5 Minutes With… Dr Libby Weaver

We chat with the inspirational Dr Libby – Australasia’s superstar of all health and nutrition, combining many years of experience, learning and clinical practice to her holistic approach to health.

What rituals do you undertake each day keep yourself looking and feeling your best?
I go to bed by 10pm and get up by 6am. Most mornings I bounce out of bed and have some time in solitude before I move/exercise. The type of movement I do depends on how I feel: sometimes I want a brisk walk and/or tai chi. Other times I do resistance training. I eat a diet very high in plant foods. I eat real food, rather than food out of packets, to maximise the nutrient density of my diet, supplying my body with all of the nutrients it needs to perform its work. This also means I don’t eat the artificial, non-food ingredients that are present in too many packaged foods. I take a vitamin C supplement every day and when I’m travelling and don’t have my blender/juicer with me, I use a powdered green drink made from vegetables. I am kind to myself and take care of my relationships and I have a happy, grateful heart. I am very in touch with the gift life is. For me, feeling my best is all about energy, vitality, health and happiness and when I focus on these things, skin, hair, nails, body fat etc all fall into place anyway.

What does your daily beauty routine consist of?
I eat bucketloads of vegetables every day! I believe very much in my Beauty from the Inside Out concept… which was why I wrote a book about it!  So at the heart of my “beauty” routine, is clear skin as a result of how I eat, drink, move, think, believe and perceive. Upon that base, I cleanse and tone at night, and in the mornings I wash my face with water in the shower. I follow that with toner and moisturizer. If I’m working from home for the day, I will skip the moisturiser and instead press oil into my face and neck. If I wear make up for the day, I use a tinted day cream and bronzing powder on my face and blush on my cheeks. I’ll use a little eyeliner, mascara and lipgloss to finish. All of the products I use are organic or they use biodynamically grown plants. I avoid all synthetic chemicals in my skincare and makeup.

What are your top 5 favourite foods to nourish your body with?
Avocados – A good source of biotin and monounsaturated fats, avocados help to prevent dry skin and brittle hair and nails; when applied topically, they help to hydrate dry skin. For me, they are a super special beauty food.

Lemons – Rich in vitamin C, lemons are great for the skin and also stimulate digestion — starting your day with lemon in warm water is a wonderful way to kick-start your digestion. The goodies in lemons are crucial for all aspects of beauty, obtaining the maximum nutrition from your diet and helping to supply your skin, hair and nails with nutrients.

Parsley – Its flavonoids, especially luteolin, have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. Parsley has anti-inflammatory properties, is highly alkaline, and contains vitamin C and iron, important for the oxygenation of every tissue in your body. One of my absolute favourite foods.

Organic butter – This is a source of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals which are beneficial for skin, bone, and nervous system health. Organic butter contains lauric acid, which has powerful antibacterial and antifungal actions.

Broccoli and Cauliflower – Vegetables worthy of their superstar accolades, they are potent sources of antioxidants, as well as many vitamins and minerals, which help aid cellular repair. Vegetables in the Brassica family contain indoles, substances that help the liver detoxify hormones, which can help with sex hormone balance, which is critical for clear skin.

What do you do to treat or pamper yourself?
A blowdry with my beloved friend and hairdresser Natasha Radonich is my favourite thing to splash out on. I feel like a new person walking out of her salon.

What is the best thing about your job?
Seeing the lights go back on in someone’s eyes when they remember how precious life is, how precious they are and that to treat themselves accordingly will now be effortless.

Have you always wanted a career in health?  What did you want to be when you ‘grew up’?
I had no idea what I wanted to do. I had always read about health and nutrition for pleasure and once I realised that after school/uni we spend most of our days working, I knew I had to love what I did! I never expected to spend 14 years at university nor do a PhD in biochemistry but I love what I do each day. It doesn’t feel like work and I am aware what a great gift that is.

What have been your biggest achievements to date?
Writing five books that have been number 1 best-sellers is a joy to me as it shows that more and more people are stepping up to take even better care of themselves. This doesn’t just affect the person taking better care of themselves. It affects everyone they speak to.
It is very difficult to be patient and kind with others and yourself, when you are filling yourself with stimulants such as caffeine and refined sugars and eating a diet that a virtually devoid of nutrients.

And lastly, what’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
Chemistry was my toughest subject at high school so I am still surprised that I went on to study science at university and do a PhD in biochemistry. When you can see the relevance of what you are learning to what you want to do in life, it makes it easy and exciting to learn.

Dr Libby Weaver (BHSc (N&D) (Hons) PhD) is Australasia’s superstar of all health and nutrition, combining many years of experience, learning and clinical practice to her holistic approach to health. For more information and Real Food ideas, visit www.drlibby.com