Reclaim Your Energy and Balance with a Functional Nutrition Expert – Interview with Katarina Lijovic

Katarina Lijovic is a Nutritionist and Functional Nutrition Counselor who focuses on addressing the root causes of nutritional imbalances and health concerns, rather than merely managing symptoms. By using a holistic, personalized approach, Katarina works to optimize an individual’s health through tailored nutrition plans, lifestyle modifications, and evidence-based practices. Her mission is to guide individuals toward long-term, sustainable solutions. With her focus on prevention and balance, Katarina empowers individuals to make informed choices that support their overall health and well-being.

Katarina Lijovic, Functional Nutrition Counselor/Nutritionist

Who is Katarina Lijovic?

Outside of the functional nutrition world, I’m a curious soul who loves movement, nature, and the outdoors. I grew up playing basketball, and although health challenges nudged me away from the court, that love for physical activity never left. My first master's degree is in Kinesiology, and studying it gave me one of the greatest gifts, the opportunity to immerse myself in many different sports. I learned how to sail, windsurf, ski, and swim properly, which still feels like one of the best things I got from that experience. Also, one of the most challenging and transformative moments came while I was studying Kinesiology, passing the exam in sports gymnastics. I wasn’t just terrified of individual elements on each apparatus (yet alone the whole routine), but of heights, of falling, of failing. And at 186 cm tall, gymnastics was not exactly ‘made for me.’ But after 10 months of training every single day except Sunday (because the gymnastic floor was closed on Sundays), confronting both mental blocks and physical limitations, I not only passed the exam but pushed beyond every self-imposed boundary. It’s still one of the achievements I’m most proud of.

I also have a deep love for nature and things that nourish the senses. In the last few years, yoga became a big part of my life, grounding me in ways I never expected. At heart, I’m a forever-learner and explorer. Whether it’s reading, going through the latest research papers on nutrition topics, or exploring new healing modalities, I love diving deep, but I also love just being present, outside, and connected to simple joys. I love reading books, long walks, going to the beach, and traveling. There’s something about discovering new places, breathing in new air, and stepping into unfamiliar cultures that fills my soul in a way nothing else can. Whether hiking in the mountains, exploring new ideas, or just soaking in the morning sun, I’m always finding ways to stay rooted, open-hearted, and endlessly curious. I always joke that one life isn’t enough for me, I have too many ideas, too many things I want to experience and learn.

What inspired you to specialize in functional nutrition and holistic wellness?

My journey into the world of Functional Medicine and Functional Nutrition started with my own health struggles. I dealt with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rosacea, chronic respiratory infections, digestive imbalances, and constant inflammation. The conventional healthcare system disappointed me on so many levels and so many times. When I asked certain questions, I was dismissed and told to “stop Googling”. Instead of being treated as a person, I was treated as a set of symptoms and diagnoses, which never brought true healing. I was searching for answers. Why is this happening? What is my body trying to tell me? What does my body need to heal? And that search led me into the world of Functional Nutrition – not only as a profession, but as a calling. I experienced firsthand the transformative power of nutrition and lifestyle. Looking back, I'm grateful that I kept searching for answers and asking myself why this was happening and what my body was trying to tell me. The Functional Medicine approach and Nutrition changed everything for me. When I understood how food, environment, stress, and my unique genetics shaped my health, I regained my energy, cleared my skin, put Hashimoto’s into remission, and cracked open a world of vitality I never thought was possible. That transformation now fuels my mission: to help others discover the same power inside them – with the right approach – to get to the root cause of health issues and to support the inner “terrain” of our body. This is a path for long-term results and sustainable change.

What specific health challenges do you help your clients solve through your practice?

I specialize in a wide range of chronic health conditions, including autoimmune diseases, gut dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, metabolic issues, and liver detox challenges. I often see people who’ve “tried everything” and still feel unwell. My focus is always on finding the hidden root causes, whether they’re related to digestion, stress, inflammation, toxins, or genetic predispositions, and solving them with precision and a personalized plan. When you truly respect a person’s bio-individuality and unique story, and you ditch one-size-fits-all protocols, the person can finally reclaim health and vitality.

How do your personalised, root-cause protocols differ from conventional nutrition approaches?

Conventional nutrition usually focuses on what to eat. My approach also dives into how you eat as well and why your body may not be responding the way it should. We’ve all heard the saying: “You are what you eat,” and I like to say: You are what your body can do with what you eat. Meaning – "Is your body able to digest and absorb all that healthy food, veggies, etc.?" If not, that food is not giving your body what it’s intended – energy to the cell. So, I am looking at the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract. Also, stress is a key player to address. How we eat matters a lot, and if we are under chronic stress, the sympathetic nervous system (that “fight or flight”) does not allow proper digestion. We need to activate the parasympathetic nervous system – that “rest and digest” mode to properly digest and absorb food. I will never forget an advanced workshop from Joe Dispenza and his words: “You can eat all the organic food in the world, but if you’re living in constant stress, you’re eating an organic stress.” Furthermore, I look at a person’s biochemistry, digestion, hormones, stress, sleep, environment, and genetics or nutrigenetics (how our genes influence nutrient metabolism) through functional testing. My goal isn’t just to give you a “healthy diet,” but to design a plan aligned with your physiology, bio-individuality, and unique story. I support your body’s terrain, so healing becomes targeted, sustainable, and the “next logical step”.

What transformations or client success stories best demonstrate the impact of your work?

I’ve helped clients overcome chronic bloating and gut inflammation after years of digestive distress, put autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's into remission, and resolve SIBO and unexplained fatigue where doctors couldn’t. One of my favorite wins was with a client who battled daily migraines and fatigue. Once we found her gut inflammation and genetic methylation challenges, she regained energy, clarity, and joy. Nutrition wasn’t just food for her, it was freedom. 

What is the most common hidden issue you see in people struggling with gut, hormone, or energy problems?

Gastrointestinal tract that is not functioning properly, digestion and absorption issues that I mentioned earlier, along with gut microbiome dysbiosis. If you’re not digesting, absorbing, and eliminating properly, you can be eating a “perfect” diet and still feel terrible or nutrient-deficient. Up to 80% of our immunity resides in the gut, and gut health is critical for our overall health. Add stress to the mix, and digestion shuts down even more, and the gut microbiome suffers even more. Stress dysregulates our immune system, weakening the intestinal barrier (one of the mechanisms for increased intestinal permeability or “leaky gut”) and altering our gut microbiome through pathways that are involved in the gut-brain axis. Most people are shocked to realize that step one of healing their digestive system might be calming their nervous system, and then improving stomach acid, chewing better, eating more mindfully, etc. Stress management is imperative, and true healing cannot occur if we don’t manage our stress.

What first steps do you recommend for someone who feels overwhelmed by their health symptoms?

Start small, with awareness, and slow down your eating. Listen to your body clues. Ditch the processed foods and focus on whole foods. Prioritize sleep. Sleep is when our body resets. Go outside early for sunlight. Drink enough water. These are basic, yet foundational steps, and they send powerful signals to your body that healing is safe and possible. Also, people often focus only on what they should avoid, and that mindset can feel really restrictive. I always encourage them to shift their attention to what’s missing instead, colorful vegetables and fruits, more legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, and quality protein like fish. It’s not just about cutting things out, it’s about adding in nourishing, anti-inflammatory foods that support the body with fiber, phytonutrients, and real healing properties. And from there, find a practitioner you trust, someone who will actually listen to your story and investigate everything, not just your lab results.

How do you blend functional testing, nutrition, and lifestyle strategies to create long-term results?

For me, it’s all about connecting the dots, I like to call it “detective” work. I always start by listening. The personalized plan that I create addresses diet, lifestyle, stress resiliency, sleep, movement/exercise, relationship, mindfulness, detox support, and targeted supplementation by integrating different tools like food-based epigenetics and nervous system regulation for deep, lasting change. Functional testing is not the first thing I do, but it definitely gives me a real insight into what’s happening beneath the surface. Sometimes you need to test and not guess. Functional testing helps identify hidden imbalances such as oxidative stress, gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalance, nutrient deficiencies, or genetic polymorphisms. The basic test that I always recommend is a simple blood and urine, with some additional markers for inflammation that I’m always interested. A blood test can tell us a lot. But the real magic happens when we combine that data with a person’s story, symptoms, and lifestyle. No two bodies are the same, so respecting bio-individuality is key. I never hand out generic plans, I look at how someone eats, sleeps, moves, digests, handles stress, and lives their day-to-day life. Then I built a strategy that supports their unique physiology. When we use food, lifestyle shifts, and targeted support based on their biology, not a trend, not a template, that’s when long-term, sustainable results happen.

What do clients usually say is the biggest shift they experience when working with you?

Clarity and empowerment. Clients often tell me: “For the first time, I understand what’s actually happening in my body and why.” They start believing in their body’s capacity to heal. They stop being afraid of food. Their energy comes back, they sleep better, they glow, both inside and out. Many say, “I wish I knew this 10 years ago.” That’s why I do what I do. When you see what kind of impact you have on someone’s life. When clients tell you that for the first time in many years, they are sleeping well, they have energy, and they don’t have lingering GI issues, that is so rewarding. Their happiness is my happiness.

How can potential clients connect with you, and what can they expect during their first consultation?

Clients can connect with me through my website, Instagram, or email. I offer 1:1 consultations and coaching done online, I work with people anywhere in the world. In the first session, we dive into your full health history, your symptoms, stress, digestion, sleep, history, and environment. I provide several intake forms that help me understand the bigger picture, and we look into the food journal. We build a picture of your terrain, and I guide you toward the most impactful steps and give you practical tools. You’ll leave with clarity, understanding, and an evidence-based dietary and lifestyle plan for how to move forward. Healing isn’t just possible, it becomes predictable with the right strategy.

Follow me on Instagram and LinkedIn for more info!

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