It’s a gloomy morning as the sun takes a vacation As the rain slaps the floor your body coils for warmth But the alarm that you have been snoozing won’t give up As you try to make peace with your mind that won’t let you Do not sleep too long
Squeezing your eyelids open to let in as little light as possible you try to start the day Guess what!! The day began a while ago Millions of shillings have been made far long as you dared to warm your bed. Do not sleep too long
Serious clientele is long gone And your muscles will remain as lazy as you set the day But the bills will come Ready or not they won’t fail to come. Do not sleep too long
Too late it maybe for today but too early it is for tomorrow Bend you knees and say a prayer of thanksgiving And begin the day anyway….. Do not sleep too long
The gynecologist told me that my ovaries had developed numerous small collections of fluid (follicles) that failed to regularly release eggs
Said if I paid 100 dollars he would give a wonder regimen that would make the endless bloody bouts cease
I would comfortably count my safe days and know when exactly I would see the red moon reappear within 28 – 30 days
Said my head would not fly away in endless worry
The Nutritionist said all I had to do is make a change in my diet
Said if I could switch much of the red meat for green leafy vegetables and fruits, kicked out fats from my plate, this would improve my body’s use of insulin
My hormones would return in check within no time and I would have less wings to stick every month
The psychotherapist told me my heart was heavy
The trauma it carried from failed attempts in this journey was great
Invited me to her couch and we had endless talks about my past and how I felt in time
Promised me that all I needed to do was talk about and all would be okay
The pharmacist said Clomiphene, Letrozole, Glucophage, Gonadotropins
The doctor said fluvoxamine would mute the pain
The pain and shame said do not write this article
Everyone is so busy dealing with bigger issues to deal with your trivial issues
But the faith in a God bigger than me told me you can write this article
My hands trembled on the computer as I typed
The chandelier of my insecurities fell and cut deep through my soul
My eyeballs rolled and turned red as the veins in my head bulged to allow more blood flow
The tomorrow that has come and gone
And it has not gotten better
Much has been done but nothing has worked yet
But when I thought I hit bottom, it started hitting back
There is no bruise like the bruise of thinking this will be your story for-ever
But over the years I have learned to live with something many may never understand
Never even know it exists
I have learnt to believe in slimmest of hope
Learnt to be happy even when it does not seem worth it
Learnt to love and put myself aside for another
Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a part of my story but NOT my story
Maybe it happens for the lessons I may have never learnt if this was not part of my story.
If you are out there and you see no reason and lesson in what
you are going through, put that pain aside and search within you. That pain is
NOT your story but it is a part of your story.
Many times where I come from, we talk about mentor-ship mostly when we are in the job world but rarely at the time when we are shaping these careers. I am sure you are wondering where I am going with this, but stay with me here.
Here in Uganda our academic curriculum is painted with so many subjects that one as a student has to do whether they will use them in future or not. These subjects become less as one advances in their studies and by the time one is sitting their final examinations at college they have only about 4 subjects. To this day I have not put the knowledge of the 1900 Buganda Agreement I did in History or Pythagoras theorem to use but I had to do them at a point.
As we choose out the course to do at University, more than often does someone find a mentor to guide them on which course to do after all this directly determines the career path one takes on. At the end of the day you find frustrated engineers, doctors, teachers who either chose the profession because of peer pressure, parent’s choice and so many other factors you know that made you choose what you are doing that you do not enjoy. I was lucky to have a mentor at the time I was entering the university but never the less it was not a walk over especially because my choice did not match with that of my sponsor.
This is how I ended up being the nutritionist I am today, a profession I pride in.
Sitting across my mother who was not happy about the fact that I had chosen to do nutrition instead of medicine, I could not help to see the disappointment in her eyes. You see I have always loved science right from primary school and everyone around me knew how much I loved it and also performed at it. Each time we were asked about career choices in our play dates, I always said doctor because that is the only career I knew that was for people who loved and did sciences. While in college, I still did a science combination; Physics, Biology, Chemistry together with Food and Nutrition (PCB/FN). Draining is an understatement when it came to what this course was for me, so when I was done with my A’ level I needed to breathe. My results came back and my best done subjects were Biology as well as Food and Nutrition, followed by Chemistry and Physics. Unfortunately my points could not take me on government sponsorship for medicine although I could get in on private sponsorship.
Now remember me craving for a ‘breather’?, I was not mentally prepared for 5 years in medical school. This led me to seek out for a mentor to make the right university course as I applied. Mr Rwapwani Apuuli, a very educated man working in Environmental sciences in Mulago at that time is where I found myself. In company of a friend, I explained to him my love for science and health but also the fact that I was not mentally ready for 5 years in medical school. (I am yet to think critically whether it was the years or the course in itself).
He understood me and I remember him looking at me and saying, you do not have to only do medicine to be the health sector. At the end of the day we ended up choosing a Bachelors’ degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics that I applied for and was given in both Makerere University and Kyambogo University. (The reason I (we) chose Kyambogo over Makerere University will be a story for another day)
The only problem with the course I finally settled for in as much I appreciated and understood it is that my mother could not understand why anyone would choose not to do the most acclaimed career in the world. She saw ‘Dr Lutgard’ slip through her hands for a course that would only land her in kitchen (so at least she thought). Despite her constant persuade for me to change my mind, I did not barge and had made up my mind although she still had an upper hand since she would be the one sponsoring the course.
This ‘fight’ led us to a clan meeting for them to decide whether I would go through with the course or not. Tears were shed, tempers hit the roof but at the end of the day, it took a professor in Nutrition who was sitting at the UNICEF headquarters here in Kampala, George street to convince my mother that the career path I was taking was right. Having understood, she gladly funded my course and I did a course that I loved and appreciated and at the end of the day was able to graduate with a class honors degree.
Hadn’t it been for the career guidance I received, I would not be the nutritionist I am today. How many young people are out there doing something just for public acceptance or because it is the family career and you cannot be the one going the opposite direction. At the end of the day the recipients of the service are the ones to suffer.
Let us normalise mentorship right from when our children begin school. If only we could identify their strength and interests and bring them in spaces that will enhance this, we shall have better career choices made and a better world to live in at the end of the day.
We are in an era where anything and everything can get viral. The internet and social media has fueled this process and many will follow with out even giving it thought. Currently we have so many ladies jumping onto the Keto diet wagon with little or no knowledge about the science behind it. All one knows is it will be solution to weight loss. I will tell you something about this diet and hopefully this will help some one out there make an informed decision.
What is a Keto diet?
A ketogenic diet, normally shortened simply as keto diet is one that is comprised of high fat, adequate proteins and low carbohydrates, what many refer to as carbs. This diet is usually used as medicine for epileptic children although it has become popular for weight loss in these current times. This diet forces the body to burn fats as its primary source of energy rather than carbohydrates.
How a Keto diet works?
I will talk about the way it works first in its primary function which is as medicine in epileptic children.
The body’s primary source of energy from our diet is carbohydrates and this energy is in form of glucose. This glucose is transported around the body and is important in fueling brain function for every human being. So when the primary source is less in the the diet, the body looks for plan B. Through the liver, it converts the fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies are passed into the brain replacing the glucose as the source of energy. An elevated level of ketone bodies in the blood, a state called ketosis will eventually lower the frequency of the epileptic seizures.
Coming to weight loss, the same analogy is applied, the keto diet forces the body into using a different type of fuel. Instead of relying on the glucose from carbohydrates, it relies on ketone bodies that are produced from breaking down the fat by the liver. So as the body burns the fuel, your body is thought to shed off that excess fat.
Much as this may sound very obvious and a straight forward process, getting the liver to make ketone bodies is tricky:
It requires one to deprive yourself of carbohydrates, fewer than 20 to 50 grams of carbs per day (keep in mind that a medium-sized banana has about 27 grams of carbs).
It typically takes a few days to reach a state of ketosis.
Eating too much protein can interfere with ketosis.
What to eat while on a keto diet
Due to the fact that a keto diet has such a high fat requirement, you must eat fat at each meal. In a daily 2,000-calorie diet, it might look like 165 grams of fat, 40 grams of carbs, and 75 grams of protein.
Some healthy unsaturated fats are allowed on the keto diet like nuts, seeds, avocados and olive oil. But saturated fats from oils (palm, coconut), lard, butter, and cocoa butter are encouraged in high amounts.
Protein is part of the keto diet, lean protein foods as well as protein sources high in saturated fat like beef, pork, name it.
All fruits are rich in carbs therefore they are eaten in small portions. Vegetables are also rich in carbs therefore for this diet vegetables are restricted to leafy greens such as spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, dodo, bell peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, cucumber, celery, to mention but a few.
The risks
A ketogenic diet is very high in saturated fats which poses a very high risk for heart related diseases as there is a risk of high cholesterol in the blood.
I have heard of people who have fallen victim of scurvy. This is a deficiency of Vitamin C in the body. If you’re not eating a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and grains, you may be at risk for deficiencies in micronutrients, including selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins B and C. Nutrient deficiency is one the down sides of a keto diet.
Liver problems is another risk that can ensue. With so much fat to metabolize, the diet could make any existing liver conditions worse.
The kidneys help metabolize protein, and the keto diet may overload them resulting to kidney problems. (The current recommended intake for protein averages 46 grams per day for women, and 56 grams for men).
Keto diet is low in fibrous foods like grains and legumes resulting in constipation.
The brain requires sugar from healthy carbohydrates to function. A low-carb diets may cause confusion and irritability there by resulting to fuzzy thinking and mood swings
These risks are not meant to discourage you but rather to know what lays ahead of you, therefore make sure you work with a doctor and a registered dietitian before and as you attempt to use a ketogenic diet.
Before jumping on the Keto diet wagon, read and check with your doctor and dietitian.
It is not a good feeling having to use the bathroom every 30 minutes or less and your stomach making unpleasant churns and noises for God knows how long. This is the reality of food poisoning.
It was one lazy evening I decided to gift my body with one of my best dishes. A cheese dish. My love for cheese is on another random level; I will have no problem chewing to the firm fluffy but salty flakes of the cheese. So that day I settled for regular french fries and chicken wraps sprinkled with cheese served with a vegetable salad on the side. (Don’t judge me; it is far from a healthy dish of course but I often have those times.) I opted to choose the drink later which I ended up abandoning all together because of the satiety after the sumptuous meal. The wraps tasted like a homespun masterpiece. A wild array of textures coupled with the mind boggling collection of assorted flavors, the shattering airy crunch of the cheese sitting in the middle of the wrap sent my taste buds screaming for more. The crisp toasty brown fries sprinkled with the mint green parsley together with the unending conversations from an old friend made my evening more than what I had asked for. At that moment in time, my whole self was very thankful and could not even notice the time pass by. We even had time to have a late evening walk in the airy wind before we could both go our separate ways.
Shortly after I had reached home and taken a relaxing bath, I lay on the bed and my body decided to gang up on me. The only relaxing position to lie was down on my tummy. There was an enraged monster very active in my belly giving hard to take kicks, jumping up in all directions with no even timing and screaming to death once in a while. The pain was gruesome and as if that was not enough it made me a frequent bathroom resident for the night. Gosh!! it was very exhausting. Lucky by morning with the help of some medication it had quieted down and life was slowly coming back to normal. My physician said it was food poisoning and I didn’t know where to place the blame. Could it have been the glorious meal that had crowned the day or my earlier bites in the day. I couldn’t place a finger to any that moment in time.
So!! Food poisoning is a result of eating contaminated, spoiled or toxic food and usually manifests through nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms can appear between an hour (explains when mine appeared) to 28 days. And did I mention it can be life threatening as well? Oh yes!!! You can lose life to it especially when breathing is impaired. Anyone and everyone is at risk of coming down with food poisoning at least once in their lifetime. Believe you me, it could be your mother or your child or your bar man. Literally anyone; however some populations are at more risk than others.
If you are pregnant, you may need to be very keen as your body is coping with changes to your metabolism and circulatory system so you can fall prey in a blink of an eye. The elderly too owing to a declined immune system, the body may not quickly respond to infectious “monsters’ as well as children whose immune system is not as developed as that of the adults.
Under attack of food poisoning? Make drinks your best buddy. The body has lost or is losing bouts of water which need to be replaced the shortest of times. So fruit juice is perfect for this time as it restores lost water, replaces lost minerals and vitamins but most importantly deals with the fatigue. Running back and forth from the bathroom is itself very exhausting. Do not ignore plain water by the way. It is vital. You have to take leave from any kind of caffeine. Caffeine irritates the digestive tract and am sure you don’t want that. Decaffeinated teas with soothing herbs like peppermint, the famous ‘mujaaja’ will be your heaven at this moment in time as these calm an upset stomach.
It took me over 8 hours before I could dare eat food. No, it is not that I wasn’t hungry or the food wasn’t available, I just didn’t want to annoy the ‘monster’ again. Was not about to put up with another round. It was knock out time for me.
Nutritionists advise that it is best to gradually hold off on sold foods until vomiting and diarrhea have passed as you drink as much as you possibly can. Then ease back to your regular diet by eating simple to digest foods that are bland (boiled, or food with none or minimum oil and spices) like bananas, rice, bland potatoes, boiled or steamed vegetables, chicken or meat soup, diluted fruit juices, oat meal to mention but a few. Stay away from dairy products apart from low fat yogurt, highly spiced or seasoned food, fried food and food with too much sugar.
Lastly do your best not to fall in the trap cause food poisoning drains life from humanity. Practice safety precautions while handling food and eat from trusted places. And in case Mr. luck doesn’t smile to you that day, visit your physician and or do the above and spring back to life in no time.
