I’m visiting my family in South Africa and it’s been lovely catching up, laughing, hugging and eating some really good food! One night we had roast lamb, steamed Brussel’s sprouts and baby marrow (zucchini) and a delicious creamy cauliflower dish.
The other night we had a yummy Paleo-type pasta-free lasagna from the new Tim Noake’s book “The Real Meal Revolution.” I’ve also been eating lots of paw paw/papaya – my favorite fruit!
I even managed to fit in some work and loved having the opportunity to present at my sister’s Stroke Support Group. There is a big connection between stress/anxiety and heart disease/stroke.
We ended up having a healthy discussion about real food and how far off track we’ve gone:
- We fondly remembered having real full-fat milk being delivered to our doorstep – milk with thick cream on top!
- We also talked about buying good quality meat from a butcher we knew.
- Many of them remembered eating liver as kids and their moms cooking with lard!
- I remembered the vegetable/fruit truck driving around the neighborhood selling fresh produce
We need to get back to basics and eating like we ate as kids and how our grandparents ate.
I’ve been eating plenty of avocados, biltong/jerky, and butter, and drinking rooibos tea
There is a food revolution happening here in South Africa right now and it’s wonderful! Before I leave I promise I’ll share a recipe or two.
A food revolution indeed! Cheers to cooking like our grandparents used to and getting Food Education back in our schools! Thank you so much for your work, I am learning so much!! Xo
Yes to a food revolution and food education back in schools!
I’m not so sure about the beef jerky stuff but the rest of it sounds great! 🙂 So glad you are able to find loads of fresh, local food. I can’t believe the size of those avocados, either! Wow!
Trudy,
Thanks for sharing your trip! Great photos and memories. I’ll have to pass on the lamb though. 🙂
Write on!~
Lisa Manyon
The avocados look abundant Trudy! I’ve just returned from a trip to Bali and it was also full of magnificent mangoes, paw paw and pineapple – bliss!
Bliss is the word Heidi – sounds like a lovely trip!
Yum!! You’re making me hungry!!!
Sounds delicious and delightful! Glad you are enjoying time with your family.
Paw Paw and avocados all look amazing!
What a great trip you are having.
Hi Trudy, I have a odd question that I thought maybe you could offer some suggestions. I am an active 28 year old female but have had a chronic runny nose for the past 6 years. However, when I visited South Africa this spring, I did not have a runny nose at all.
Allergists of course cannot figure out why and say I am just stuck with it unless I take a steroid or other nasal sprays, which I am not willing to do. I have done an elimination diet for 8 weeks(no gluten, dairy, sugar, eggs, peanuts, soy, corn), changed all my bedding and purchased an air purifier for the home. No relief. Cold weather makes it worse (I live in Wisconsin) but I have the runny nose year round. I do not have any known allergies.
Do you have any suggestions of possible causes? Was hoping you maybe have some insights being from South Africa and since that was the only time I did not have symptoms. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I did not exclude anything from my diet when I was in SA, however, I ate more meat than I normally do. Maybe an amino acid deficiency?
Your approach to life that we should always feel our best and to not settle for less truly resonates with me. I do have a compromised digestive system right now (being treated for bacteria in the gut with essential oils) and am working on constipation, so maybe that is the reason for the runny nose. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to reach out to you. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Hi Sara
Time to move to South Africa! I’m kidding!
My first thought is that it’s something in your home that needs to be looked in to – and mold and fungus come to mind especially when you say it’s worse in the cold (and presumably more damp).
In this paper they mention airborne fungus
http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20041008/airborne-fungus-may-cause-chronic-stuffy-nose
and mold and mycotoxins
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24368325
Typically with mold and fungal exposure you’d have more symptoms than only a runny nose. I would go away for the weekend and see what happens – this could help narrow down if it is something in your home.
Trudy
Hi Trudy,
Thank you for your reply and the articles. I wish I could move to South Africa (or at least visit frequently)!
I too originally thought it was a mold/fungus related issue. Of course the 3 allergists and internal medicine doctors all concluded that was not the case and it was just vasomotor rhinitis with no known cause. I still have a hunch that mold or the like is an irritant for me. It doesn’t seem that food is the culprit.
As for your suggestion, I have gone away for weekends and also to Europe and still had the runny nose. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I did not have symptoms in South Africa (southern hemisphere miracle :)?).
When the symptoms started 6 years ago, my apartment was only 6 years old at that point, not that it can’t have water damage, mold, etc. As mentioned, the cold makes it worse, however, the winter air in Wisconsin is usually very dry.
Maybe visiting an ENT might shed some light on some tests to run about mold/fungus etc. I will make sure to reference the 2nd article you suggested. I am also starting to see a new functional medicine doctor, so I will have to ask her as well.
So many thoughts have gone through my mind as to what might be causing this strange issue and I keep running into dead ends. Some type of candida or yeast has been the other nagging thought, however, testing showed negative (but maybe it was a false negative). If I ever figure it out, I will be sure to let you know.
Sara – wow only South Africa! I’d try and think of what was there other than it being a vacation – maybe humidity/sea air if you were at the coast (you say it’s dry where you are).
Here is a good sinus resource for you http://www.sinussurvival.com/ which may not help if it truly was a South Africa thing (and not just chance). Dr Ikver’s book is fabulous.
Trudy
Thank you Trudy!
Looks tasty! I whole-heartedly agree with getting back to the basics when it comes to food. Nothing beats real food.