August Review

image via www.garancedore.fr/en

I've never been one to set goals or intentions for the year, week, month etc. I am strong beliver in going with the flow and taking each day and opportunity as it comes along, because thats when the real magic happens, but lately I have been setting little goals for myself, things I want t accomplish in the week/month/year etc. Things big and small but things that in the end make me happy. For starters, I am a huge believer in hard work, but since coming back from our trip (stories to come soon I promise) I have been not so well, low on energy and just tired mentally and physically, hence I thought it a good time to start setting myself goals, things I want to do and accomplish to help me get to the next day/week/month/year/ten years etc. and things which will hopefully give me more focus, intention and a reason to crawl out of bed as the temperature drops and we reach the final stretch of the year. For August my intentions are as clear as day, I have some business ventures up my sleeve, some things I want to try and some things I want to stop doing, so what are these grande (and not so grande) intentions for the month? Well here is what I want to achieve for the month of August.

1. Start production on Rebranding HIV merchandise (this is something I have wanted to do for some time now and the timing couldn't feel more right). If things go as planned, I will have the prototypes by September 1st (anniversary of my diagnosis, pretty symbolic no?)

2. Get going on O.A.K. (a new business venture the boyfriend and I are working on)

3. Write the first chapter of my new memoir....

4. Start working out again (healthy mind, healthy body right?)

5. Dance more (something I used to do a lot of but with work loads, family, friends, boyfriends etc, I have forgotten how to have fun by myself)

Whats on your August list?

Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink...

OK, maybe not the most appropriate blog title of all times but it sounds good no? Anyways the point of today is for us to talk about water. Yes water. That natural goodness that can do wonders for you and yours. I will be the first to admit to hating water when I was younger, I mean fully fledged hate bomb for real. Like most youth, i preferred the taste of oros (yes guys Oros, probably one of my favorite childhood drinks and one of the worst for you with all that sugar) but no less I passed that phase. Somewhere between being diagnosed HIV positive to growing up, I started to love water, no I mean really love, almost as much as I love food. Driven partly by the fact that I now know the benefits of water.

I mean sure, I do still drink appletizer/grapetizer (the only fizzy drinks I allow myself) but when it comes to non alcoholic beverages, water takes the cake...or is it cup? Anywho...One of the other reasons I love water so much is because in the past few years I have developed insanely dry skin, I mean flake and peel type situation and so for me water is the best way to counteract my dry skin from the inside out. Nowadays I can be found with a 1 liter console jar full of water on my desk or where ever I am working. Whilst I aim for 2 liters a day (which is two jars full) sometimes I tend to fall short but never less than a liter a day, which proves to still be enough seeing as so many foods we eat have water in them so I am sure I get my 2 liters a day.  Either way water is my new best friend and does wonders for my skin, digestive system, and overall health. When you're living with HIV its important to do the little things to keep you healthy and water certainly helps, especially as I am known to get tired often (sometimes a nap is needed) but most times a jug of water does the trick in waking me up, especially on days when I can't afford a nap. It also does the trick of keeping those extra kilo's off from drinking too much juice, especially with some ARVs which can cause fat build up in the mid section, but whether HIV positive or not, water is always a great choice. So drink up and thank me later.

The princess and the pee

image via google.com

When it comes to bathroom etiquette, I am the first to shun those who speak about their bowl movements like its a breaking news announcement, yes, I know #judgmentalmidget. Bring sex into it and its like I can't stop myself from blurting out the first thing that's on my mind. Anyways that's for another day. What I really wanted to talk about was your pee, yes you giving me the side eyes. The thing is, no one likes to talk about their bathroom habits, and I am certainly one of those people, but this is a free space and even pseudo princess like myself have to touch on issues like pee.

So the thing is, for a long time I was always so shy about using public/friends/family friends, basically anyone who wasn't my mom's bathroom. Until of course several bladder infections and a talking to from the Dr who told me to "let it go, let it goooo" ha ha, see what I did there (no wonder Frozen is a cultural phenomenon, there's a princess talking about peeing, ha ha, ok ok back to the task at hand). Anyways since then, when I need to go to the bathroom, I go, especially since I've accepted in my older age that its normal and nothing to be embarrassed about. So what should you know about peeing? Well here are the top 3 things to know about your pee from one of my favorite health bloggers Hannah

Color: There are tons of factors that determine urine color, the simplest of which is whether or not you’re well hydrated. If you’re not drinking enough water your pee will be a shade of deep amber or honey, and if you are getting the proper amount of fluids it’ll be closer to clear. Simply put, the darker your pee, the more water you need to drink throughout the day. Also, taking certain vitamins and medications or eating densely-colored veggies like beets can change the color from yellow to pink or even light blue, so don’t be alarmed if that’s the case!

Smell: Your pee shouldn’t typically have a strong smell, but if it does the cause could be as simple as one of your last meals containing asparagus, which breaks down into sulfuric-scented compounds within just 30 minutes of ingestion. If you haven’t noshed on this green vegetable recently but you notice a distinct, ammonia-like smell it could be due to a urinary tract infection, dehydration or certain medications. These conditions can seriously affect your health so it’s important that you notify your doctor if you catch a whiff of something funky in your pee that’s not asparagus related.

pH Balance: Another way pee is an excellent indicator of overall health is through its pH levels, which can be easily tested with an at-home urine analysis kit. The test determines the body’s alkalinity or acidity, or its pH balance, and the goal is to hover between a neutral pH level of 7.0 and 7.45. So the lower the number, the more acidic your pH and the higher the number, the more alkaline your pH. Most people wind up on the acidic side because of poor eating habits or stress, but finding the perfect pH balance is as easy as adding more alkalizing foods to your diet like green vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds.

We are what we eat....

Inspired by one of my personal favorite bloggers Garance Dore, I thought we might start off with the most obvious, FOOOOOOOD. Partly because I love food but also because I think its important to have some frank discussions about what we put into our bodies and why. Over the years I've felt my eating habits change and with that my perspective on food and my body have changed too. I am in no way an advocate for diets of any kind but I am pro healthy eating. And before you argue that eating well costs too much, consider this: currently at home fruit and veg for a week for 3 cost about R200.00..Yes just R200.00. That is supplemented by a heavy dose of chicken (about 4 times a week), red meat (once a week) and eggs.

Here are my answers to questions I think we should all be asking ourselves....

What do you eat on an average day?
Breakfast: I like to alternate my breakfasts, mainly because if I ate the same thing over and over again I think I might just cry...no seriously. Usually my weekday menu looks a little something like this; muesli, fresh fruit, yoghurt and honey twice a week, pancakes once a week and some variation of an egg dish twice a week which can be anything from scrambled eggs, creamy mushrooms, rosa tomatoes and toast or an omelet. On weekends I usually go with the flow, I wake up later than usual so it mostly turns out to be some sort of brunch. My boyfriend is obsessed with my creamy scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta, with creme fraiche and smoked trout drizzled with some lemon juice and some rosa tomato's and fresh herbs on the side so I try to make that on weekends for brunch.

Lunch: As I work from home, lunch is usually last nights left overs, if not something from the cafe down the road from my house. i am not a huge salad alone girl so I cant say I have much of it on its own, usually it has to have something else to grab my attention.

Dinner: Dinner is usually when I cook for my boyfriend and our friend who lives with us. cooking for two men is no small feat. They are both extremely picky and love food so I always have to bring my A game. Mondays however I put my foot down and force them to eat meat free meals. From creamy cheese spinach pasta to salmon. And the rest of the time I make some variation of chicken. I love making my famous butter chicken curry and creamy mushroom chicken with rice. I dont like red meat too much so we only eat it about once a week. And of course most meals are accompanied by wine, glorious wine.

Snacks: I love snacking but I don't like chocolate, weird I know. So snacks for me are usually protein like eggs with a slice of toast or fruit.

Do you have a food philosophy?
I don't know if its a philosophy so much as it is a lifestyle choice. Since being diagnosed I have tried many things to keep healthy. The great thing is that it wasn't much of a change from my normal diet it just meant being more aware of what I eat. I love food so I cant claim to follow any sort of diet or eating plan, even the paleo plan seems cruel to me and you can eat good food on that. I just eat what ever I want with a huge dose of fruit and veg. And since discovering green juices when my mom made them for me when I was very sick I love to have them a few times a week.


How is this different to the food philosophy of your parents?
My adoptive mother has always been so great about healthy living and eating. So with her everything had veg and fruit. I mean she started me on juicing when I was very sick when I was first diagnosed before juicing ever became cool. So I follow that way of eating which is everything in moderation and with lots of veg and fruit. My biological mother had a different food philosophy though. I guess she knew a little less about nutrients so my diet back then was very much maize and meat. I did however get my love for cooking from my biological mother Paulina who was a great cook. She made a lasagna to die for and always made the best meals. The funny thing is though that when I was about 4 my biological mom met my now adoptive mother and my adoptive mother asked her about my red hair. I had like red red hair. It was kind of funny. My mom thought because I ate three meals a day that was fine but my adoptive mom Deseree told her that she needed to incorporate more fruit and veg into my diet. I guess that's how the journey of all of us began, with my red hair.

How do you fit food into your lifestyle?
For me food is an important part of my life, I mean its how we fuel our bodies so for me food is important part of my lifestyle. My favorite weekly trip is to the Carriera food market in randburg to do the weekly shop. Nothing makes me happier than finding great in season fruit and veg. Eating and cooking is a way I communicate with the world, how I say "i love you" and how I cure most of my ailments.


Do you eat at your desk ? Do you check your phone while eating ? Or do you always have company ?
Sadly working from home 75% of the time means I often eat at my desk. I check my phone and computer all at once and I know its terrible but it comes with working from home but every now and then I'll stop and enjoy my food. Dinner is ALWAYS an event though so I try not feel so bad about lunch at my desk. 

When your jeans get too tight, what’s your solution?
Try to cut down on carbs or switch my jeans for a skirt or dress, ha ha. Seriously I mean there are other more accommodating clothing items that don't include jeans.

Do you exercise ?
What either than sex? ha ha. Yeah I try to. My boyfriend and I are currently going to gym 3 times a week which is great, but lets see how long that lasts, he he.

The one food you can’t resist.
There are so many. I mean ribs, mango, french fries....the list goes on.

Any book you’ve read / documentary you’ve watched that changed your point of view on food?
Not really. And I once attended a vegan convention and watched some horrific stuff. I'm not into scare tactics. I think we should eat what we want but be conscious etc. I think showing people these really gross/scary videos isn't helping.

Anything you’ve learned about eating well ?
Portion control. There is a fine line between eating for fuel and eating out of greed. Eat until you are full. 

How do you feel about your body?
It changes. I mean I love my ass, back and legs no matter what size, the rest I struggle with. I think it depends on the day, but mostly I am happy with it. Its my body after all and as my mom always says its the only one I have. It will always be a work in progress but that's ok.

Any strange food/eating habits? 
Not really. I think the strangest thing is just how much I love food. Its a pretty intense love affair, sometimes when the food is really really good I even do a food dance...like I said, intense.