Yahoo Lifestyle Self-care rituals with… Em the Nutritionist
In this series, Bazaar’s multiplatform beauty director speaks to inspirers in the wellness world about the routines and rituals that work for them. Here, Bridget March meets Emily English – the Insta-famous nutritionist on a mission to help people thrive, without feeling deprived.
Nutritionist Emily English, founder of her eponymous clinic, is best known as @emthenutritionist, her social-media moniker where followers (1.3M and 671K on Instagram and TikTok respectively) devour her healthy – while hearty – meal inspiration, now packed into a cookbook, So good.
“I want to show people that healthy food does not have to compromise joy,” she tells me, though it’s also her accessible advice on living well at large that amplifies English’s appeal. “It is simple; you don't need to change a lot to be healthier – adding little things to what you already do will make the biggest difference to your life.”
Much of how she celebrates aspects to add, over restrict, stems from her back story, she explains. “I was very much a keen scientist at school, but nutrition wasn't on my radar – it was seen as something for those who wanted to diet.” Not that she did, until she entered the fashion industry as an ecommerce model aged 17 and was told to lose weight for better success. “Before that I never even thought about it,” she says of her body becoming a maths equation. “I was obsessed with calories and measuring everything, and the equation was ‘eat as little as possible to function and stay alive’.” Journeying through anorexia she found strength in science, opting to study nutrition at Kings College London. “I found this real love for the power of food but saw a massive gap between people understanding the science of nutrition, and also loving the food that they eat.” It mirrored a common mindset of viewing the foods we think are good for us versus those we want to consume. “And I think that's probably my biggest mission to tackle in this world right now.” Post-university, English’s clients loved her meal plans (that ticked all the ‘good’ boxes), which she began sharing on social media… “and Em the Nutritionist was born”.
Here, English shares what she’s learnt about wellness along the way, and the routines and rituals she’s now honed to ensure she feels her best.
On her morning routine…
“I wake and have a big drink of water, often with five grammes of glutamine in, which helps support gut-barrier function, and take my probiotic Epetome. Then I go for a 30-to-45-minute walk at a really brisk pace. My number one tip when morning walking, is to keep sunglasses off; you want the sunlight hitting the back of your retina, because that helps reduce the production of your sleep hormone to really wake you up. A sunrise walk is basically nature's caffeine, so I always try and ‘wait to caffeinate’.
“Then I'll have my matcha tea; Jenki is the best quality matcha in my opinion and flavour-wise it's just delicious. I mix it with an organic non-fortified milk, only because fortified calcium – and also calcium in dairy milk – will bind to the antioxidants in matcha. So if you want to absorb all the antioxidants in matcha it's worth noting that. I opt for Plenish milk (my favourites are the cashew and coconut ones). I'm a big breakfast person and savoury breakfasts keep me fuller for longer.
“I'm so consistent with my morning routine. I think if we start our day without seizing it, it's a lot easier to lose it. I control when I wake up and how much time I give myself before I give myself to anyone else – but wellness isn't about being selfish. It's just about making sure that you're doing the things that make you feel good – and I think the morning is the best time to do that.”
On her daily diet…
“I always say the right breakfast for you is the one that you can eat without thinking about lunch until 12 or one o'clock. If you're starving earlier, that's a sign that your breakfast is not balanced for you. Make sure there’s enough protein and fibre; breakfast is often the time that we can really throw something together quickly that's really nutrient-dense as well. Heaven for me is a good, seeded sourdough with cottage cheese and scrambled eggs, with a mash of avocado, fresh tomatoes, basil and a squeezed lemon.
“For lunch I'm into prepping protein fillings, so I'll make a big batch of herby chicken mix (I roast chicken, shred it, then mix it with mustard, yoghurt, dill, parsley, lemon juice, feta, diced cucumber, and diced tomatoes,); or a spicy tuna version (another yoghurt-based mix but with jalapeños and Tabasco), and then dollop it onto a big salad, put it into a sweet potato, make it into a wrap, or have it as a sandwich. For a grab-and-go option that's my favourite.
“Dinner-wise, I'm really into an orzo one-pot, like a mushroom and leek one, or a roast tomato and pepper one – I use whatever veggies I have. Mix, let it do its thing and serve; you don't have to be standing over the stove for hours to make something healthy.
“I want people to fall in love with the self-care ritual that being in your kitchen offers, because it’s time that it is for you. Give yourself that 10-to-15 minutes; I find cooking is one of those very grounding, centering things in my day.”
On walking as “therapy” and discovering reformer Pilates…
“Walking is my therapy; it’s the way that I aid digestion, break up my day, and get creative – I write all my recipes on my walks. I honestly think that having good step breaks is one of the best things that you can do for health and wellbeing – and it's free!
“I cancelled my gym membership to move away from heavy resistance training which I felt pressured to do – especially when that kind of ‘gym girl’ era came out; I was forcing my body to train in a way that I was getting hurt. And then I discovered reformer Pilates and it's a way of movement that works so well for me.
“My favourite studio is Karve on High Street Kensington. The classes are like Pilates on steroids; it's very intense – but the mental strength it's given me is phenomenal. I do it three times a week. When you love an exercise method, it's easier to wake up an hour earlier to do it.”
On other acts of self-care…
“I have an acupressure mat from Bed of Nails. If I’m ever feeling really overwhelmed or stressed, I just lay there and it can really help.
“I saw a facialist called Hadda recently and the facial massage was so incredible that now I try and incorporate a lot of what she does, because I think we can stimulate so much of our body's own detox mechanisms just by using our hands. So many of us don't touch our bodies enough, and I think self-care is about really being connected with yourself.
“I am also really big fan of the Ziip Halo, a nanocurrent and microcurrent device. I use it to de-puff my face but it also supports deeper skin health. And I love red-light therapy. I've started using the CurrentBody LED mask which is really good because it's transportable. I can cook while I'm wearing it and get the lovely benefits.
“My favourite bougie thing to do is an infrared sauna; I go to Yue Float. I love the combination of hot and cold therapy – I wish I could have an ice bath in my little flat in London without a garden but unfortunately, it’s not possible! I do a cold shower though. The endorphin rush from that is incredible.”
On her evening routine…
“If we're not sleeping properly it can affect everything, including nutrition – sleep has a massive impact on how your body responds to food the next day by worsening glycemic control and enhancing appetite. If you have one of those days where you constantly crave sugary, fatty, processed foods, more often that not it’s due to a bad night's sleep.
“So, I always try and have a ‘school schedule’ sleep system. I make sure that I wind down, starting with a hot shower 90 minutes before bed, then I use the Neom magnesium body butter. Putting that on my calves and on the bottom of my feet has really helped my restless legs at night.
“I often take a magnesium supplement as well. I tend to opt for magnesium glycinate, a really good bioavailable form of magnesium. So many of us do not get enough magnesium – when we're stressed and on-the-go, magnesium levels can be depleted very quickly.
“Then I love a good tea, like fennel, dandelion, or peppermint, which have gut-soothing, digestive effects. And I always spritz a lavender pillow spray all over my pillows. I really love the Neom one.
“I don’t work around or near my bed – it's very much a sleep area – and I try to make it a little bit cold. That drop in your body temperature from the hot shower to a cold bed helps drive melatonin production and encourage high-quality sleep.”
On not underestimating the micro-habit…
“I think the wellness industry can feel very overwhelming and scary. What I want people to do is lose any sense of pressure or shame that comes with it and start exploring their own journey. Never underestimate the small changes you can make, like going for a walk. In my opinion, the micro habit is the underdog because it can underpin the long-term change.”
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