From hashtags to celebrity-recommended routines, the term “wellness” seems inescapable.
“I think wellness, if I had to overall define it I’d say [it’s] self-care and I think that’s the shift that people are making,” Dr. Mona Vand recently told Page Six. “Before, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing to care so much about yourself.”
“You’re doing this to do something better for your body and to feel good and to look good, and I think that’s something thing that people don’t have to shame,” she added. “Wellness is such a trend right now and I hope it stays. At the end of the day it’s good for you so it’s the best thing people could be interested in.”
Vand, a 33-year-old social media influencer with a medical background, was introduced to Bravo viewers when her brother Nema joined the cast of “Shahs of Sunset.” Off camera, she uses YouTube and Instagram to expound upon the latest health and beauty trends.
And as for the “Shahs” cast’s over-the-top approach to eating, the influencer said her co-stars were accepting of and curious about her plant-based diet, especially Reza Farahan who’s lost over 40 pounds since the start of the show.
Before creating a following on social media, Vand received her pharmacy doctorate in Boston, and after trying out various pharmaceutical positions, she appeared on “The Doctors” in 2015. Four years later, she’s amassed nearly 250,000 YouTube subscribers and just over 200,000 followers on Instagram. She’s now based in Los Angeles.
Despite her plant-based diet, Vand admits she has a penchant for Cheetos and french fries but has found healthier ways to satisfy her cravings.
“I’m really into taking a sweet potato and slicing it really thin and baking it in the oven and it’s like homemade fries and you don’t even have to add oil,” she says, adding that the vegan brand Hippeas take the place of a crunchy Cheeto.
But she’ll still give into the real thing and approves of cheat days.
“I probably have french fries once a week, if I smell them I have to have them,” she joked, explaining that “if you’re living a healthy lifestyle then the little things you do here and there won’t mess you up. If you feel deprived all the time it’s never going to go away.”
As for those trying popular methods to lose weight, like the celebrity-loved keto diet, Vand issues a warning.
“In 10-20 years when that catches up to you and you’re not eating antioxidants and not really doing anything to nourish your body, it’s going to show,” she told us.
On YouTube, another topic Vand explores is skincare. As for her own routine, Vand completes eight steps every night — and drinks a lot of water throughout the day — abiding by her own definition of wellness.
“Some people are like ‘Oh my God, who wants to do that?’ And I’m like ‘I love it, that’s like my spa time at home.”
When it comes to trying to copy the beauty routine of a celebrity, Vand explains that since it’s, say Jennifer Lopez‘s job is to be camera-ready, she levels up her skincare regimen to keep her face glowing.
“That’s the difference when you see J.Lo, who looks amazing but doesn’t look fake,” she explained. “It’s the little things she’s getting here and there, like light therapy or cryo or steaming or drinking a lot of water, its the little things throughout time that make the difference.”
(Not to mention Lopez and boyfriend Alex Rodriguez ditched carbs and sugar this week.)
And while the rest of the world is trying to emulate Lopez one face mask at a time, the health guru says taking wellness one day at a time is the way to go.
“Doing a little is better than doing nothing, that’s when it’s not as scary and you’re not so hard of yourself. Enjoy the process and enjoy taking care of yourself. You feel beautiful and you look beautiful, it just ends up being a lifestyle.”
Original article can be found here.
