Female Faces of the Brand: Alice Mackintosh

Alice Mackintosh is a registered Nutritional Therapist specialising in women's wellbeing. With 10 years of experience, she practises in West London's Chelsea and is also a founder of Equi, a range of award-winning supplements to support women at all stages of life. Alice is a bestselling author of The Happy Kitchen, a guide to eating for mental health.

What inspires you?

I can’t go a day without listening to the Chris Evans Breakfast show in the mornings at home. He’s like an infectious ball of positivity and inspiration coming through my radio. No matter how I’ve slept or am feeling, I’m always energised afterwards, and he has an amazing way of helping you to remember what’s important and to be grateful for what we have. He also has brilliant guests on the show, often in the wellness world, so it’s a regular daily dose of inspo direct from the experts.

What does your day usually look like?

Wellness is my world and I read a lot about the benefits of morning pages, getting some exercise and taking a moment for myself. This used to be me, but these days my mornings look a little different because I have two young boys aged 4 and 1. I do my best with all the self-care, but I have to be realistic with what’s possible.

Mornings are a flurry of getting myself ready and checking emails and messages, getting them ready and then ensuring we are all fed a breakfast that’s relatively high in fibre and protein. The jump from one kid to two was huge for me, but I’m just starting to get the hang of it.. Some days go better than others!

I‘m a big tea drinker but I save the first up of caffeine for after the nursery drop off which is around 8:30. That first cup sip is something I really look forward to.

I have two mornings a week with my one-year-old, so if I’m with him I’ll be taking him out to do something fun, and then getting my head down to work when he’s napping.

I love these days with my son but I also look forward to having a full day getting stuck in – either in the clinic or working on Equi, the supplement brand I founded with old friend turned business partner Rosie Speight back in 2016. If it’s a full work day I’m either filming, speaking at an event with a full face of make up, or I’m in a tracksuit at home working madly to get everything done. We are launching in the Middle East vert soon, and we have new products on the way, so it’s always full tilt.

That being said I’m never so busy to forget a meal, I honestly live for food! Lunch is often a soup with some cheese, or mackerel pate on toast with some veggies on the side or if I’m in a rush, it’s eggs. Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll have pop out and grab a hearty salad from a local take-out spot.

I could snack all afternoon to keep me going but I don’t let myself, instead I take my daily dose of Equi’s Wellness Formula to keep me going all afternoon – it’s energising and helps me focus but also helps me wind down come 5pm. I’ll have a little snack when the kids eat, or I’ll eat with them which was my New Year’s Resolution this year as it’s good to eat as a family plus it frees up my evenings. I try to always do home cooked food but my older son is picky, so we have a few regulars on repeat. I’m often working on my laptop in the evenings after they go to bed, but I have a rule to switch off phone and laptop by 8:30pm (sometimes 9pm) at which point I’ll watch TV, do some stretch’s, take some supplements and head to up to bed to read before lights out.

What is your daily non-negotiable?

Some fresh air in nature – I’m so lucky where I live in London is filled with parks and green spaces. You can feel like you’re in a forest despite being in the city. Preferably this would be alone and I’d be doing some proper exercise which I know my body needs to stay healthy, but this doesn’t always happen if I’m with the boys and I’m Ok with that for now – having two boys definitely keeps you active and fit.

3 wellness tips/habits you swear by

1. Switching coffee for matcha – coffee can make me nervy and shaky so the slow-release caffeine and calming theanine in Matcha suits me much better. Plus the antioxidants in it fire my brain up and I always feel a bit more of a spring in my step after.
2. 80:20 – this is at the centre of everything I do because I am such a foodie and I hate restriction. My clients do too – it doesn’t work long term and it just makes for all-or-nothing thinking. I find eating/drinking a bit of what I fancy – pasta in a restaurant, a glass of wine or some chocolate, each day keeps me balanced. It also allows me to enjoy food with friends and family. I don’t believe we are even close to understanding the benefits yet that this brings.. even if the food is typically ‘unhealthy’ – community and enjoyment count for a lot.
3. A daily dose of Equi, I formulated it to be as close to a trip to a nutritionist in a bottle as a supplement ever could be. Our products are 10 supplements in one, super easy, taste great and give results.. there was so much rubbish on the market my clients were taking and knowing all the science behind the supplements, I wanted to raise the bar. I spend months agonising over the ingredients to add into each product so I can stand by them and say they are the best they can be. Nothing replaces a healthy diet, but this helps fill the gaps when life is busy and you don’t have time to eat perfectly.

What is your favourite cuisine?

I grew up in Hong Kong, and from a young age was eating Cantonese food and a lot of Asian – be it Vietnamese or Japanese. I think Japanese just tips it for me – sushi, tataki, tempura, miso, robata, mochi – I can eat it all day every day.

Your favourite DK meal?

I love the soups and curries – they always taste better than I can cook and I love how manty ingredients they manage to pack in. I also love love love the Tofu Bites – it’s my KFC fix done!

Dish or recipe you make most often?

When my husband and I eat together after the kids are down, I often go for my favourite Skin boosting Pho soup – I add fresh ginger, turmeric, coriander, lemongrass and chilli into bone broth to make the soup, and then add a tonne of veggies, brown rice boodles and top it with teriyaki trout. Sounds complicated but I’ve got it down and it take me 30 mins to make. It’s a dish I share on my Instagram regularly and everyone loves it!

Death row dinner? Japanese - the full works!

What is your favourite form of movement?

Reformer Pilates, and for me it’s Heartcore now, always and forever. It’s the best pilates in the world and nothing moves me like it. I don’t need to see a physio for my various aches and pains when I fit it in weekly, and it’s so uplifting mentally.

What is your favourite quote or mantra?

Don’t let the bastards get you down - with all the social media, gossip and information overload we get on a daily basis these days, this just keeps me sane.

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More on Alice...

www.alicemackintosh.com / @alicemackintosh_nutrition