Introducing Eleanor from Well Nourished
Introducing you to the the lovely nutritional therapist Eleanor Hoath. Stay tuned for her upcoming hormonal and gut related health work coming to our platform soon! An editor for Wearehealf, El is a total sweetheart and I hope you enjoy reading her answers and getting to know a fellow member of LMP!
What drew you towards being a nutritionist?
From a very young age I had a lot of digestive symptoms, skin conditions such as acne, eczema and hormonal issues with my cycle that I could never understand nor could my family or the multiple Dr’s I saw. I started becoming quite restrictive with my food choices because so many ingredients gave me crippling digestive symptoms that would sometimes leave me bed bound in pain. It was incredibly frustrating because I enjoyed food & loved exploring new places through taste.
I remember doing some modelling work between my studies and beginning my ‘career’ and noticing all the healthy foods that would be on offer on some of my shoots. I started to adapt and change my diet to contain more healthy ingredients and noticed I felt a difference. I was so intrigued and would then spend hours in health food stores and reading books about the power of food. It was then I decided to study Naturopathic Medicine and Nutritional Therapy to really understand how the body works. I started working with my own Functional Medicine practitioner and Nutritional Therapist who worked with me on an individual basis to get to the bottom of my symptoms and I haven’t looked back since! I now take my learnings into clinic to help people who were in the same and similar position to me and support them to feel their best.
How do you start your day?
I savour my morning routine. Friends often laugh at me because I will probably get up an hour or so earlier than I need to just so that I can take my time to enjoy the morning. It’s a privilege I know to be able to do that, as I don’t have children but every morning looks quite similar. I’ll wake up and write in my 5 minute Journal in bed sipping on some warm water and then I’ll either read a few pages of the book I am loving or make myself a Cacao and Collagen in my keep cup and get outside for fresh air! I coined the term greentimebeforescreentime in the pandemic and that is SO important to me! I’ll head to a Pilates or yoga class or do a gentle Lottie Murphy flow depending on where I am in my cycle and then start the day with breakfast too! Manic mornings are not very hormone friendly and that’s something I make sure I prioritise!
What does a day off to recharge look like?
These are my favourite kinds of days! I’ll often block a day or even half a day out where I can to simply just ‘wonder’. These days tend to start with my usual morning routine and then a slightly more special breakfast! This could honestly be adding smoked salmon to my normal breakfast sometimes! I love exploring new places and being in London I feel I should make the most of that so I’ll tend to choose somewhere on the map (or my Instagram saves) and head there. I’ll leave my work phone at home and just be present on the commute there. Sometimes listening to a different genre of music and other times not listening to anything at all and really paying attention to the sounds around me. I’ll probably hit a few stores wherever I am exploring and I’ll always find a cosy café to treat myself to lunch and a coffee/matcha out. I tend to use these days to also book something in the evening with friends so ensure I stay social and see the people who make me laugh the most! Because I work so closely with others I have to fill my cup to be able to help them fill theirs too!
How would friends describe you?
Oh, that’s a tough one! I think friends would describe me as ‘wholesome but fun’. There’s a lot of assumptions about what a Nutritionist does for fun and although some of them may be true, like grabbing a salad or a matcha, we also love dancing the night away with our girlfriends too! Friends have often called me ‘Queen of Green’ which I find endearing!
What is something you are currently learning?
Right now I am also on my own journey! Personally I have had a challenging few years and I think that talking about that is important. I picked up some pretty ‘unhelpful’ habits along the way which I am now unlearning and really loving understanding the patterns that come with them! On the other hand, I have also just decided I’d like to start a new hobby and have joined pretty relaxed dance school. I did Ballet, Tap, Modern and Ballroom as a child and wanted to have that joy again but not so seriously! Check back in with me in a month or two how that’s going!
Love language is…
This is tough! I would say maybe acts of service! It’s that feeling of someone saying ‘hey, I know you’ve got a lot on so let me do this’. Similarly, there’s nothing nicer than something that’s affirming that you’re being thought of!
Maybe that’s my love language or is that the language I give – I have no idea but I’m always picking things up for my friends and sending things saying ‘this made me think of you’
What snacks are you in your bag?
I’m not a HUGE snacker but I do always have random things in my bag in case of an emergency! I love the FOODIN Collagen Bars as well as Dark Chocolate Almonds too as something sweet – I adore chocolate & there is a place for it in everyone’s diet!
When I’m at home however I’ll sometimes just enjoy something like Coconut Yoghurt, Nuts, Seeds & Almond Butter!
Favourite class on the LMP platform?
It really depends where I am in my cycle and move with which class I resonate with the most. I tend to do something postural a few times a week because I do spend a lot of my day hunched over my laptop but Full Body Flows in the form of pilates, barre or yoga are always amazing to take with me when I’m travelling!
Imagine you are on a desert island with 5 ingredients for the rest of your life?
Blimey – only 5? I would say; a sourdough loaf, tahini, dark chocolate, water (with elecrolytes) and maybe eggs? I can’t make a meal but they’ll keep me happy!
Do you have any advice that has impacted you and wish to share?
Definitely – have trust in your own body & it will pass. We are so quick to try and seek external fixes for things that might actually be happening internally. If you just sit and really listen to what your body is telling you, I guarantee that you will have a physical and emotional release that will leave you understanding what your body requires from you!
Similarly, even when the whole world feels like it’s upside down, and trust me I have been there, telling myself that I know it’ll pass and this is not the end has been incredibly powerful! I tend to use a journal for this, I’ll get it out and scribble EVERYTHING on my mind down and just closing the page makes me feel amazing!
Do you have a question for our LMP Nutritional Therapist Eleanor? Pop your question in the comments below!