Esperanza de la Fuente is a fashion stylist who has worked in fashion for over a decade. She moved from Spain to London at the age of 23 and was often confronted with the question is external beauty as a reflection of good health? Realising that quick fixes to her own health were not sustainable she has long been interested in the properties of food as a way to heal. But it was after becoming a mother at the beginning of the covid pandemic she decided to dig deeper into nutrition, graduating in holistic nutrition and health coaching. She has created Wholetalk as a platform to help people understand their health and make nutrition accessible to everyone; especially people living busy lives. We caught up with her shortly after her first edition of Wholetalk was released.

COMING FROM FASHION AND BEING VERY MUCH A VISUAL STORYTELLER WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO LAUNCH WHOLETALK ?

In June of 2020, just a few months after the first wave of Covid hit the world and we had barely made it out of the first lockdown, I had the wonderful experience of becoming a mother. Those first few months of my son’s life were the most contradictory of my life. I felt full of love and awe but - physically and mentally - like an absolute wreck. I had prepared myself so well during the pregnancy but it feels like all of us forget that the hardest part is yet to come, after the birth our bodies start the process of healing. Healing is slow, especially if you don’t sleep or rest or eat well. It is very basic and yet many of us don’t give it the importance it deserves.

With a new-born in my arms, I quickly realised what I was lacking - and how simple it is. Sleep, nourishment and movement are three key basics to maintain balance between our body and mind, and a lack of any of them can be devastating for our health. After Lucas was born I revisited nutrition realising this is something I needed to do for myself. We were going in and out of lockdown and I wasn’t travelling as much which was a big change to be more at home, photoshoots were only in London so it was a good time to study holistic nutrition this in turn has evolved into Wholetalk a platform to make nutrition accessible to everyone.

WHAT IS THE CREATIVE PROCESS BEHIND CREATING A NEW MAGAZINE ?

It is all a work in process and I am still learning! The most important thing for me was to communicate in an honest, simple and comprehensive way. For the Spring Issue I focused in two things. First, our relationship to seasons and how important is to stay in tune with the world around us, our health is dependent on it: the vegetables available in that season, the cooking styles, our lifestyle (we don’t do the same things in winter and in the summer so why would we behave the same way with our health?) and second, taking health and wellbeing one step at a time. Small changes, big impact. Big goals aren’t sustainable so its better to focus on implementing small changes on your daily routine so they stick with you and they become reflexes.

ESPE HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD AN INTEREST IN HEALTH AND WELLNESS ?

Having worked in fashion for over a decade, I was constantly confronted with the idea of external beauty as a reflection of good health. But when you focus on the surface, sometimes you forget to look deeper, at the root cause. In the past, I’ve suffered from skin conditions, digestives issues, migraines and mood changes. For a very long time I thought of these imbalances as something external, bad luck and out of my control. What I didn’t see then is that our bodies are constantly speaking and we just need to listen.

At that time I remember going through the same process every time: going to the doctors, taking several tests and not finding any answers, it was like hitting a wall… I was still feeling unwell so I looked for more alternative practices like acupuncture, osteopathy…and I guess those practices are really rooted in nutrition too. I did so much research, I found it fascinating and then I couldn’t stop, I just wanted to know more and more.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT HOLISTIC NUTRITION ?

It is fascinating to see how everything is connected. What we eat and how we treat our bodies affects how we feel, think, behave and regenerate. Our mental health is deeply connected to what we eat. Our bodies are healing machines, we need to give them the right fuel. In this modern life we might encounter with things that look like food but they aren’t. Processed breads, fast food, chips… it is scary seeing young kids eating such things as a daily meal, they aren’t nutritious, quite the opposite they create inflammation, one of the biggest causes of disease. We need to re think about the education around food and pass this knowledge to the younger generations so they can thrive.

YOU GREW UP IN SPAIN, HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE HAS INFLUENCED YOU ?

When you grow up in Spain you have the Mediterranean diet and also you have a culture around food that is all about community; everything is cooked from scratch, we buy our ingredients from the local market and prepare food with the family cook lunch and dinner together and when you grow up with that it gives you a solid base and a respect for food.

In this environment I learnt about eating seasonally without even noticing, and being in tune to nature and our bodies, when it’s hot we’re more likely to crave salads and fresh fruits to cool our bodies, but in the winter our bodies are more likely to crave warm cooked vegetables and cooked fruits.

INGREDIENTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT ?

I have many kitchen staples but I guess avocado is the one thing I can’t compromise on! It’s so nutritional and so delicious! Coconut oil and coconut milk are staples in my kitchen too, alongside olive oil and good quality salt.

ARE THERE SOME RITUALS AND ROUTINES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU ?

Our body likes simplicity and repetition, so having a routine will always benefit us. I always drink a warm cup of water with a quarter of the juice of a lemon when I wake up and wait around 20 mins before I have my breakfast. I also try practicing yoga 5/6 times a week (if I can’t attend a class I will try to fit 15 mins at home stretching or walking home from work for instance, any movement will do!) I dry brush my skin before I shower everyday.

If you want to know more, I drink water in between my meals, never with food and try to always have my meals at the same time every day. Gosh now that I am talking about it I can see I do really have my daily habits! But it is not about perfection, your routine shouldn’t feel like a burden, we won’t be able to always stick to it, specially if you are travelling, buys with work or on holidays. In those cases I always find comfort in knowing that I can always go back to it whenever I am ready to.

@Wholetalk , www.whole-talk.com

Photography Nicolás Ruivo.

We are what we eat