You could never accuse Lonneke Botello Hernandez of being idle.
In her 34 years, she has been a clinical nutritionist, personal trainer, sharemilker, resort manager and Miss Universe New Zealand contestant. She’s picked organic cherries in Italy and, for seven years, was a wellness director on luxury cruise liners, which saw her travel everywhere from the Caribbean to the Baltics.
Born in Waiuku, Lonneke currently lives in Mexico with her husband, Jose Asgard Hernandez, a doctor who specialises in aesthetic medicine. They met when they both worked on the same cruise ship, and today they run a beauty and anti-ageing clinic in the seaside town of Bucerías.
“Our motto is health and beauty from the inside out,” says Lonneke. “I look after a client’s insides, while Jose looks after the outside, with things such as Botox and fillers.”
The high-achiever recently ticked off another bucket-list item – writing a book. The Food Fountain Of Youth is based on Lonneke’s experience in the health and nutrition sector. It also goes into her passion for helping others.
“I want people to not just look and feel good about themselves, but also know how to care for their health and longevity,” she explains. “The best way of doing that is via what we eat.
“As a child, I had major health issues, including allergies and food intolerances to things such as dairy, eggs and wheat. But my mother was a medical herbalist. I learned from a young age how different foods made me feel and the effect they could have on my long-term health.”
After training as a clinical nutritionist in Auckland, Lonneke set up her own nutrition practice in Northland. While training as an ambulance driver, she saw an advert for a beauty pageant.
“I was 23 and thought it would be fun and a good way to educate other women about having a healthy body image, so I entered and came runner-up.”
That led to other pageants. But, when Lonneke was told she needed to lose 10kg to qualify for overseas competitions, she called time on competing.
“That went completely against my mission of spreading awareness of a healthy body image. I decided to retire the sash after that,” she tells.
Three months of backpacking through Europe fostered a love of travel. So, when a job on a cruise ship came up later, she jumped at it.
“I did seven seasons all up, spending the days running fitness classes and preparing nutrition plans for passengers.”
The global pandemic ended that career, but not before Lonneke was stuck at sea for a few weeks off the coast of the Bahamas when the ship she and Jose were on couldn’t dock.
“No country would let us in. I used that time at sea to study for another diploma in anti-ageing beauty nutrition.”
It sowed the seeds for what would become her first book.
“I started researching the subject and read more than 500 scientific research papers,” she recalls. “There are so many books out there about living longer. But for me, it’s about the quality of life. You can live for a long time but not be healthy.”
Lonneke’s book focuses on the top 30 beauty nutrients, such as amino acids and silicon, and features recipes rich in the good stuff.
“It’s believed that 80-90% of skin ageing is caused by diet and lifestyle, which means we have an 80-90% chance to positively affect this process.”
Although she’d never written a book, Lonneke had three offers from publishers in the US, the UK and New Zealand.
“I’m still a Kiwi and New Zealand will always be home, so I went with the NZ publisher,” she says. “And coming home in August for the book launch thrills me.”
With her glowing skin and glossy hair, Lonneke clearly walks the talk when it comes to her lifestyle choices.
“I eat a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, and eat meat in moderation. However, my diet focuses mainly on wholefoods with as little additives and preservatives as possible. But I do eat quite a few tacos because, as you’d expect, the tacos in Mexico are great!”
When it comes to working up a sweat, Lonneke mixes cardio and resistance. She visits the gym or hikes in the morning before it gets too hot.
The dynamo’s next book, also about nutrition, is currently taking up much of her time.
“There’s so much confusion out there. One day experts will say, ‘This food is good for you’, but the next week it isn’t. My passion is to get people excited about how food can make a difference to health, energy, beauty and mental health, one bite at a time.”
Follow Lonneke’s latest work on her Instagram page.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
