About Elise

Elise Museles holds four certificates in holistic health and integrative healing. She is on the Environmental Working Group board of directors and has been a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant recipient for five years in a row. A sought-after speaker, she is also host of the popular Once Upon a Food Story podcast. Her work has been featured in O, The Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Health, Self, ELLE, Well+Good, The Chalkboard, mindbodygreen, and other outlets.

1. What's in your pantry right now? What are some of your go-tos for wellness and for flavor?

It makes me so happy to open up my pantry and have options of what to cook and eat! I always have an ample supply of spices including New Salt and Pepper. May go-tos are turmeric, ginger, oregano, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon. I keep mason jars filled with nuts, seeds, and superfoods like cacao nibs and goji berries to top chia pudding, smoothies, and snack on too! I make a lot of soups, so you’ll find dried beans, coconut milk, broths, and curry paste. Then don’t get me started on my tea collection. It is quite large with matcha being my favorite of them all!

2. What's your favorite comfort food? No judgments!

Soup is always so comforting and cozy to me. When I need that extra nourishing feeling, I turn to grounding root vegetable soups. I love puréeing chickpeas to add some hearty plant-based protein. Top it off with good piece of crusty sourdough for that extra layer of comfort.

3. What is your go-to home remedy using spices, foods or herbs?

I love an immunity tea especially during the change of seasons. I use lemon, fresh turmeric and ginger, black pepper, sometimes cayenne for an extra kick, and maple or raw honey. It always feels like a hug in a mug!

4. Tell us about one experience where nutrition changed your life.

I used to worry so much about what food can do TO me instead of everything it can do FOR me. When I flipped the script and started focusing on all the nourishing benefits, I became fascinated with how food affects mood and became curious on how to eat to support the way I want to feel. That little shift made me feel empowered around food instead of disempowered which came from a lifetime of diet culture messages. At the same time, I also became obsessed with farmer’s markets which has helped connect me to my food and the people who grow it. Plants have always been a central part of my diet, but now I truly understand how eating a variety of plants can positively impact every system in our body and change the way we live each day!

5. What's one health or nutrition tip you would recommend to our readers?

Make sure you are speaking kindly to yourself when you are eating and thinking about food & your body. Those stressful thoughts can affect digestion, metabolism, and nutrient absorption, not to mention pleasure. Try taking three deep breaths before sitting down to a meal to counter the stress. It is amazing how that can help your body relax and get the most from your food.

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