BEAUTY MEETS WELLNESS

In advocating for clean and healthy eating, BIANCA ARANETA ELIZALDE uncovers the strong relationship between wellness and ultimately feeling good about oneself

- KATHERINE ALAMARES

Throughout the years, the concept of beauty has transformed to be inclusive. When Bianca Araneta Elizalde was still a commercial model, she recalls there was a distinct standard. From having straight, immaculate black hair, fair skin, a 24-inch waistline, to an extremely thin physique, beautiful women had to fit within these ideals.

Fortunately, Elizalde says a lot has changed. “They're embracing different body types,” she explains.

But beyond this acceptance, she perceives beauty from a self-care perspective. Wellness has become a manifestation of beauty—eating healthy translates to feeling good— something the former model and founder of The Wholesome Table strongly advocates.

COMMITTED TO WELLNESS

Elizalde’s journey to healthy eating began upon reading a book on nutrition. “They never taught nutrition in class,” she says. “You learn about the different food groups, but you never really learn about what that does to you. They never teach you how food is your fuel, how it’s your medicine.”

“I started sort of connecting the dots between the food you eat and how you feel. Obviously, that dictates how well you're going to be,” she continues.

It was the late 1970s and though she made the decision in her younger years to eat healthily, there weren’t many organic options in the market. It was only years later that more businesses started offering healthier alternatives for conventional food.

As she has a severe gluten intolerance, she finds substitutes on her “cheat days.” She allows herself to indulge in something sweet now and then like gluten-free desserts.