Sofiia Manousha trusts her gut.
The French actress and founder of website, MyBeautyFuelFood.com, grew up between Paris and Morocco, where she found her connection to nature. She became a director and performer, but always maintained an interest in the connection between what we eat and our health.
In 2017, she fell ill, suffering from low blood pressure and anemia, among other issues. Doctors were unsure about what was wrong, but it was when she cut out dairy products and adopted a 100% plant-based diet that her health radically shifted.
Today, though her diet is still plant-based and packed with adaptogens, but Manousha continues to choose food based on vibrational intuition. She can feel what she needs—and she shares those instincts with her followers.
Here, she explains why being in the moment and trusting intuition is essential to well-being:
Live The Process: What sparked your interest in the link between what you eat and how you feel?
Sofia Manousha: I grew up between Paris (where I was born) and Morocco (where my parents are from). Morocco is a huge part of my heritage. The people there are very connected to nature and everything that comes from within. As an actress, I have to be connected with my inner self. We are what we eat and what we absorb. If my food is not vibrant, how can I vibe? I stopped eating meat 15 years ago because bringing “death” inside my body did not work for me.
LTP: What is your life as an actress like? How do you make time for maintaining your site and for self-care?
SM: I became an actress in 2009—10 years ago! I never studied acting specifically, but I had attended ballet school and had taken piano for 17 years. Performing became a way to express myself, an extension of my being. At this point, I’m busy every day, all year: I’m an actress, a director and also the founder of holistic beauty website, Mybeautyfuelfood.com. My team and I talk about the impact of food and lifestyle on beauty and health. I’m a skin lover and am passionate about making us all glow.
Right now, I’m actually editing a movie I directed. It requires a lot of work and time—especially while managing my website. I try my best to find 15 minutes every day to meditate and cook my matcha or adaptogenic coffee. Whenever possible, I go to reformer or Gyrotonic class (with Verena) at Studio Rituel in Paris or ballet barre at Barre Shape. I need this time to myself to inspire creativity.
LTP: Your change of diet transformed your health almost over night. What do you do differently now?
SM: I’ve always been influenced by the vibration of each element; that’s why I stopped eating animals when I was a kid. We are more than what we eat; we are what we absorb. Food is a huge part of my well-being. Today, I don’t go by any specific label—just trust intuition and vibration.
LTP: What is an ingredient or wellness tool that you are especially loving right now? Perhaps some kind of supplement or juice blend?
SM: I’m passionate about superfoods and, mostly, adaptogens: chaga, pearl powder, he shou wu, reishi. I love to create beauty-food recipes with these ingredients. They are a huge part of my diet, as are, of course, raw cacao and matcha. I eat a whole food, plant-based diet that’s largely intuitive.
Recently, I’ve been using Holidermie supplements. The holistic brand was created by Mélanie Huynh and uses a synergy of ingredients to nourish the body from the inside out. And, of course, every day, I love drinking cold-pressed green juice and a lot of raw and activated nuts. I make my own nut butter and plant milk.
LTP: What does happiness look like to you?
SM: Living in the present moment.
LTP: What does it mean to you to “Live The Process” and how can we all do that more each day?
SM: It’s an everyday state-of-mind—embracing the moment to “live the process” unconditionally.
Cover photograph Morten Lasskogen