Thanks to the infamous “freshman 15” and living away from home for the first time, college can be a hard place to eat healthy and stay fit. But that’s not the case for 18-year-old food and wellness blogger Kira Bernhard, and her accomplishments in the health and wellness world are a solid source of fitness inspo. Kira’s relationship with food and fitness has never been perfect. During her sophomore year of high school, her eating and exercise tendencies slowly morphed into obsessions. By the time she started visiting the United States (from Thailand, where she grew up) for college visits, her fixations on food had turned into orthorexia—an obsession with healthy eating. Her parents got her the help she needed, and thankfully, she took it, knowing she needed guidance to get back on track toward a healthy body and mind. But she never cowered in the face of her struggles. In fact, the loneliness of her experience is what inspired her to turn her hobby of healthy food blogging into a supportive community for people in the same boat. “Being able to connect with people became my mission. I want to make people feel like they are not alone,” she said during an interview for Brains Behind the Brand podcast. Kira recently moved to Florida from Thailand to study biochemistry, and she’s currently doing an internship in Boston. On Instagram, she shared that the transition to the United States was a tough one filled with culture shock, loss of confidence, and loneliness. And with all of her family back home in Bangkok, Kira definitely feels homesick. But she battles that loneliness with the comfort she gets from her followers and the community that she has built: “It’s honestly hard to see everyone with their families and know that I can’t be with mine, but they and this community make me feel loved on the daily … so I’m focusing on that to make today positive,” she said in a post in April. Kira’s social accounts are filled with beautiful photos of the delicious meals she’s made and those she’s discovered while exploring new cafes in new cities. (Not all of her meals are green, though—she makes sure to balance the savory with the sweet!) Plus, each post is accompanied by uplifting advice and tidbits about her day, giving us all the feeling that we’re a lot more similar to this healthy food guru than we’d initially think. In addition to sharing posts with the 18,000 followers she’s amassed on Instagram, Kira also turns to her blog, Spoonful Delight, to share more in-depth stories, advice, tips, and recipes that just don’t fit on the ’gram. Almost every one of her posts captures the joy Kira finds in her passion for food. Her words, perfect usage of emojis , and her ear-to-ear grin in her selfies all underscore the love she has for what she does. It’s truly inspiring to see that kind of fire in someone so young. Keep that fire burning, Kira—not only for us, but for yourself as well. We can’t wait to see where you go in life. 
A Day in the Life
What does your daily routine look like?
My routine changes with the season, so I’ll share my current daily routine as an intern who works remotely on most days of the week. My mornings start off by waking up and downing a warm glass of water. Then I check any notifications on my phone before heading to a workout. As I’m interning in a new city, Boston, I’ve been finding free classes to join for workouts—HIIT, yoga, barre, boxing—or I’ll go to one of Boston’s many scenic running routes. I follow up my workouts with my favorite breakfast, CCE—collagen, cauliflower, egg white—oats, and then start my work for two hours. Lunch is either something homemade, or I like to scout healthy restaurants in Boston. Afternoons vary, but I’ve been enjoying walking around Boston and seeing what the city has to offer. I then come home for dinner before another two hours of work. Once that’s done, I wind down by getting my stuff ready for the next day, and then I head to bed.
What are your favorite ways to practice self-care?
I practice self-care in the simplest ways: reading, unplugging from social media, sleeping, and taking walks. If I were back home in Thailand, getting a massage would’ve definitely been in the mix! Self-care really doesn’t have to be as expensive, complicated, or fancy as it can come across.
How do you stay inspired?
I stay inspired by traveling. I believe that the more you see the world, the more you experience, and the more ideas you get. 
Loving Lately…
What are the best products you’ve discovered recently?
Montezuma’s 100% Cocoa Solids Dark Chocolate Absolute Black with Cocoa Nibs, Qrunch Organics’ Quinoa Burgers
What are your favorite apps?
Reminders, Maps, Google Calendar, Snapseed
Whose Instagram is on your radar?
Alexis Joseph (@hummusapien)! Everything from food, lifestyle, business, to fashion!
What’s your go-to healthy snack?
Lightly salted brown rice cakes with avocado, egg, alfalfa sprouts, and Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning. 
Kira IRL
What is your bucket list travel destination?
Australia, Greece, Spain, France, Hawaii, (back to) Bali, (back to) Italy, (back to) Japan
What superpower would you like to have?
I’d want to be able to stop and fast forward time, so I can have more hours in a day and get through any dreaded ones.
Would you rather explore space or the ocean? Why?
The ocean. I would feel too lonely being alone in empty space with not much to look at, and I’d feel cramped and restricted in an astronaut suit.
What’s your coffee order?
I don’t drink coffee, but I like matcha! Although I usually get plain, hot matcha, I’ve been loving iced matcha lattes with oat or coconut milk from Cha Cha Matcha in NYC! 
To become a part of Kira’s loving community, check out her Instagram and Spoonful Delight.
