by Annie Vischer
Dr Simone Laubscher first met Elle Macpherson when she wandered into her consultation room, after being referred by a friend, and burst into tears. Yes Elle Macpherson cries. She told Laubscher that she felt overwhelmed by a sense of imbalance. Her hormones were out of whack, she was getting a muffin top, she was shouting at the kids. All her old tricks weren’t working, she wasn’t losing any weight, bits were getting wobbly and she wasn’t toning up. Her supplement intake was out of this world, her exercise regime on point, and yet…nothing. What could she do?
After a variety of tests, Laubscher found that Elle’s body wasn’t absorbing all the goodness she was taking in, so she sent her away with a heap of supplements and instructions to fix the problem. Elle returned, happy with the effects, but with one question. Could all of this goodness be condensed into just one dose? The answer? Yes. And so the Super Elixir (from £36.00) by WelleCo was born.
Elle was very hands-on during the process according to Laubscher. She insisted on the best, cold pressed, and most organic form of each ingredient. Take xylitol for example, the latest natural sweetener. In its purest form it comes from the Birch tree, though a cheaper form exists derived from corn that lacks any nutritional value. Needless to say Elle was team Birch all the way.
A year after the launch of the Super Elixir and Elle, Laubscher and the WelleCo team are back with another trick up their sleeves. A protein powder. 10-20% of our daily intake should come from protein says Laubscher. After water, protein is the second largest component in the body, what does that tell us? Protein in the body (muscle) is living tissue, and fat is dead tissue. An increase in living tissue makes for a higher metabolism as there’s a greater need for energy, and a decrease in dead tisssue. If your protein levels are too low, then blood sugar takes a quick and easy drop, cravings hit and your emotions start roller-coastering. Not ideal, but it’s the trap that many of us fall into, and we don’t seem to be hitting on the easiest solution – eat more protein.
Yes, there are a lot of protein powder options out there. Most have scary ‘Muscle Mary’s (Laubscher’s words) on the metallic tubs, and many are centred on animal-based proteins like whey. The trouble with these is that many of the companies manufacturing these day-to-day take short cuts, choosing cheaper more chemical-based ingredient options to maximise profit. Ever seen some body-builders at the gym with man-boobs and tummy fat pouches? That’ll be the accidental oestrogen shots they get from their protein shakes. Even if you’re ok with a bigger cup-size ladies, a wobbly tummy is not what you want your workouts to achieve!
The Welle Co Super Elixir Nourishing Protein is based on pea protein, which means it is alkalising, and ticks the boxes for all those vegan, gluten-free, kosha eaters out there. And as you’d expect from the Elle Macpherson x WelleCo collaboration, a good dose of clean protein just wasn’t enough. Further ingredients like psyllium husk, L-glutamine and a host of B vitamins work to aid digestion, increase metabolism and calm blood sugar levels to boot. The added nutritional kick of this protein powder means that it can act as a legitimate meal replacement. Laubscher has been whizzing from country to country recently, and has been making it her liquid lunch.
The other obvious use for it is as a post-workout shake. Laubscher explains that muscles grow and build by way of a break-and-repair process. Stress on the muscles that comes from exercise cause microscopic tears, that if combined with protein intake, repair themselves, creating more muscle mass as they do. So to build muscle, you need protein, and you need exercise, you can’t depend on one alone. Post workout a dose of this clean protein shake is exactly what you need says Laubscher. It will also curb any post-workout cravings you may have, making sure you don’t reach for that sugar-packed granola bar and luminous sports drink before you even think about your next main meal.
Oh and just in case you were wondering, it tastes pretty amazing too. Flavoured with raw cacao (which has 10 x the amount of anti oxidants than blueberries) and xylitol (the purest Birch variety) it’s the healthiest chocolate shake you can get your hands on. Whizz up one scoop with some unsweetened almond milk and you’re good to go. Launching late April, we can’t wait to get our hands on a tub!
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