Editor's Note

LAST month, I successfully summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, what a beautiful experience. Life-changing and extremely challenging, yet rewarding.

It took us five days to successfully summit the highest peak in Africa. We walked between six to seven hours each day to get to our next overnight base camp and closer to the peak.

It was not a difficult hike physically, apart from the high altitude. But it took energy to tackle each day, so our diet was key in helping us perform at our best.

Our daily food intake was very high in carbs, good fats, and protein. Most of these were found in indigenous and organic products that the local chef brought to the mountain.

Most meals included yams commonly known as Amadumbe or “potato of the tropics” (Colocasia esculenta) in South Africa. These became one of our biggest sources of protein throughout the hike. As hard as it was to have this for breakfast, we knew we had to. We alternated between two types: a red one and a white one, which was quite similar to Amadumbe. We also ate ugali, a type of maize flour porridge. It was made softer to add to oats every day: I’m not a breakfast person but I’m grateful for that. It fueled me the whole day and kept me fuller for longer, I hardly snacked throughout the day.

While our diet was very high in carbs and protein, I came back with some kg’s off. The biggest lesson I learned was the importance of adding indigenous plants and having less processed meat in our diet.

In fact, it reminded me of the diet I used to follow when I visited my granny. The results of such were evident in my skin, hair and I was strong enough to walk for hours without being exhausted.

As we celebrate Heritage month, this issue is here to make sure you choose the healthy route in celebrating this month and help you understand our indigenous vegetables and the health benefits that come from adding this to your lifestyle.

We also look to heritage-friendly activities that are healthy and fun heritage exercises that will guarantee fun and new dance skills.

No matter what heritage month means to you, remember that choosing a lifestyle that is healthy may be the best thing for your family and your loved ones.

Viwe