Are you Iron Deficient? Here are 4 ways to cure it-- the Natural Way

The Diagnosis
Sooooo....I went to the doctor yesterday for my annual check-up.  Occasionally, I had been feeling tired with mild headaches.  I let my doctor know this and he suggested that we test my Complete Blood Count (CBC). "Ok, doc, cool..." The next day, my results were in: I'm mildly anemic...my hemoglobin level was lower than normal due to an iron deficiency.  Anemia is a condition when your blood lacks enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin.  Hemoglobin is a main part of red blood cells and binds oxygen.  If your hemoglobin is low, the cells in your body will not get enough oxygen.  One of the main symptoms is fatigue. Well that explains a lot! Here are 4 ways to increase your iron intake the natural way:


1) Multivitamin with Iron
My doctor told me that he was not too alarmed about my hemoglobin level (10.5), but wanted me to start consistently taking a multivitamin with iron every day (maaaan, I can't lie, I've been so slack on that! HA!) No biggie. I guess it could have been worse. I'm vegan, so I started taking the Prenatal Deva Vegan multivitamin with iron. You can check out the prenatal and non-prenatal Deva Vegan Multivitamin with iron here:

2) Blackstrap Molasses

Baby, listen!! This stuff is THICK; this stuff is REALLY SWEET! I mean, this stuff is barely TOLERABLE...but it works, y'all! The brand that I'm using has 20% iron in each tablespoon! Just saying...Here's the brand I'm using right now:

You can put it in your coffee/tea (as a substitute for white or cane sugar; it melts when you put it in something hot), or you can "take it to the head" (but you BETTER have water or something to chase it with, because you probably will GAG! HA!).

                                                                                                                                                              

3) Cooking in Cast Iron Pots and Skillets
Believe it or not, cooking or frying food in a cast iron skillet or pot increases iron content in your food! It appears that the longer you cook your food in the pot/pan, the more iron intake you receive.  Acidic foods are also known to have higher traces of iron in it. I personally use Lodge Cast Iron cookware (check it out here):


4)  And last but not least, DIET
A lot of people get their iron from eating meat.  I've been vegan since August 2016, so that may have been a contribution to my mild anemia. Anywho- there are several different ways you can increase your iron from eating fruits and veggies: black beans, raisins, pistachios, lentils, and spinach are all iron-rich foods.


So, before you run to the doctor to get those iron injections (which, in my opinion, can cause more adverse side effects than natural remedies), save your money and try the natural route first! Well, that's it for now...y'all be easy. I'm "Audi 5000!" (that's old school! HA)

- The Vegan World Traveler

Fun Times in Durban, South Africa

Durban, South Africa

Durban, South Africa had a slightly different feel from Cape Town. It's about a 1.5 hour flight from Cape Town, and has much more greenery. We stayed in the Hilton (downtown Durban). If I had to do it over again, I would have stayed closer to Bronze Beach. That's where all of the nice restaurants and hotels are.

Bronze Beach

 The biggest activity we did during our stay in Durban was the safari! We booked a 4-6 hour safari tour at the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve Park. We had a closed vehicle (with windows UP!). Call me scary, but I wasn't trying to get mauled to damn death! LOL. All jokes aside, there were a couple of incidents where tourists have died on safaris because they didn't follow the instructions of their tour guide. Although typically a fun and safe experience, one lady was mauled to death because she wanted to take close-up pictures of some lions. One of the lions crept up and mauled her to death. A very sad and unfortunate accident! Rule of thumb: Follow the instructions of your tour guide!

Shark Cage Diving

Shark cage diving is popular in Durban. This excursion is where you get into a steel shark cage (that's typically attached to a boat) and it is lowered a few feet down in the ocean. This allows you to come in close contact with sharks (while simultaneously being protected from them in the cage). From my research, there have been no deaths in South Africa from shark cage diving. There are also Great White sharks in South Africa. It's supposedly very safe. HOWEVER-- (**in my Whitney Houston voice**) HELL to the naw-naw-nawl!!!

Vegan Food

I had the same scenario in Durban that I had in Cape Town; we really didn't make it to any true vegan restaurants. There were, however, a lot of vegetarian options on the menu. There was one meal in particular where I had wheat pasta with marinara sauce (vegan) and steamed vegetables (no butter). It was meh....

Back to Reality

We stayed a total of 3 nights in Durban. There was so much stuff to do that we didn't get around to doing! If you're not afraid of heights and enjoy an adrenaline rush, I would recommend the Big Rush Big Swing. You literally bungee jump from a football-like stadium! If I WASN'T in my right mind, I would have done it!  For more information on that activity, check out this website:

https://www.mmstadium.com/attractions/big-swing/

That was pretty much it. I can say, I'm good on Durban though. If I never go back there again, I'd be ok!! HA!

Well, that's all for now y'all. I'll catch you later. Holla!

- The Vegan World Traveler

The Get Down in Cape Town

When I first started telling people that I was going to Cape Town, South Africa for vacation, most were taken aback. They asked follow-up questions, "Is this a missionary trip?" "What made you want to go there?" First of all- I'm a nomad. I've been this way for most of my life. Coming from a small town in South Carolina, my dreams to travel surpassed what I saw in my hometown. My life-long goal is to visit all seven continents (Africa was number one on my bucket list). So far, I've been to four continents (North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa), so I'm well on my way.



Shots, Shots, Shots!!
Well, not THOSE type of shots...I'm referring to vaccinations! It is encouraged by health officials that you get a myriad of vaccinations prior to traveling to Africa. I took vaccinations for tetanus, hepatis A/B, typhoid fever, and malaria pills. Let me just say, the typhoid fever vaccination HURT like hell! You can literally feel the virus traveling down your veins. And it feels hot! But you can also take the oral pills for typhoid fever. If I can go back in time, I wouldn't have taken ANY of them! Just a bunch of toxins injected into the body...but that's another article for another day!




"Are we there yet??"
The most unpleasant part of the trip was getting there! My friend that went with me lives in Chicago and she didn't want to travel alone, so I traveled to Chicago the night before so we could fly over to Africa together. We flew from Chicago to Paris France, and then from Paris to Cape Town. Total time?? 21 hours!! I suggest if you're traveling on any flight for that long, you need to bring compression socks, plenty of snacks, a head/neck rest, and an iPad!



Cape Town

Camps Bay Beach; Cape Town, South Africa



Table Mountain, overlooking the city of Cape Town, South Africa

I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful Cape Town was! Surrounded by mountains and beautiful water, it has become very "Americanized." Everything is written in English (storefront and traffic signs), and it's very easy to get around. There are 11 languages that are spoken in Cape Town, but English is one of the main ones. The waterfront marina has a lot of high-end shops (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Lacoste) if you want to get your "shop" on (Canal Walk Shopping Centre). There's also a huge mall about 20 minutes from downtown (Table Bay Mall). We enjoyed getting our daily dose of Vitamin D from lounging on Camps Bay Beach  and exploring Cape Point (the most south western tip of the African continent!) Cape Point is where the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean meet....Sweet!

Cape Point, South Africa

                                                 

Camps Bay Beach, Cape Town, South Africa

And of course, we couldn't forget to shop at the African markets.

(By the way---our US dollars go a looooong way in ZAR (rands)! I managed to pick up a number of African herbs (burdock root, African Wild Potato, Bilberry, black seed oil, and Frank &Myrrh incense and soaps). I also bought my fave--shea butter--and African Black Soap.

Vegan Food
Health officials advised me prior to going to South Africa that I should not eat raw vegetables or drink tap water. So salads were OUT. Truth be told, most of the restaurants we went to were not vegan, so I had to be creative. The majority of the time, I ordered white rice, with steamed veggies, no butter). I think I ate a similar dish every single day over there....oh yeah, and potatoes! HA!

Water Crisis
The water crisis is real there! Although the hotels allowed you to use water at your leisure (i.e., shower, sink, etc.), public places such as Cape Point had turned off the sink water in the bathrooms and replaced them with hand sanitizer!


The Music
I really didn't listen to the radio that often while in South Africa. But the day before we left, we were leaving the outlets and the Uber driver turned on the radio. My friend Eboni and I heard this song, and we both pulled out our phones to "Shazam" it! LOL. "Who the hell is this? I've never heard of this song!" It was an R&B song and it was very much so Neo-Soul. The title of the song is called "Please Mr." and the artist's name is Shekhinah." I fell in love with it! I've attached the song in this post for your entertainment. Enjoy!

People
And last, but not least....the people!!! The African men?? Very welcoming....they kept telling us "Welcome back home, Sister!" The women though??? Let's just say, they didn't make me feel warm and fuzzy inside! HA! I'm sure it is a cultural thing....I HOPE!

Downtown Cape Town, South Africa

Wakanda Forever
Overall, visiting Cape Town,South Africa was an amazing experience that I will NEVER forget! It was actually number one on my bucket list, and I've accomplished it. The travel time each way was over 20 hours, but it was well worth it. I must go back one day! Check out my separate article on Durban, South Africa.  Well, that's it for now. Y'all be easy....I'll holla!





-The Vegan World Traveler