of trying to restrict calories every single day. Instead of guessing what to eat or constantly starting over, this framework helps you st...

In Part 2 of this AMA, Vanessa answers your most asked questions on protein, fat loss, muscle, and metabolism — including digestion issues, emotional eating, protein myths, and how to optimize your intake for better body composition results. 📩 Join the waitlist for Vanessa's upcoming Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library and receive the special LAUNCH DISCOUNT! Join HERE If you've been struggl...

In this episode, Vanessa breaks down the fasting mimicking diet (FMD) — including the exact calories, macros, and protein intake used in the research — and compares it to higher-protein fat loss approaches like protein-sparing modified fasting (PSMF) days . 📩 Join the waitlist for Vanessa's upcoming Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library and receive the special LAUNCH DISCOUNT! Join HERE You'll...

In this AMA episode, Vanessa answers your questions on fat loss, protein intake, PSMF, keto, pregnancy nutrition, and muscle preservation. Topics include perimenopause fat loss, protein timing, ketosis myths, GLP-1 considerations, and how to structure high-protein days for body recomposition. 📩 Join the waitlist for Vanessa's upcoming Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library and receive the speci...

Vanessa breaks down a groundbreaking new study on carbs, fat loss, metabolism, and performance — and what it means for high protein, low carb, and ketogenic approaches. 📩 Join the waitlist for Vanessa's upcoming Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library and receive the special LAUNCH DISCOUNT! Join HERE Vanessa breaks down one of the most important conversations on fat loss, metabolism, and perfor...

Why protein + ketones reduce hunger, how fat-adapted athletes perform without carbs, and what this new study reveals. Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa In this episode, Vanessa breaks down one of the most controversial and important new papers in metabolism and sports nutr...

📩 Join the waitlist for Vanessa's upcoming Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library and receive the special LAUNCH DISCOUNT! Join HERE What if eating  more protein — even more calories — didn't cause fat gain? What if it did the opposite instead? In this episode, Vanessa recaps her conversation with sports nutrition researcher Dr. Jose Antonio , whose groundbreaking studies on protein overfeeding...

In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa sits down with sports nutrition scientist Dr. Jose Antonio , one of the world's leading researchers on protein metabolism and body composition. Dr. Antonio is widely known for his groundbreaking protein overfeeding studies , which found that participants consuming extremely high protein diets did not gain body fat — and in some cases actually...

📩 Join the waitlist for Vanessa's upcoming Protein-Sparing Modified Fasting Library and receive the special LAUNCH DISCOUNT! Join HERE In this episode, Vanessa Spina breaks down the biggest insights from her recent conversation with Dr. Jason Fung, one of the leading voices in fasting and metabolic health. The episode also covers fasting strategies, emerging research on protein-supported fasting...

In this episode, Vanessa is joined by Dr. Jason Fung , author of The Hunger Code , to unpack the hormonal science behind fat loss — and how fasting may be entering a new era. They start with the three types of hunger and why obesity is not simply about willpower, but disrupted hormonal signaling. We break down insulin's role in fat storage, obesity, and how ultra-processed foods blunt satiety horm...

What do elite athletes do differently when it comes to fat loss? In this episode, Vanessa breaks down the most surprising takeaways from her conversation with sports dietitian Emily Mitchell, who has worked with professional teams including UCLA Athletics, the LA Galaxy, the Clippers, and the Buccaneers. While many people think getting lean requires constant dieting, eliminating carbohydrates, and...

What do elite athletes do differently when it comes to fat loss and body composition? In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Emily Mitchell , RD, CSSD, CDCES — former Director of Sports Nutrition at UCLA Athletics , Sports Performance Dietitian for the LA Galaxy , and current Registered Dietitian at Love. Life — to unpack the real nutrition strategies used at the highest levels of sport. You'll l...

Is fasted cardio really better for fat loss? Or could eating protein before your workout actually improve fat burning, muscle retention, and long-term metabolic health — especially for women? In this deep-dive masterclass recap, Vanessa breaks down the science from her interview with exercise physiologist Dr. Katie Hirsch and unpacks the research on: Fasted vs fed training Essential amino acids be...

Fasted training is one of the most persistent fat-loss myths—and in this episode, Dr. Katie Hirsch breaks down what actually matters for women: training quality, muscle preservation, and metabolic health . We unpack why "burning more fat during a workout" is often the wrong target, and how a small amount of protein (or EAAs) before training can change perceived exertion, improve workout output, an...

Is fasting really the best way to lose fat — or is there a smarter, more strategic approach? In this masterclass episode, Vanessa introduces a powerful new concept: Protein Fasting — a structured approach using PSMF (Protein-Sparing Modified Fast) days to optimize fat loss, suppress appetite naturally, protect muscle, and potentially tap into fasting-like cellular signaling. 🧠 IQBAR – Try the Ult...

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa Perimenopause isn't just about estrogen. If you're eating less, working out more, and still gaining belly fat or losing muscle, the real issue may be metabolic — not hormonal. In this episode, Vanessa sits down with Dr. Nicole Huffman to u...

Start of episode recap is at 13.41 In today's Friday solocast, Vanessa Spina breaks down the biggest takeaways from her interview with Dr. Paul Moughan—one of the world's leading experts on protein quality, amino acid digestibility, and how much of the protein you eat actually becomes  usable by the body. If you've ever wondered why fat loss stalls in a deficit, why muscle can drop even when you "...

Protein grams don't tell the full story. In this episode, Vanessa Spina is joined by Paul Moughan , a world authority on protein quality and amino acid digestibility, to explore why fat loss can stall and muscle can be lost — even on a high-protein diet. Dr. Moughan, a Distinguished Professor at Massey University and architect of DIAAS, explains why protein absorbed and delivered to muscle matters...

Start of Arny Ferrando's episode recap is at 14:00 minutes. In today's Friday solocast, Vanessa Spina recaps her recent interview with Arny Ferrando , one of the world's leading experts on human muscle protein metabolism — and explains why fat loss problems are often muscle problems in disguise . The episode opens with two brand-new studies that challenge common fat-loss assumptions, including new...

In this episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast , Vanessa Spina welcomes back leading muscle metabolism researcher Dr. Arny Ferrando for a deep dive into protein, muscle, and women's physiology across the menopause transition. Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa They explore...

Most people think creatine only affects muscle strength and performance. But what if creatine also plays a role inside fat cells themselves—and could subtly influence fat loss and body recomposition? In this episode of the Optimal Protein Podcast, Vanessa Spina I recaps the key takeaways from the interview with Dr. Scott Forbes , focusing on fat loss, body recomposition, muscle preservation, prote...

Timeline Mitopure Gummies — The #1 Urolithin A supplement for energy and healthy aging, now in delicious strawberry gummies. Get 20% off at timeline.com/vanessa Most fat-loss advice focuses on the scale — but what if that's the wrong metric entirely? In this episode, Vanessa Spina is joined by Dr. Scott Forbes , exercise physiologist and professor at Brandon University, whose research challenges m...

Skip to the start of the recap: 13:41 In today's Friday solo episode of The Optimal Protein Podcast , Vanessa breaks down the science of leptin — the hormone that determines whether your body will burn fat or protect it . Leptin isn't just about appetite. It's a metabolic permission signal , and when leptin signaling is disrupted, fat loss can stall even in a calorie deficit. 🧠 IQBAR – Try the Ul...