Interview with Kimberly Snyder, Founder of Solluna, Mama, & Podcast Host

Kimberly Snyder, founder of Solluna, a lifestyle brand empowering you to live your best life, has a few useful things to convey to you:

Q:Tell me about yourself. How did you get interested in holistic beauty?
A: I am a mama of two young boys and the founder of Solluna. I am also the New York Times bestselling author of The Beauty Detox book series and Radical Beauty, which I co-wrote with Deepak Chopra. Additionally, I am a nutritionist, certified yoga teacher, and a spiritual and meditation teacher. My concept of holistic beauty has really evolved over the years, and I have focused on understanding what it means to me. Beauty is an energy that should be deep, lasting and magnetic, and grow from the inside out. This discovery came after years of daily meditation, which allowed me to tap into energy deep within me. I had been meditating for years and accessing this energy long before I was consciously aware of it! The more I tapped into the energy of what I was feeling and experiencing, the more I realized that holistic beauty is so much more than food. A shift occurred, when I realized that True Beauty is not only physical, but built from the inside out where you are confident as yourself and connected to your uniqueness.

It is true that food was the starting point of my becoming interested in health and wellness — which has evolved into the work I do today, centered around empowering others to live their True Beauty. As I traveled the world and studied nutrition years ago, I realized that you can really unlock a whole new level of health and vibrancy through eating the right food. Certain foods in nature contain an incredible plant intelligence that can elevate your whole body, impacting your beauty from the inside out.

However, my journey of understanding holistic beauty has since evolved, as I discovered that what goes on inside of us, beyond just food – on the physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual levels – has a profound impact on our True Beauty. Holistic beauty truly lies in your energy being connected to yourself.

Q: What is the meaning of Solluna and what is your philosophy of beauty?
The name of my brand, Solluna, means the joining together of the sun and moon. It represents the wholeness inherent in nature and also within you. When we honor our wholeness, we are our most healthy, energized and beautiful selves! Solluna is centered around four cornerstones of True Beauty: Food, Body, Emotional Well-Being and Spiritual Growth. This means nourishing ourselves from the inside out through a plant-based diet, taking care of our bodies properly, balancing our emotions and our spiritual growth – these are ways to really expand our beauty. Not only physically, but also in a powerful sense where everybody that is around us can touch it and feel it and see it and experience it. It’s a very powerful state of being.

Beauty starts from within, and I believe that the highest form of beauty is when you reach the highest and most authentic potential of your natural True Beauty. Beauty means building that magnetism, that glow, that vitality that oozes out of you, and being loving, kind, compassionate and passionate. These are all qualities of True Beauty. Therefore, we need to take care of our inside first, which affects not only our outer beauty, but also our energetic vibrancy, our emotions and our spirits. We’re all beautiful in our own way, and tapping into this beauty lies is the connection back to ourselves.

Q: Can you explain why it is important to integrate supplements into one’s diet?
I want to start off by saying that there are no shortcuts to health and beauty. I do believe that supplementation is important, although I do not think you need to rely on it totally for your health, or overdo it and take too many. There is a pervasive attitude around nutritional supplements that “more is better”, but if we rely on bottles of pills instead of eating a superior diet, then we’ll never really look or feel our best. I truly believe that to be our most beautiful, healthy and energetic, we don’t need to swallow down supplement after supplement. However, the supplements we DO take should count, and be high-quality! I’m all about being selective with your supplementation.

Eating whole foods is really the best way for our bodies to absorb nutrition, for optimal health and beauty. Unfortunately, with today’s modern farming practices, much of our food is pasteurized, covered in pesticides or grown in depleted soil, meaning that there are certain key nutrients, enzymes and bacteria we may not get from our diet alone. High-quality supplements help to fill the gaps in our diet and support the body’s natural processes. They act as insurance for our health!

Q: What is the best way for the body to absorb them?
I always say that we are not so much what we eat, as what we digest and assimilate. The same goes for absorbing our supplements. In order to reap the highest benefits of the supplements we take, it’s important to keep our digestion strong and moving, because absorption begins with digestion.

This looks like filling our diets with fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds. It also means avoiding heavy, hard-to-digest foods like dairy, soda and processed foods that can create stagnancy and slow down digestion, leading to bloating and constipation. I also recommend eating light to heavy throughout the day, which means eating foods in their most digestible order, so lighter foods like fruits and vegetables don’t get trapped behind heavier foods such as protein and starches.

We are more likely to feel the benefits of the supplements we take when we pair them with a healthy, digestion-promoting diet. In turn, as our bodies are able to absorb and utilize the supplements, the more benefits we will get from our healthy diets. In short, our diet and supplements go hand-in-hand. We will get optimal results from supplements if we support them with the right diet, which means they will work more efficiently to help us absorb nutrients and goodness from healthy food.

Q: If you could only take one supplement daily in your collection, which would it be?
Continuing the theme of looking at wellness holistically, I believe it is important to take my Solluna Feel Good SBO Probiotics, Digestive Enzymes and Detoxy together for the most benefits overall. However, if I had to choose just one daily supplement, it would be the amazing SBO Probiotics. This probiotic formulation is made with multi-strain soil borne organisms, which are the types of bacteria that our ancestors got from eating a small amount of soil on unwashed vegetables. Our body needs a balance and range of healthy bacteria to function optimally and prevent illness, and which is why supplementing with the right probiotics is so important!

SBO probiotics support digestion, boost energy and mood, improve skin and promote a stronger immune system because of the wide array of beneficial bacteria they provide. Unlike “regular”, dairy-based probiotics, SBOs are hardy enough to travel through the digestive tract to the lower intestine where they impact immunity, beauty and energy the most. My SBO probiotics are also vegan, gluten-free and an all around powerhouse supplement, which is why I reach for them daily!

Q: What supplements and foods do you recommend for people to stay healthy during the cold season and the covid epidemic?
There are so many wonderful foods that help to boost immunity, but some of my favorites are lemon, leafy greens, ginger, turmeric and Brazil nuts. Lemon is full of potent vitamin C and antioxidants, which are important for strengthening the immune system and for cellular regeneration. Dark, leafy greens like spinach, romaine and kale contain fiber, folate, iron, calcium and vitamin C, which help to regulate the immune system. My favorite way to get lots of lemon and greens daily is with my iconic Glowing Green Smoothie®, which is also hydrating and loaded with antioxidants and fiber to keep you healthy.

Ginger has immune boosting action—being a warming root—without causing irritation. This root promotes healthy sweat to boost the detoxification process, which can be very helpful during cold and flu season. Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory spice that has been shown to ward off colds and flu. Brazil nuts are a great source of zinc and selenium, which are two key essential minerals that help to fight infection, strengthen the immune system and boost energy levels.

When it comes to supplementation, we need to support our digestion and gut health which, in turn, support the immune system. In fact, 70-80% of the battle for our body’s health via the immune system occurs in the gut. This is why I highly recommend taking SBO probiotics, which help to boost immune cells within the lining of the gut, and balance out the bad bacteria that could lead to illness.

Digestive enzymes are also key for immunity, because they help to increase the body’s nutrient absorption, meaning that the immune-boosting foods I just mentioned have more impact! I also recommend taking Detoxy, a natural cleansing supplement, to support the body’s natural detoxification pathways for gut health and immunity. Detoxy uses small amounts of oxygen to break up acidic waste in the colon, to help maintain regularity and cleanse toxins that contribute to illness like colds and flu. Finally, supplementing with a high-quality, non-synthetic B12 vitamin is important for everyone, especially those on a plant-based diet, as a deficiency in this vitamin is common across the board. A vitamin B12 deficiency can suppress the immune system, increasing your likelihood of getting sick. Integrating some or all of these food and supplements will go a long way in showing your body love and keeping it healthy during this season!

Here are the products we tested:

Solluna Feel Good Digestive Enzymes help break down stubborn macronutrients in your food to boost immunity, health and wellness. Your body may have trouble reaping the benefits of the healthy food you eat because it lacks digestive enzymes for proper digestion.Adding this digestive enzyme supplement to your daily practice helps to ensure you will get the most out of every meal. The Digestive Enzymes will metabolize protein, carbs and fat more effectively, reduce gas and bloating, enhance your immune system.

Find more information at https://shop.mysolluna.com/collections/solluna-supplements/products/digestive-enzymes

The Solluna Feel Good Detoxy helps you eliminate built up toxins and waste in your digestive system as part of a fundamental aspect of anti-aging. Taking the supplement on a regular basis will energize you, help clear up you skin and bring more shine to your hair. Feel it at https://shop.mysolluna.com/products/detoxy

Solluna’s Feel Good Cleanser for your face is a PH-balanced, plant-based organic formula that provides cleansing from toxins and dirt without stripping the skin of its natural oils leaving your skin feeling fresh and hydrated. Paraben & phthalate free, gluten free, non-GMO, vegan, certified cruelty free and made in the USA, it is part of an anti-aging skincare routine to protect you from pollution and the sun. See the difference at https://shop.mysolluna.com/products/feel-good-cleanser.