Help with food - I can't eat healthy!

mfanyafujo

I live in Tanzania. I don't have electricity, and my food options are very limited. Basically, I eat a lot of beans and rice. The only flour available is white flour. If I go to the market, there are lots of potatoes, onions, and tomatoes. Occasionally there is a green vegetable (like leaves) or some pathetic little fruit.

I asked about this earlier, and got good advice, such as buy canned foods in town. Well, in town, the canned vegetables are: sweet corn, beans, and peas. I also picked up some canned fruit (lots of sugar added) and I also have a lot of dried fruit. Also, there's occasionally some wild spinach in my yard.

So as you can see, my food options are incredibly limited. Basically, every day, I have to eat high-calorie, high-carb foods. I'm really not into making an entire meals of dried fruits, but that's what I'll do if I have to. Anyway, I'm just looking for some advice - I really do want to lose fat while I'm here, but the food is holding me back. I already do a lot of strength training, but not very much cardio. I feel like if I reduce the amount I eat, I'll just get hungry.

So, help? Do I just eat less? Get more canned goods? Exercise a heck of a lot more? Eat tomatoes? Thanks.

sluedu09

How long are you there for? I'd say do the best with what you've got. Then exercise every day. And you really need to add cardio in there.

LizKurz

Ok, since Tanzania has a tropical climate, are you in the rainy or the dry season?

Do you have a small patch of land you could plant or do container gardening? I know its not an immediate fix, but I have left over seeds I would be happy to send you.

doubglass

Get some seeds for greens. Plant them in pots. Hey beans and rice are pretty healthy. Don't they eat a lot of maize and sorghum in Tanzania?

mfanyafujo

How long are you there for? I'd say do the best with what you've got. Then exercise every day. And you really need to add cardio in there.

Two years total, but I've already been here quite a while. Another 7 months or so. I know I need more cardio! But it's just so hot!!!

Ok, since Tanzania has a tropical climate, are you in the rainy or the dry season?

Do you have a small patch of land you could plant or do container gardening? I know its not an immediate fix, but I have left over seeds I would be happy to send you.

Rainy season, definitely rainy! I do some planting (mostly corn, actually). I've tried other things, but my squash failed to produce and the carrots did absolutely nothing. The problem is that we have sand, not soil. I'm not really eager to do a major composting/fertilizer project, but... I dunno.

Thanks for the seeds offer. I do have some already. I'm only here a short while longer though, so I may just rough it out.

Get some seeds for greens. Plant them in pots. Hey beans and rice are pretty healthy. Don't they eat a lot of maize and sorghum in Tanzania?

I eat leaves sometimes... the other seeds just kind of fail. Beans and rice is pretty good, especially for protein, but it gets repetitive... People eat ugali here, which is a paste made from corn flour. It tastes like nothing but has a ton of calories. I don't really care for it, but I do eat boiled corn in the right season. There's also a lot of cassava, but the only way it tastes good is fried.


Well, thanks all for your input - I think I may try my hand at gardening again and definitely get more cardio.

EmmaM2211

My advice is you're in an amazing part of the world so enjoy it!

Do the best you can with what you've got for the time you have left out there but dont stress about dieting so much you miss out on the experience which you might regret later in life :-D

Good luck if you decide to try some gardening too! I love homegrown veg - it always seems to taste better to me xxx

catattack13

do what you can. ask Tanzanians. enjoy your time there and don't worry about what you can't help for now.

mfanyafujo

My advice is you're in an amazing part of the world so enjoy it!

Do the best you can with what you've got for the time you have left out there but dont stress about dieting so much you miss out on the experience which you might regret later in life :-D

Good luck if you decide to try some gardening too! I love homegrown veg - it always seems to taste better to me xxx

do what you can. ask Tanzanians. enjoy your time there and don't worry about what you can't help for now.

I'm definitely having an awesome time here! Words can't describe. I do want to be healthier, but eating like the locals has caused me to gain weight. I know I can always lose it when I get back home, but I feel so motivated to do it now!

I guess, in the end, this experience is worth a few extra pounds. And who knows, if I can figure out how to lose weight here, it should be a breeze back in the States.

dvisser1

What part of Tanzania are you in? In 2008 I took a vacation to climb Mt Meru, Kilimanjaro and safari on the Serengeti and Ngorogoro crater. When in town we stayed in Arusha. It was in September, the end of the dry season on that high, arid plain. I was told the Zanzibar region near the coast was much more tropical, but I didn't have time to go visit there. Most of the food you mention is what I remember. A lot of beans, rice, bananas, cassava, with either chicken or beef for protein. The ugali was fairly decent the one time I had it. It was served with a green banana and chicken stew and the ugali really just absorbed the taste of the stew. We had fresh fruit regularly, mostly bananas and citrus fruits, but that may have been available because we were tourists. Not sure. I don't remember much of green leaf vegetables at all, even in the road side markets we stopped in. I think you're kind of stuck with what you can grow for leaf vegetables, but you might find some depending on time of year.

I would say early morning or late evening are your best times to do cardio exercise, just to beat the heat.

Enjoy the beauty of the land and the wonderful people there. I was only there for 3 weeks and on the mountains or in the bush for most of that time, but I really like everyone I met.

Toddrific

Hmm...go hunting

mfanyafujo

What part of Tanzania are you in? In 2008 I took a vacation to climb Mt Meru, Kilimanjaro and safari on the Serengeti and Ngorogoro crater. When in town we stayed in Arusha. It was in September, the end of the dry season on that high, arid plain. I was told the Zanzibar region near the coast was much more tropical, but I didn't have time to go visit there. Most of the food you mention is what I remember. A lot of beans, rice, bananas, cassava, with either chicken or beef for protein. The ugali was fairly decent the one time I had it. It was served with a green banana and chicken stew and the ugali really just absorbed the taste of the stew. We had fresh fruit regularly, mostly bananas and citrus fruits, but that may have been available because we were tourists. Not sure. I don't remember much of green leaf vegetables at all, even in the road side markets we stopped in. I think you're kind of stuck with what you can grow for leaf vegetables, but you might find some depending on time of year.

I would say early morning or late evening are your best times to do cardio exercise, just to beat the heat.

Enjoy the beauty of the land and the wonderful people there. I was only there for 3 weeks and on the mountains or in the bush for most of that time, but I really like everyone I met.

Sounds like fun! But yes, you were in tourist land, where they have better growing climate and lots of imported food. I'm in southern TZ, and we don't really get much access to fruits/veggies that aren't grown locally. I'm also in a village, not in town, so we get even less stuff in the market.

You're right about the workouts - I'm good for the evenings, but I hate waking up early.

I'm glad you had a good time here. This is a great country and incredibly beautiful. Welcome to visit again!

mfanyafujo

Hmm...go hunting

We have... goats? I've seen a monkey. Not sure my neighbors would appreciate me goat-hunting....