This, Instead of That

As Father time starts to impose himself and dish out age-old life lessons, I've started to struggle with issues that were never issues in the years prior. I've been forced to make adjustments to cope with the shocks of my relatively young but ageing body. Here's how I'm going about it:

Hangovers 🤢
Years, even months prior, I'd happily enjoy a drink 🥃 and wake up feeling brand new. That is no longer the case. A few drinks and my sleep is extended by several hours alongside a mind splitting headache. After recently being exposed to it, I've now decided to settle on non-alcoholic beer 🍺. It surprisingly tastes great, keeps my belly in check and enables social integration while simultaneously taking away all the not so sexy stuff about alcohol.

🛒Alcohol free beer is available in Shoprite and PicknPay.

Bathroom visits 💩
Timeline is hazy, but I do remember times when bathroom activity was routine, and the job got done with minimum fuss. That is no longer the case, even with the consistent addition of muesli, yoghurt and psyllium husk into my diet. I'd go, but not as frequently as I'd like, and usually there would be a pile up or runny tummy. I've made one subtle tweak and it's mended my relationship with the toilet. While still consuming muesli with yoghurt, I'd get psyllium husk in its powder form, grab a teaspoon of it and mix it in 500-750ml of water and shake vigorously before downing it all. The optimal pooping frequency is 1-2 times per day, assuming each session is proper offloading of cargo. If this doesn't sound like you then you might need help with clearing the backlog.

​🛒 Psyllium husk in powder form is available at the Good Food Shop and Umoyo.

Gas 💨
I used to love beans 🫘! I still do. Just not enough to bear the consequences of consuming them. I recently learned that many commercial outlets weave in soda to the preparation of beans to shorten the cooking time 🤯! Explains the bubbles 🫧. Cook your own beans if you can't do without them for quality control and a less brutal impact. Chilli 🌶️ products create similar levels of discomfort for those whose stomachs like mine are suddenly rebelling! If you can't do without them then ramp up your water intake to help dilute the acids in your stomach. Wisdom also dictates that you steer clear of carbonated drinks and milk 🥛 if you can't handle it. Non-carbonated drinks and almond milk might handle you better.

🛒 When all else fails then over-the-counter antacids can help neutralize stomach acid for those known to struggle with it. This is a temporary fix.

Sweetness 🍡
Sugar and honey 🍯 are the go-to products when one wants to sweeten things up. But over-indulgence in either quickly starts to show on your face with acne, your teeth with cavities and your belly with excess calories. Stevia, an artificial sweetener can be a decent substitute for your cereal, your tea and anything else you need sweetened. For compulsive juice drinkers, you might want to explore alternative drinks that serve less than 10g or less of sugar per total serving. READ the label, and try to be adventurous as you aim to satisfy your sweet tooth.

​🛒 Stevia, and other similar sweeteners are available at the Good Food Shop and Umoyo.

Mental Lapses
Suddenly feeling forgetful? Maybe you can't find your keys or the mental note you had made for something that needed to get done inexplicably erases itself? I take my father's approach to all such matters. Something comes up? Deal with it immediately. Memory will betray you if you place too much trust in it. Another supplementary approach to this is the 2 min rule. If something comes up and it will take 2 minutes to resolve, DEAL. An email 📧, messy in-person situation🗣️, phone conversation 🤳🏿, text message 📲, dishes 🍛 - anything. Address it. More than 2 minutes? Write it down for action later.