The goodies are coming, the goodies are coming!

Yes, holiday season is around the corner. But no matter if the season is before you, if you are smack in the middle of it, or trying to recover from the seasonal blitz, there will always be tempting treats calling your name. Leftover Halloween candy will fill bowls and candy dishes until they are immediately replaced with the next traditional favorite. And don’t think you are safe after the first of the year. Cupid will be waiting with his sharp little chocolate arrow! Then there is that silly rabbit. And, what about the 3:00 pick-me-up you need everyday? Will it ever end? What can be done to prevent the extra sugar and fat from sneaking into your day-to-day diet?

Numerous studies performed by food psychologist Brian Wansink, Ph.D, confirm that “out of sight is out of mind”. Temptation is hard to fight, and readily available goodies are just that – a temptation that is often too hard to resist! In one study, secretaries were provided chocolate candy. Once group had chocolate in clear containers on their desk, while another group had chocolate in opaque containers on their desk. The results? The secretaries ate twice as many candies from the clear containers on their desk as from the opaque containers. On top of that, when the candy was hidden or further away, the secretaries were twice as likely to say they forgot about the candy all together.

So, what is the good news in all of this? Keep high-calorie, unhealthy treats out of sight! This will help limit visions of sugar plums from dancing in your head (and eventually on your hips). You may even consider a reverse trick. Try keeping healthy foods “in sight and on your mind”! By keeping grapes or baby carrots readily available and easily accessible, you may be more likely to satisfy your snacking habit with healthy options. Not only will this help you fit more fruits and veggies into your day, it may also assist you in replacing unnecessary “empty calories” nutrient-rich, reduced-calorie snacks.

By: Mandy Conrad

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The highlight of South African living is the breakfast, desserts, snacks and drinks. Easy to please anyone. Breakfast varies between “mieliepap” and “beskuit”. “Mieliepap” is the same consistency as polenta and served with a teaspoon of sugar, butter and milk. A great creamy and healthy breakfast to see you through the morning hours. “Beskuit” is rusks, dough baked in the oven, broken apart and then places back in the oven to dry out. The perfect breakfast, specially for those living on farms, is home made rusks, dunked into your morning coffee. If you are more of a tea lover, try the great local herbal tea called “rooibos”

During the morning you can chew on some “biltong” which is salty dried meat or “droëwors”, which is dried sausage. You can not watch any rugby or cricket match without this salty snack. By now it is time for more coffee served with banana, ginger of mealie bread, smeared with butter. Mealie bread is a sweet bread, baked with sweet corn. You will probably wonder why we have such an obsession with mealies? Well, mealies basically are Africa’s staple food. We use it to make breakfast, bread, crisps (or chips) and many more.

After you finish this, it is time for your main meal of the day. And then the BEST course arrives, the dessert. Most puddings are baked pies served with custard and ice cream or a special sauce. Malva pudding is one of the old time favourites, a great, sweet tasting spongy apricot dessert with a lovely sweet sauce. Cottage pudding is a type of cake pudding served with a special white wine sauce.

If you prefer a colder dessert, this is the place to be. Enjoy a fresh fruit salad with ice cream, made from local seasonal fruit. The most famous fruits are grapes, apples, naartjies (a type of tangerine), peaches, apricots, mangoes, melons and many more. There is nothing more refreshing than a fresh fruit salad. If you like ice cream, there are special treats in store for you as well. Try the watermelon or papaya flavoured ice cream in a cone or on its own.

As a special treat, why not try a Dom Pedro? This is ice cream with a little drop of milk and a shot of your favourite whiskey of liqueur. Try Amarula liqueur, made from the potent marula fruit or van der Hum liqueur, made from fresh naartjies. This is a treat you should not pass on.

Later the afternoon you can enjoy some “koeksisters”, a very sweet delicacy. Afrikaans “koeksisters” are twisted pastries, deep fried and then sweetened with a very sweet sauce. Another favourite of mine is “ystervarkies”, a sponge cake, dunked in a home made chocolate sauce, rolled in coconut! Doesn’t that just sound magnificent?

If you prefer something less sweet, try the “melktert” (milk tart). This is a milk-based tart, absolutely gorgeous if you eat it warm, just as it is made. If you want something savoury, try the “souttert” (savoury tart) consisting mostly of vienna sausages, cheese, onions, herbs and egg.

For the evening you can enjoy one the best known foods, “vetkoek”. This is a treat. You can enjoy “vetkoek” in three ways. Dunk it in your tea, butter with syrup and cheese or stuffed with curry mince. No matter which one you choose, you will not be disappointed. If you are looking for something smaller, try the “plaatkoekies” (almost like crumpets) served with marmite or syrup or maybe try some pancakes with cinnamon sugar?

During the day you will never go thirsty. If you like warm drinks, there are the many varieties of strong coffees, regular tea, “rooibos” tea, hot chocolate and my favourite, milo. This is a great drink filled with vitamins and minerals, made with warm or cold milk. If you prefer cold drinks, try the various ice teas and fruit juices. Guava, orange, grinadella, fruit cocktail, grape, peach, pear, apple, apricot and mango are only a few choices you have in fruit juices. Guava and mango must be two of the most loved choices.

If you are looking for a bottle of wine to accompany you meals, there are hundreds of local Cape wines to choose from. You will be spoilt for choice. Make sure you try as much as you can and enjoy the hospitality while you are visiting the rainbow country, South Africa.

These are only a few of the great traditional South African recipes you can try. You will need a long time to try them all. Enjoy!

By: Lizel Salter

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Food intolerances or sensitivities are a problem for a lot of people. Unlike allergies, you can grow into and out of food intolerances. Food intolerance symptoms are not caused by the immune system as are allergic reactions. They are usually milder and are the body’s reaction to foods that you cannot break down and digest properly. These effects are sometimes felt as headaches, general irritation, loss of sleep, and an upset stomach. Food intolerance is a very annoying experience for you.

Allergies on the other hand, are caused by the body’s immune system reacting to a normal substance by producing excess antigens. These antigens can cause severe pathologic reactions and symptoms. A food allergy occurs when you come in contact to a particular food that you are sensitive to with an almost immediate and severe allergic reaction as a consequence. Food intolerance symptoms take longer to develop and may not occur for hours or even days after contact with the food in question.

Symptoms of food intolerance and allergies can take a bewildering variety of forms. They often include swelling of the lips, throat, and other areas. Skin rashes can result from a food intolerance as well as breathing difficulties. Digestive distress such as vomiting, pain, and diarrhea are also common to people suffering with food intolerances. Symptoms of a food allergy vary greatly and are often mistaken for a food allergy.

Food intolerance symptoms rarely occur right after eating the food but usually take hours or even days to become apparent. This makes the offending food sometimes very difficult to determine. Unlike allergies, which seem to stay with you for life, food intolerances are quickly cured by removing the particular food that caused the problem from you diet.

Only by removing the food item from your diet can you be sure of reducing and eliminating your food intolerance problem. The common test is a form of an elimination diet carried out under a doctor’s supervision. This will enable your doctor to find and eliminate the problem food. By making small changes to your diet, sometimes wonder results occur. Many people have experienced relief from a whole range of chronic and unexplained health problems by dealing with a food intolerance problem.

By: Lee S Mcpherron

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