The West Kenyan Diet

Are you too fat? Did you put on weight over the holiday season and haven’t been able to rid yourself of those extra kilos? Yes, most of us know the feeling. Traditional diets need too much will-power and fad diets just don’t work. “What is the solution?” I hear you say. Worry no longer!

Introducing:

                                                The West Kenyan Diet

This isn’t a traditional diet, it is pre-traditional. This is not a fad, it has been used for centuries to stay trim and taut. Just ask yourself … How many fat Kenyans do I know? Most likely, they are all marathon runners. In fact, all Kenyans are like this.

But don’t just listen to me, consider this real life testimonial:

"George" - Before Kenya

I came to Kenya a mere nine weeks ago. I had “let myself go” during a typical Australian holiday period. Too many parties, an excess of friends dropping by, and too much festive food and drink. My luggage on January 1 weighed 32 kg but the body weighed 100.8 kg. Yes dear reader, this is the most I had ever weighed.

A mere nine weeks later I have shed 10.4 kg – over 10% of my body weight.

“How was this possible?” I also hear you say. To follow the West Kenyan Diet you merely have to observe the six basic principles:

1. Live in a remote village where there are no restaurants, cafes or supermarkets selling Western food. Those night-time cravings for choc-chip ice cream just have to go unrealised.

2. Walk everywhere. The market is 3 km return, why take the car when everyone else walks. The meeting hall is 2 km return, ditto. When in Rome …

3. Always accept the local food; kidney beans, ugali and kale infused with fire ash. It is amazing how quickly your appetite reduces and you no longer desire “seconds”. In fact, often you don’t desire firsts.

4. Abstain from alcohol. Alcohol is a big problem in these parts, so take a stand and stick to soft drink. Filtered water is the best choice here as carbonated drinks are very sweet and, most often, served at room temperature.

5. Resist those small but frequent indulgences. Coffee and cake is easy to resist when it is not available. Travelling for 45 minutes on mostly dirt roads reduces the desire to “go out for a coffee”. Kenyan cake is also a thing to behold – at most times very dry and crumbly.

6. Eat lots of pulses, grains, fruits and vegetables; basically become a vegetarian. There are local butchers but the meat hangs in the window sans refrigeration. Perhaps if you get there early in the morning … otherwise stick to the beans and lentils. Regional supermarkets also contain little fresh meat. Frozen sausages and frozen chickens are the easiest to find. The chickens are not what you would call grain-fed or plump.



"George" - After!

Impressed … you should be!

Have you lost that weight yet? Of course you haven’t – you’ve been sitting on your backside entertaining yourself with social networking!

So, jump on a plane and come to Western Kenya. The welcome will be warm, and so is the soft drink and the fresh meat!