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The Hidden Toxins in Your Protein That Are Destroying Your Health & Why Chief Nutrition Is Doing It Differently

  • Jun 14
  • 13 min read



About This Episode


What if the protein powder you’ve been faithfully adding to your smoothie every morning is actually loading your body with heavy metals and glyphosate? What if the “healthy” protein bar you grab before your workout is doing more damage than a glass of wine?

In this episode of the BiohackerBlondie Podcast, Jenny sits down with Veronika — co-founder of Chief Nutrition, nutritionist, exercise physiologist, and ultramarathon runner — for a conversation that will completely change the way you look at the labels on your supplements. Born in Czech Republic, raised in a culture of liver, sauna, cold exposure, and real food long before any of it was called biohacking, Veronika spent a decade building one of Australia’s most trusted clean protein brands before bringing it to the United States.


This is not a conversation about trends. It is a conversation about what is actually in your food, why the front of every supplement package is just advertising, and how the most powerful health interventions in existence are completely free.


About Veronika


Veronika is the co-founder of Chief Nutrition, a clean protein and supplement brand founded in Australia in 2014 and now available in the United States. She holds qualifications as a nutritionist and exercise physiologist, and has competed as an ultramarathon runner — including the Ultra-Trail Mont-Blanc, one of the most prestigious ultramarathon races in the world.


Originally from Czech Republic, Veronika grew up under communism where ultra-processed food did not exist, breakfast cereal was unheard of, and liver, sauerkraut, sauna, and cold exposure were simply daily life. She moved to Miami at twenty-one, then relocated to Australia at twenty-three to study — and stayed for twenty-five years. She became an Australian citizen in 2015 and co-founded Chief Nutrition shortly after, born from a trail mix she created to survive a ten-day jungle trek in Papua New Guinea.

After seven years of breaking even, Chief Nutrition is now stocked in major supermarkets, gas stations, and health stores across Australia. The brand launched quietly in the United States approximately a year and a half ago and has been building rapidly since.


What We Cover


  • Why most protein powders and bars — even those marketed as healthy — are loaded with heavy metals, glyphosate, and harmful additives

  • The real cost of cheap ingredients and why massive supplement brands have no excuse for using sucralose and seed oils

  • How taste buds become desensitized to artificial sweeteners and sugar — and what happens when you clean up your diet

  • Why regenerative farming matters for your health, your soil, and the planet

  • Glyphosate, EMFs, heavy metals, and microplastics — the toxic overload crisis and why our livers were never designed to handle this much

  • The MAHA movement and why the global conversation around food additives is finally shifting

  • Seed oils and why they damage your liver the same way alcohol does

  • Why ultra-processed food should be classified in the same category as alcohol

  • Veronika’s full daily nutrition protocol — and how it evolved from her Czech Republic upbringing

  • Why elite athletes are not the healthiest people — and why the right dose of movement matters more than intensity

  • How ultramarathon running damages the gut lining — and under what conditions that damage becomes irreversible

  • The blood glucose research behind ten squats every forty-five minutes — and why it outperforms a traditional thirty-minute walk

  • Why being vegetarian or vegan requires rigorous biomarker tracking and what deficiencies to watch for

  • GLP-1 medications, Ozempic, and the danger of becoming skinny fat without a nutrition protocol

  • The importance of testing your biomarkers before layering in supplements, peptides, or biohacks

  • The origin story of Chief Nutrition — from a jungle trail mix in Papua New Guinea to supermarket shelves across Australia

  • A full breakdown of every Chief Nutrition product and what is coming to the US in June

  • Creatine for sleep deprivation and jet lag — and why the dose for this purpose is four times the standard recommendation

  • Veronika’s daily biohacking routine: ice baths, sauna, forest bathing, sunrise and sunset without sunglasses or sunscreen, Oura Ring, and meditation

  • Why the most powerful biohacks — cold exposure, grounding, fasting, sleep, and sunlight — are completely free


The Origin Story: From Papua New Guinea to Protein Bars


In 2015, Veronika celebrated becoming an Australian citizen by trekking the Kokoda Trail — a ten-day memorial walk through the jungle of Papua New Guinea, retracing the path where Australian and New Zealand soldiers fought Japanese forces in World War II. There are no toilets, no clean water, and no food supply. Everything you want to eat, you carry with you.


Veronika refused to bring ultra-processed protein bars and energy gels. She packed South African biltong, nuts, and dried berries — and mixed them together as a trail mix. It was delicious, but messy. The bag kept falling apart. When she returned, her now business partner tasted it and agreed it was something special.


She wanted a meat-based protein bar with no seed oils, no sugar alcohols, no artificial additives. Nothing like it existed. So they made one. A beef bar and a lamb bar became Chief Nutrition’s first two products in 2014-2015. Everything else followed.


The brand spent seven years breaking even before becoming profitable — and deliberately waited until the product quality and manufacturing consistency were airtight before launching in the United States. Veronika notes that America is, in her words, very unforgiving — and she refused to arrive before the product was ready.


The State of the Food System


On the US food supply: Approximately seventy percent of the average American diet is ultra-processed food. Veronika notes this should be zero — or at minimum, the inverse. She compares leaving her health and biohacking bubble at events and entering an airport to entering a different world entirely.

On seed oils: Seed oils — canola, rapeseed, sunflower, and others — cause oxidative stress and overload the liver the same way alcohol does. Veronika draws a direct comparison: ultra-processed foods belong in the same health risk category as alcohol. The World Health Organization classifies alcohol as a group one carcinogen. It has not been banned. The same logic applies.

On sucralose and cheap sweeteners: Sucralose is proven to be harmful to gut health, damages the gut microbiome, and is, in Veronika’s words, inexcusable for a company with a full nutrition team and access to research. A cheap protein bar costs approximately fifty cents to manufacture and sells for five dollars. The margin is the motivation.

On the MAHA movement: Veronika credits the MAHA movement with spreading awareness of food additives to a global audience — including Australia. Ten years ago, when she spoke about seed oils, people looked at her as though she was extreme. Now, consumers are walking into stores and asking directly whether products contain seed oils or sugar alcohols. She views the health education aspect of MAHA as entirely separate from politics — and essential.

On glyphosate and Australia: Despite its reputation for clean, healthy food, Australia uses glyphosate on wheat a day before harvesting to dry it out — the same practice used in the United States. An environmental medicine physician Veronika consulted named glyphosate as the second worst toxin currently impacting human health. EMFs were number one.

On heavy metals in protein powders: Veronika describes a client in her thirties — healthy, non-drinking, diligent about her nutrition — who began losing hair, developed bad skin, and experienced gut deterioration. Testing revealed she was full of heavy metals from the protein powders she had been consuming daily. All of Chief Nutrition’s collagen products are tested for both glyphosate and heavy metals.


The Toxic Load Crisis


Three toxins Veronika discusses as the most significant threats to human health today:


EMFs — Named by an environmental medicine physician as the single worst current toxin because they are ubiquitous and impossible to fully avoid. Veronika turns off her Wi-Fi completely at night, switches her phone to airplane mode, and uses Leela Quantum EMF protection technology. She reports noticeably better sleep quality as a result.

Glyphosate — Named the second worst current toxin. Chief Nutrition tests all collagen products specifically for glyphosate. Veronika notes that even organic food sources can be contaminated, and that our livers were genetically never designed to process the volume of toxins humans are now exposed to on a daily basis.

Heavy metals — Found in protein powders, plant proteins, collagen products, and green powders at alarming levels. She references testing organizations that have been unable to source rice protein powder and green powder ingredients without unacceptable heavy metal contamination.

Her overall perspective: toxic buildup — from glyphosate, heavy metals, EMFs, microplastics, and synthetic food additives — is at the root of the chronic disease, inflammation, fatigue, brain fog, and hormonal dysfunction epidemic. The human liver was not built for this.


Nutrition & Diet Philosophy


Veronika’s personal diet: Predominantly animal-based. Red meat daily — either air-dried steak or cooked ribeye. Eggs. Small amounts of avocado, berries, sauerkraut (homemade), proper whole milk yogurt, kefir, and cottage cheese. Beef liver several times per week, cooked fresh in tallow or butter with salt. No marinades, no sauces, no seed oils.

On cholesterol and red meat: Despite eating fatty ribeye cooked in beef tallow daily, Veronika’s recent comprehensive blood panel — including cholesterol and hormones — came back perfect across the board. Her only below-optimal marker was B12, which she attributes to not eating beef liver as regularly while traveling.

On the vegetarian and vegan debate: Veronika acknowledges that some people with specific genetics can maintain good health as vegans if they are extraordinarily diligent with both diet quality and supplementation. However, she notes that vegetarians and vegans require nearly two times the dietary iron intake of meat eaters due to the lower absorption rate of non-heme plant iron — and that most people doing it casually are not tracking their biomarkers closely enough. She was hospitalized for near-zero iron levels as a result of her own vegan period.

On the keto, carnivore, and protein craze: Every dietary movement eventually spawns an ultra-processed food industry. Vegetarian gave way to processed vegan snacks. Keto gave way to keto bars. Carnivore now has carnivore snacks. And the current protein craze has produced protein Mars bars, protein jello, and protein popcorn — none of which resemble real food and all of which carry the same contamination and absorption issues as every other processed supplement.

On biomarker testing before supplementing: Veronika and Jenny both emphasize that layering in supplements, peptides, or medications on top of an untested, potentially toxic, deficient baseline is not optimization — it is a bandaid. Test first. Address deficiencies, inflammation, and toxin load. Build the foundation. Then supplement as needed.


On Ozempic & GLP-1 Medications


Veronika’s position is nuanced. For someone who is morbidly obese, the health risks of obesity may genuinely outweigh the side effects of GLP-1 therapy. However, GLP-1 medications dramatically reduce appetite — and most people on them are not eating nearly enough protein, creating severe muscle and bone mass loss.

Research suggests up to three grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day may be required when in severe caloric deficit on these medications. Most people on GLP-1s are eating a piece of chocolate and calling it a day.

The result: a generation of people who appear slim but are skinny fat — low muscle mass, low bone density, poor skin, still consuming ultra-processed foods in smaller quantities, feeding depleted cells with nothing of nutritional value.


Elite Athletics & Longevity: An Important Distinction


As both a qualified exercise physiologist and a competitive ultramarathon runner, Veronika makes a point that most people in the fitness world avoid: being an elite athlete is not the same as being healthy, and it is not inherently conducive to longevity.

Ultramarathon running causes massive oxidative stress, damages the gut lining, increases the risk of irreversible inflammatory bowel conditions, and — if recovery nutrition is inadequate — can trigger genetic predispositions to celiac disease or IBD after a single race. Running longer than three hours causes gut damage in essentially everyone. Running longer than three hours fasted is categorically unsafe for gut integrity.

Veronika herself is currently recovering from a hamstring injury in which two tendons detached from the bone — avoided surgery through intensive PRP injections, shockwave therapy, rehabilitation, and peptides. She has decided she will no longer run distances beyond marathon — not because she cannot, but because she chooses not to age prematurely for a race distance.


Her framework for exercise and longevity:

  • Too little movement is harmful

  • Too much high-intensity exercise is also harmful

  • The right dose and right form for the outcome you want is everything

  • Daily movement — even ten squats every forty-five minutes — is more effective for blood glucose control than sitting all day and doing a thirty-minute walk


The ten-squat-every-forty-five-minutes protocol is drawn directly from published research. It was found to be more effective for blood glucose management than a traditional structured workout session with prolonged sitting in between.


The Most Powerful Biohacks Are Free


Veronika’s daily protocol — unchanged for most of her adult life:

Cold exposure — Ice bath on her balcony every morning, first thing. Three to five minutes. She has done this since childhood in Czech Republic.

Sauna — A staple of Eastern European culture. She has been doing it her entire life.

Forest bathing and trail running — In Japan, forest bathing has been formally prescribed as a post-surgical therapy since the 1980s. She combines forest time with trail running — movement in nature without technology.

Sunrise and sunset without sunglasses or sunscreen — Before UV index peaks. She considers this foundational to circadian health and hormone regulation.

Sleep — Non-negotiable. Tracked and optimized via Oura Ring. When HRV is low overnight, she does not do high-intensity training the next day. When HRV is high, she trains hard.

Fermented foods — Homemade sauerkraut (recipe: organic cabbage with grated apple and cucumber to accelerate fermentation, three to four percent Celtic or Himalayan salt by weight, caraway seeds and fresh dill, fermented in a ceramic crock pot for two weeks), kefir, proper whole milk yogurt.

Five-day water-only fasts — Two to three times per year, completely remote, in nature. No work, no phone (mostly), only reading, walking, meditating, and drinking water. Verified with DEXA scan — no muscle loss when combined with zero exercise and zero stress.

Meditation and mindset — She monitors stress in real time on her Oura Ring. When stress readings climb at work, she steps outside for five minutes of breathwork and meditation before returning.

EMF protection — Leela Quantum pendant worn daily. Wi-Fi off overnight. Phone on airplane mode.

Her consistent message: if sleep is poor, diet is ultra-processed, alcohol is consumed regularly, and sunlight and cold exposure are avoided — no supplement, peptide, or biohacking technology will make a meaningful difference. The foundation must come first.


Creatine for Sleep Deprivation & Travel


Veronika does not take creatine daily because her meat intake is high enough to maintain adequate baseline levels. However, she uses it strategically for travel and jet lag based on specific research:


Sleep deprivation impairs memory, cognitive function, and focus. Research shows that creatine can partially counteract these effects — but the dose required is approximately 0.35 grams per kilogram of body weight per day, which for most adults equates to approximately seventeen to twenty grams per day. That is four times the standard exercise dose of five grams.


Multiple studies using a flat twenty-gram dose across all participants have also shown effectiveness for sleep deprivation recovery. Veronika takes four scoops (twenty grams) during periods of jet lag or disrupted sleep.


Chief Nutrition Products


Currently available in the United States:

Collagen Bars (unflavored, no chocolate) — Very clean, suitable for ketogenic diet. No artificial additives, no sugar alcohols, no seed oils.

Collagen Bars (dark chocolate coated, four flavors) — Sweetened with monk fruit and a small amount of maple syrup. Not strictly ketogenic due to trace sugar content, but very low carbohydrate. No artificial additives, no seed oils. MCT oil used.

Air Dried Steak (three flavors) — Veronika’s personal favorite product. Flavored only with fresh herbs and spices — no marinades, no additives. Thirty-two grams of protein per serving. The Australian meat is imported to the US frozen, defrosted, and processed here because US customs does not allow importation of air-dried raw meat products.

Chocolate Collagen Powder — Chief Nutrition’s best-selling product globally. Ingredients: collagen, raw cacao, monk fruit. Nothing else. Unlike most flavored collagen products that add minimal flavoring to plain collagen, this one is genuinely chocolatey and versatile — suitable as a hot chocolate in almond milk, added to cottage cheese with blueberries, or used in baking.

Vanilla Collagen Powder and Unflavored Collagen Powder — Clean, tested, minimal ingredients.

Beef Liver Capsules — Organic, grass-fed, grass-finished. Tested for glyphosate and heavy metals. Veronika recommends this as a more bioavailable alternative to traditional iron supplements, which have a two to three percent absorption rate and frequently cause nausea and constipation.

Coming to the US in June:

Creatine

Colostrum — For gut health and immune function.

Encapsulated Organ Blends — Including heart, liver, kidney, combined with specific herbs for targeted effects: sleep support, daily multivitamin replacement, iron optimization. The iron organ blend combined with vitamin C achieves approximately thirty-five percent absorption rate compared to two to three percent for conventional iron supplements.


Where to Find Chief Nutrition


Amazon: Search “Chief Nutrition”

Discount Code: BIOHACKERBLONDIE for 10% off

Affiliate Link: https://upf.ai/c3betx7u

Chief Nutrition products will also be available at Southwest Ranchers Farmers Market in Miami.


People, Products & Resources Referenced


People:

  • Krista Beaulieu — Environmental medicine physician, Australia; named EMFs as the number one worst current toxin for human health and glyphosate as number two

  • Kelly, the Glyphosate Girl — Previous BiohackerBlondie podcast guest on glyphosate and soil health

  • Dave Asprey — Referenced in Jenny’s biohacking origin story


Places:


  • Southwest Ranches Farmers Market — Miami, FL; raw milk, raw cottage cheese, regeneratively farmed meats

  • Nude Miami — Opening soon in Brickell; positioned as Miami’s version of Erewhon

  • Paradise Farms — Regenerative farm, Miami area

  • Hubbard’s Cupboards — Local Miami food source

  • Ultra-Trail Mont-Blanc — France; one of the world’s most prestigious ultramarathon races; race checkpoints serve bone broth, potatoes, cheese, prosciutto, and real food

  • Kokoda Trail — Papua New Guinea; ten-day memorial jungle trek where Chief Nutrition’s origin story began


Products & Technologies:

  • Leela Quantum — EMF protection pendant and devices

  • Oura Ring — Sleep tracking, HRV monitoring, stress tracking

  • WatchPAT — Referenced for sleep testing

  • Liquid Vita — Miami; where Veronika had her comprehensive blood panel done

  • Peoria — Testing organization; screens supplements for over two hundred pesticides and heavy metals

  • Function Health — Referenced by Jenny for comprehensive biomarker testing


Research & Frameworks:

  • Ten squats every forty-five minutes study — Blood glucose management research showing superiority to sitting all day plus a structured thirty-minute walk

  • WHO red meat and cancer classification — Based almost entirely on ultra-processed meats and confounded dietary variables; no studies on organic, regeneratively farmed, grass-fed beef without additives

  • Creatine sleep deprivation research — 0.35g/kg/day dose; approximately twenty grams flat dose shown effective in multiple studies

  • Gut lining damage from ultramarathon running — Running longer than three hours causes gut damage universally; fasted ultramarathon running can cause irreversible damage and trigger IBD or celiac genetic predisposition


Supplements & Therapies:

  • PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections — Used by Veronika for hamstring tendon reattachment alongside shockwave therapy and rehabilitation

  • Shockwave therapy — Used alongside PRP for musculoskeletal recovery

  • BPC-157 and other peptides — Referenced for injury recovery

  • Creatine — Used strategically for travel and sleep deprivation, not daily

  • Beef liver — Preferred food-based iron and B12 source

  • Organ capsules — Chief Nutrition’s bioavailable alternative to synthetic iron and multivitamin supplements

  • Colostrum — Coming to the US in June; gut health and immune function


About Jenny Jones | BiohackerBlondie


Jenny Jones is the founder of Happier Health Fitness and Happier Health Supplements, host of the BiohackerBlondie Podcast, health coach, and author of Biohack For Life. Based in Miami, Florida, Jenny is on a mission to help people optimize their health through biohacking, functional medicine, and real food.



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This episode is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new health protocol, supplement, or therapy.


 
 
 

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