This Elixir Is Supermodel Elle Macpherson's Secret To Eternal Agelessness

As a supermodel, Elle Macpherson has access to the best skin care products in the world—but she believes people's radiance has far less to do with what's going on their skin than into it. "If we manage the interior of our bodies on a cellular level and nourish our bodies with all the vitamins and nutrients it needs, it really has a fantastic effect on the skin," she told mbg when she stopped by our DUMBO office to record an episode of the mindbodygreen podcast (stay tuned for that!). "Nothing I put topically on my skin changes it as much as what I put inside my body."

The serial entrepreneur (her lingerie line, Elle Macpherson Body, was a trailblazer among model brands) has channeled her devotion to nourishment into Welleco, a superfood line that's now opening its NYC flagship.

Her personal journey toward nutrition started when she was suffering from digestive issues. "I was finding myself getting easily bloated, not digesting my food, and not really getting the nutrients out of my food," she said. "It inspired me to look deeper into nutrition and the way I was feeding my body."

Now, her diet is filled with greens and gut-healing ingredients and techniques—the latter because, for Macpherson, what she doesn't eat is as important as what she does. "One of the most important things for me is giving my digestion a good rest," she explained. "People say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I agree, but it's about what time that breakfast is. I'll have breakfast a little later in the day, especially if I've been eating later in the evening." She's onto something—intermittent fasting has been quickly transitioning from trend to wellness world staple, with scientifically promising benefits that include more balanced blood sugar, lower inflammation, and increased energy. (Of course, talk to your doctor if you're interested in trying intermittent fasting to figure out how it can work for you.)

Macpherson starts the day with hot water and lemon, then follows it with a green juice that she admits is "a little crazy." "It has garlic, ginger, turmeric, parsley, cilantro, cucumber, celery, kale, lemon, half an apple, broccoli sprouts, pea sprouts, and two big spoonfuls of Super Elixir Greens," she said. "It's filled to the brim with live nutrients."

Other than that, Macpherson enjoys eating things like tahini, nut cheese, fish, eggs, vegetable pasta, and "whatever vegetables I can find." The self-professed chocoholic also likes to whip up a chocolate shake made from Welleco's plant protein powder, water, and hemp seeds.

Macpherson insists that the true secret ingredient to her radiant health is simple—it's drinking tons of water. "I believe if everyone starts drinking two to three liters of water a day, it'd make a huge difference," she said. And it's a view supported by science—adequate hydration has been linked1 to everything from higher energy levels to better cognitive performance. She'll often drink hers with lemon, cayenne, turmeric, and a bit of stevia, and more recently, she's been enjoying rosewater-spiked sparkling water.

To Macpherson, it's not just about getting the glow. In line with mbg's You. We. All. mentality, she feels that taking care of yourself is what enables a person to take care of and take on the world. "If you look after yourself, it's reflected in your environment," she said. "Our responsibility to the environment is to be responsible to ourselves and to look out for ourselves. That's where it has to start."