Q&A w/ Ella

from what supplements you should take to healthy hair hacks & everything in between

Hey hey all - diving into your questionssss today.

What’s on the menu:

• Best vitamins/supplements to take if starting from scratch?

• How do I know if an olive oil is high quality?

• Healthy hair care routine?

• Tips for dealing with burn out?

• What is your workout routine?

• Best oils to cook with?

• Is the Oura ring worth it & are you worried about wearing a device always?

• Brand matcha you recommend? 

Lessss get into it.

Q: Best vitamins/supplements to take if starting from scratch?

When starting from scratch, the best thing you can do for yourself is not take any supplements at first and focus primarily on the basics of health. I’ve said this before & I will repeat it here:

I believe that food + sleep + laughter + nature + sunlight + family + friends + movement = medicine. Once you’ve focused on these points and optimized them, then you can build on top of that with supplementation. Before you jump into an elimination diet or large scale supplement protocol, evaluate these points in your life…

EVALUATE

• Amount of sunlight you are getting in the morning and throughout the day

• Stress levels and points of stress in your daily life (energy givers vs. drainers)

• Amount of time in nature, fresh air, grounding (air quality: I use these air purifiers throughout my home)

• Proper Hydration: Clean water and re-mineralization 

• Amount of time sedentary vs. movement 

• Amount of time spent with people who uplift you and bring you energy

• Time spent building loving caring relationships with friends and family 

• Time spent laughing, learning and being creative 

• Quality of sleep 

• Screen time 

• Ingredients/toxins in your daily skincare, cosmetics and household items 

• Ingredients/toxins in your daily food (mycotoxins, pesticides/herbicides, hormones/antibiotics, glyphosate)

• How often you are eating local, seasonal nutritionally dense foods 

• Protein consumption (organic/regenerative, pasture raised, grass-fed/finished bioavailable)

• Overuse of antibiotics, NSAIDs, pharmaceutical drugs or over the counter medicines

• Mindset (negative: anger, jealousy, envy, fear, victim mentality) (positive: gratitude, abundance, joy, forgiveness, empathy, empowerment, accountability) 

Going back to the basics is the most important thing you can do for your health. You can take all the supplements in the world but if you don’t evaluate these most important things in your life first, they will do nothing.

Start with one of these evaluations, and see how you can make a small shift to work in the right direction, when you feel good about that, move to the next one. Take it slow. Health is all about mindset and shifting habits to create sustainable results, don’t feel like you need to overwhelm yourself.

Supplements will not heal, they will not fix, but they can definitely optimize. I cycle in and out of supplements and take different once for different reasons. We are each so different and need more or less of different things dependent on a ton of factors, so I cannot recommend one thing based on knowing what you are trying to optimize! I will list out a few supplements brands that I absolutely love + trust and take often.

• Heart & Soil (discount is glowwithella10)

• Cymbiotika (discount is glowwithella)

• Lineage Provisions (discount is ella10)

• Organic Olivia (discount is glowwithella)

Q: How do I know if an olive oil is high quality?

Good quality EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) is one of the most amazing antioxidant rich, nutrient packed foods. There are a few important things to look for when choosing a good olive oil:

• The bottle it is packaged in. I prefer a darker glass or ceramic type of bottle. Usually if it is packaged in plastic, that’s not great!

• Harvest date. Good EVOO should state the harvest date on the bottle. This shows that it is fresh and harvested within the last couple of years, proving it is not rancid! 

• Farmer transparency. The EVOO should be transparent about the farm the olives come from! Prioritize small farms that use organic farming methods. 

• Single origin. This is important because a single olive versus a blend of many creates a higher quality oil, plus more transparency with the farming method and location.

• Polyphenol count. A good quality EVOO will be high in polyphenols, the best oils will be transparent about their polyphenol count in their oils! 

My favorite extra virgin olive oil is from Zimms, I love it so much! (Discount is GLOWWITHELLA20)

Q: Healthy hair care routine?

7 hair tips I practice for healthy, shiny hair:

• Clean shampoo & conditioner. This is the shampoo I currently use, and this is the conditioner I currently use. They also have a pack that comes with both + a rosemary hair oil.