OUR FOUNDER

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE ADVOCATE

1924

Ana María Lajusticia Bergasa was born in Bilbao on 26 July 1924, the daughter of Jesús Lajusticia Alonso and Delfina Bergasa Goyenechea. Among her childhood memories, she cherised those associated with traditional food and the use of both animal and vegetable ingredients that have vanished from today’s gastronomy. The traditional cultivation of vegetables, the extraction of collagen from meat joints and the extended cooking processes were everyday aspects she later sought to revive in a distinctive manner. Ana María Lajusticia described a happy childhood that was disrupted by the events of the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).

Following her father’s demise in 1937, she began experiencing nocturnal palpitations linked to the pressure to excel academically and contribute to the family’s finances, then overseen by a maternal uncle. At the age of 15, she relocated with her family to Madrid. She pursued her high school education, and influenced by her grandmother Felicidad Goyenechea Artaza, she joined the Faculty of Chemical Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid in the 1941–1942 academic year.

1937

1947

In 1947, she was among the few women who not only completed their degrees but did so with honours. She attributed her success to perseverance, discipline and curiosity. In 1947, at the young age of 24, she was appointed Head of the Laboratories at MINERSA, manufacturers of hydrochloric acid in Lejona (Vizcaya). In 1948, she undertook a training programme at the mines of Osor (Girona), overseeing the flotation extraction of fluorite.

As she mentioned on more than one occasion: ‘I spent 21 years with a corset of rods; I know what it is to be sick, I know what it is to be well’, she refering to the medical prescription she received in 1955 and faithfully followed until 1973. At the age of 43, she was diagnosed with type II diabetes that did not foreshadow the remarkable longevity she exhibited throughout out her life. Thanks to her background as a chemist, she conducted research until she pinpointed the issue: her diet lacked essential elements, was high in carbohydrates, and her breakfasts lacked proteins and foods rich in vitamin C.

1955

1976

Through a change in diet and a substantial increase in magnesium intake, her life took a turn. At 52, she ceased using a corset and had to confront the repercussions of the muscular atony that this artificial support had induced in her back. Her personal recovery, coupled with the first-hand realisation of the positive impact of a corrected and adjusted diet, transformed the Basque woman into a champion for the cause of magnesium and other elements that greatly benefit our health.

Ana María Lajusticia established her own brand of dietary supplements, featuring her name and image, with the aim of providing essential nutrients for healthcare and preservation to everyone. During her life, she has tirelessly devoted herself to sharing her extensive knowledge in dietetics and nutrition through various media, thereby contributing to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.

1980

SCHOLAR, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER

Ana María Lajusticia’s extensive theoretical and practical knowledge inspired her to write her first work, Balanced Nutrition in Modern Life, which enjoyed tremendous success. She authored twelve books, including notable titles such as Magnesium, the Key to Health, Osteoarthritis and Its Solution, Custom Diets, Adult Problems, Nutrition and Intellectual Performance and Cholesterol and Triglycerides.

Among her published works, her first book, Magnesium, the Key to Health, released in 1979, was a best-seller of its time, undergoing seven editions in the same year.

In 2000, she collaborated with the EDAF publishing house, producing her initial work with them, Overcoming Osteoporosis, followed by updated editions of her previous books with new studies and two additional unpublished works: The Answer Lies in Collagen in 2006 and Magnesium in Sports in 2014. The first two of her works, Magnesium, the Key to Health, and Osteoarthritis and Its Solution, have been translated into French, German, Dutch, Polish, Czech, English and Chinese. Moreover, in German, Custom Diets, Overcoming Osteoporosis, The Answer Lies in Collagen and Magnesium in Sports are also available.

As an entrepreneurial and energetic woman, she relocated to Barcelona in 1973 and established a herbalist business at Laforja 63. In 1980, she officially registered her own brand, Ana Maria Lajusticia®. Today, the family company, Distribuciones Feliu S.L., promotes and distributes her products, the formulation of wich she was personally involved in until the last years of her life.

Until the age of 97, she maintained an active disseminating social presence through social media, thanks to her collaborators, accumulating a community of over 700,000 followers on the brand’s YouTube channel. With weekly posts and health-related content, this channel, along with her lectures, workshops and interviews, served as Ana Maria Lajusticia’s means of staying connected with her devoted followers.

In 2022, at the age of 98, she decided to retire from the media but not from her activities. She passed the torch as the brand’s ambassador to her granddaughter, Lara Feliu.

Consequently, her team created a miniseries called Simplemente Ana María, featuring intimate interviews beetwen Lara Feliu and her grandmother, available on the brand’s YouTube channel.

Her legacy, driven by her tireless dedication and commitment to improving people’s quality of life, remains relevant after her passing on November 8, 2024.

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