MEET LAURA MAY Foodie & LILY model

One of our go-to models since a year now is Laura May. On shoot days she always amazes us with her ultra healthy self-made lunches. And we just needed to know more about these healthy habits of her. Time for an interview, right? Let's get inspired!

" As a young mom I was struggling to juggle a fulltime job and my new responsibilities with the usual well-known issues: lack of sleep and lack of me-time. I’m sure any new mom can relate to that. Being independent and a fulltime model gives it another dimension. How can I look fresh for the upcoming shoot in the morning and avoid under eye bags? How can I keep my energy up all day? When you are working with another client every day, you can’t afford to have a “bad day”. The job is to uplift and to inspire, not to drag everyone’s energy down by yawning all day) :)

I was always very interested in nutrition and lifestyle and its impact on our health. Although I've never had weight issues, I didn’t always feel a 100% and it just didn’t make sense to me. I was doing everything as I should (or though I thought). Eating lots of whole grains, low fat, little to none red meat, eating many small meals a day and doing sports even though I often didn’t feel like I had energy for it at all.

How could I be this young, looking this fit and still have so many little issues (bloating, sleepiness, food allergies, intolerances, stomach and gut issues) making me miserable all day?"

" About two year ago I started to read more and more on nutrition, health, sleep….human and mammal biology! This was my biggest break through In understanding that there is more to food.

NERD ALERT: Did you know that a cow eats almost 100% carbohydrates from grass BUT after their gut bacteria ferments carbs they absorb almost 100% FAT from their diet for energy! So basically a cow runs mostly on fat and not on carbs! It blew my mind! )))

So long story short there are two main energy sources. 1. Glucose (sugar and carbs) with ups and downs 2. Fat (ketose and fatty acids) clean fuel with stable energy."

MY TIPS FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

1) READ

Do your research, don’t believe what you hear.

Question what you know about health and open your mind to very old wisdom. Nutrition is not a new science. We have literally been eating for millions of years. Ask yourself: can someone make money out of this new scientific finding? When in doubt think: What would the cave man (or woman) do? :)

2) SLEEP

Focus on a good sleep hygiene ( cool room temperature, quiet, pitch dark, no social media and other distractions before bed time!)

Sleep is very underestimated in our modern world. We have made sleep almost a shameful activity. It’s way more accepted to say that you are not sleeping enough than the other way around.

3) VITAMINE D

Go out and play in the sun! Don’t be afraid of it, keeping away from the sun has been a bad advice. Burning is not a good thing, so make sure not to overdo it.

When there is no sun for a long periods of time you might have to supplement vitamin D.

4) EAT REAL FOOD

Reduce amount of sugars and grain. It will help you stay focused and energetic. Real food is the food that runs around or grows. Ditch the packaged processed junk food. If you are new to the whole idea I would recommend to read about Paleo diet (or how we think our ancestors ate before the agricultural revolution).

5) EAT WELL – DON'T SNACK!

- when it’s your meal time, don’t hold yourself back and eat well!

- don’t snack between meals, let your body rest for a few hours.

Experiment with Intermittent Fasting. Nothing gave me greater and faster results than that! What are the positive effects?

-> Way less bloating, gut and stomach issues

-> Leaner body

-> More muscle

-> Better sleep

-> More energy

6) EAT FULL FAT

Real and saturated fat is not bad for you. Our brain is made of cholesterol and we need it to make hormones in our body. Fat is a clean fuel for energy, much more stable than sugar. Ditch the “low fat” foods. Butter is not evil and a full fat Greek yoghurt tastes way more delish!

7) MOVE

If you don’t feel like doing sports, it doesn’t mean that you are lazy! When we feel good we don’t have much trouble moving around. Remember, you cannot exercise your way out of a bad diet so focus on that first! Walking is a good natural activity. Try to walk as much as you can. If you feel like doing intensive exercise – go for it!

8) WEIGHT LIFTING

You might not care now…but It will help you keep your bones and muscles when you are way waaaay older.

9) SUPERFOODS?

Do not overdo it on so called superfood! We tend to hold on to the idea that If a little bit of something is found to be healthy, a bunch of that something must be even healthier. WRONG. The dose makes the poison. Be careful with the magic (super concentrated) powders in your smoothies. Plants have a dark side too! (anti-nutrients, oxalates, plant toxins…) They might just be doing the opposite for you.

10) YOU ARE UNIQUE

We are a product of millions years of evolution and in most ways we are the same. We need the same essential nutrients and every baby starts out drinking mothers milk. BUT each of us goes through a different paths, meet different people, live in different parts of the world and even have unique microbiome. What might work for one person might be doing harm to another person. Give every new experiment a little time before ditching it but If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t right for you.

Keep healthy Ladies!

Laura Mae. x

Also inspired by Laura's outfits, and not only by her words & tips? We hear you.

SHOP LAURA'S LOOKS HERE