Probiotics and Antioxidants?

Today, we talked a lot about probiotics and antioxidants at the hospital. According to the dieticians, physicians in South Africa are wary of the use of probiotics, and so I thought I would go in to a little more research to see how much they are used in the US. But first, with the help of Wikipedia.org, here’s a little background on what antioxidants and probiotics are:

Antioxidants

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules. This means that they help to reduce the production of free radicals in the body, which can lead to cell damage or death. Antioxidants stop the free radicals from starting chain reactions by removing the free radical intermediates, which inhibits other oxidation reactions. In order to do this, they must be oxidized themselves, and so antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols, ascorbic acid, or polyphenols.

Antioxidants are widely used in dietary supplements and have been investigated for the prevention of diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease, and even altitude sickness. Antioxidants also have many industrial uses, such as preservatives in food and cosmetics and to prevent the degradation of rubber and gasoline.

Probiotics

Probiotic organisms are live microorganisms thought to be beneficial to the host organism. Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria are the most common types of microbes used as probiotics; but certain yeasts and bacilli may also be used. Probiotics are commonly consumed as part of fermented foods with specially added active live cultures (such as in yogurt, soy yogurt, or as dietary supplements).

At the start of the 20^th century, probiotics were thought to beneficially affect the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance, thus inhibiting pathogens and toxin producing bacteria. Today, specific health effects are being investigated and documented including alleviation of chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases, prevention and treatment of pathogen-induce diarrhea, urogenital infections, and atopic diseases.

So there you have it in a nutshell.

As of 2008, a review article published by Vanderhoof and Young showed that there is a validated indication for the use of some probiotics in the US. However, they have discovered that there is a need to clarify the regulatory and safety issues. So perhaps South Africa and the United States can figure out the benefits and consequences together. All I know is that I will have to keep an eye out for more knowledge on probiotics upon my return home.

As for antioxidants…I know that they are all the rage in the US. For example…why do you think so many people drink a glass of red wine a day? Oh right…antioxidants.

In addition to these riveting topics, we also talked about how your diet can affect arthritis pain, so I decided to do a little more research on that too. Here’s what I came up with:

Researchers have found that the Mediterranean diet had the greatest effect at reducing arthritis pain. The Mediterranean diet emphases foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, fish and olive oil, while limiting the amount of red meat. In a study done, in 12 weeks, people on the diet reported 15% less pain, but no improvements in physical function or morning stiffness. A vegetarian diet that allowed eggs and dairy products had a similar effect.

On the other hand, some foods like potatoes and tomatoes have long been said to contribute to arthritis pain. Some researchers have speculated that a group of compounds in the vegetables called alkaloids might worsen inflammation in sensitive people. But so far, no solid studies have confirmed this.

Interestingly, the dietician I was working with today suggested that her patient try to increase the amount of omega 3 fatty acids that she was consuming each week. Omega 3’s are found in fish (salmon, tuna, and halibut), some plants, and nut oils. Omega 3’s have been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body and may help to reduce the swelling of arthritis patients. She also suggested a diet high in green, leafy vegetables.

Needless to say, I think that this might be an interesting field of study upon my return. 

The Handler...

Today's subject: The Handler.


So if you read yesterday's post, you may have seen that I mentioned a man named Marlon. Marlon works in the Office of International Affairs and has more or less been my "handler" these past couple of days.


Yesterday he showed me around campus...helped me to join the gym, get my Internet access, and took Ryland and me grocery shopping. All nice things right? Yeah...you would think that. However, during all of those oh so wonderful adventures, the man made fun of me and/or Ryland the ENTIRE time.


Here are a few of the things that he had to say:


1. Apparently, I am more like a dude because I played sports growing up. Therefore I am "one of those girls" that would rather be butch. (SO NOT TRUE) Let me tell you, I was more than slightly offended by it. 
2. He also thinks that I use the word "ok" too much. In America, we all know that it is common place to nod your head and so ok when someone is giving you instructions to indicate that you are following what they are saying and that you are understanding. Maybe that's not so common place here...
3. He thought that Ryland and I made bland yogurt choices (we both chose vanilla so that we could add things like granola to it).
4. He also didn't approve of our peanut butter choices (we went for smooth and he insisted that we should get chunky).
5. Today he told me that I play with my hair too much (which may be true, but hey...when it's in your face it gets annoying!!)
6. He is also convinced that I don't like to go any where alone (eh...kinda true...but hey...I'm in a foreign country, where I know no one except the girls I came with...who are in longer internship weeks than I am at the current moment and don't speak the language)
7. And here is the worst part of all. I never get a choice about when I am going to the market or getting my computer set up. For example, today I didn't even know that he was taking me to get a phone and he just appeared at the hostel at 12:15. Tomorrow he's coming at the same time so that I can get wireless access on my laptop. I keep wanting to wait until at least 3 so that the other girls can come along because I know that they have things they need to get done as well....but the handler says no. 


Oh well...I guess this will be my only week of handler terrors. Hopefully after tomorrow I won't have to deal with him as much. He's a nice enough guy, but being made fun of for three consecutive days does not make you want to be someone's friend...


On a lighter note, the girls and I made spaghetti for dinner tonight and decided that we really miss American carbohydrates (granola bars, cereal, etc) and MILK. The milk here is quite disgusting and for a milk lover, that is truly a shame. Hopefully this home sickness thing will start to wear off soon. 


Nothing new to report on the internship front today...it was very similar to yesterday. Maybe more tomorrow... 

Internet Access...YES!

We have full time Internet access now!!!!


We arrived in Bloemfontein yesterday morning....and what a morning it was. We had to be at the airport by 6:30 am to catch our flight. We got up, caught a taxi, checked our luggage (an adventure in itself...it's hard to pack for 5 weeks in a foreign country when there is a weight limit!!), and even boarded the plane on time. We were shocked because we had been warned that South African domestic flights were often late. Well...guess what...ours was too. After boarding every passenger on the plane, the crew made an announcement that "one of our passengers has decided not to join us today (can you even do that???!!!) and so we must now find their luggage". WHAT?! Because of this one person, we sat on that cramped plane for an hour before even thinking about leaving the gate. Luckily we were all able to have seats together so we could talk to one another during our delay.


Once we arrived in Bloem, we were immediately taken to campus and given our room assignments. Contrary to our original belief, we were placed with each other as roommates. All four of us are in the same hostile (our equivalent of a dorm) one floor apart. Brittany and I are on the 3rd floor and Kalie and Ryland are just below us on the 2nd. We were quite excited that we weren't separated.


We spent the rest of the day relaxing and unpacking before we were picked up for dinner with the nutrition department that we will be working with. They took us to a restaurant in the mall (it was quite good) and we just had an informal getting to know you dinner. The other girls were very nice and seemed very excited to be working with us. We predominantly talked to one the the program directors (I think...either that our she was one of the lecturers) and we learned so much from her. She told us where we would be and what we would be doing for the next four weeks. Here's a quick run down:


1. Medi-Clinic. Here we will be shadowing a dietitian who has her own private practice and works in the private sector. (South Africa has both a public and private sector of health care...you guess which one is better)
2. MUCPP. Here we will be traveling to one of the local townships (like a slum of sorts in the US) and conducting nutritional assessments on the children. It is supposed to be quite eye opening.
2. Southern Free State. Here we will actually be staying in a "guest house" in another township of sorts. We will have to travel there on a Monday morning and not return until Thursday afternoon. I think here we will do much of the same things done at the MUCPP.
4. University Hospital. Here we will be shadowing dietitians that I believe are in more of the public sector. The hospital is on the University campus and is maybe a 10 minute walk from our hostel.


As you can see, each week is going to be very different and we are going to be very busy! I will try my best to update all of you as much as possible.

Today was our first day in the internship and I'm starting out with my first week in the Medi-Clinic. At the Medi-Clinic, I will be working with a dietitian who has her own private practice and works in the private sector. It is her job to ensure that the patients in pediatric and neonatal intensive care units are receiving the proper nutritional supplements to aid in their growth and healing. In order to do this, she calculates their energy needs based on their weight and health condition and then counsels the doctors about appropriate levels for liquid and protein supplementation. When a patient is being released from the hospital, she will then counsel the family on how to move forward.

After shadowing Vandghie, I shadowed one of her partners, Anna Marie, while she did the same nutrition counseling for adults in an intensive care unit and those who are part of an assisted living community. They both said that the rest of the week would be much of the same old thing.

However, I did have the opportunity to chat with both of them about different cultural practices in South Africa in comparison to those in the States. Vandghi and I talked about the differences between the public and private sectors in SA and how most people would not be able to afford the private sector without medical aid (something that is very similar to our health insurance). In terms of the public sector, the government subsidizes the facilities and as we may all assume, they are not in the best conditions.

While traveling to and from different hospitals, Anna Marie and I talked about the different cultural practices of Black South Africans. She was telling me how it is often a struggle to work in the public sector as a white woman because they don't always respect or believe in what she is telling them. For example, the Black community does not believe in birth control or family planning, so they will give birth to many children without the means of supporting them throughout their lives. In fact, many black men will impregnate a woman before marrying her to ensure that she is able to give birth to his children. Often times, these women will be left behind in the dust to raise the children on their own. It's really quite sad.

Anna Marie also told me about her research in breast feeding and how she's been reading the Healthy People 2020/2010 goals. I got really excited when I knew exactly what she was talking about--as a health promotion student, we discuss the Healthy People goals often. We also talked about the WHO and CDC. It was nice to have a conversation that didn't deal strictly with nutrition.

Anna Marie and her husband are heavily considering moving overseas and so she's asked if we'd like to come over for dinner some time this week (an offer we simply cannot refuse). I'm excited to be working with both Vandghie and Anna Marie this week and I think that I will learn a lot. 

My days at the Medi-Clinic are not very long...I will start each day at 8 am and be finished around noon which leaves a lot of time in the afternoon (I can't decide if this is a good or bad thing yet). Luckily, Ryland will be finished around 1 o'clock each day and so I will only be lonely for an hour or so. 

After finishing up today, one of the students who works at the International Affairs office took me around campus to sign up for a gym membership (YES!!!) and set up my Internet access. Here, you need to have a username and password to use the Internet. He also showed me around the administration building and other important areas of the campus. We quickly ran back to the hostel for me to put away my passport and grab money before he and the International Affairs director that we've been speaking to took us shopping. Luckily, I saw a note from Ryland on my door saying that she was back so she went shopping too!

We went to the mall at the Waterfront (one of the only major attractions in Bloem), where we just walked around and then bought some groceries at the Pick N Pay (South Africa's equivalent to a Walmart). We are also trying to get me a South African cell phone for the month so that I will be able to contact the other Appalachian students and the girls in the department. Hopefully we can get that sorted out tomorrow. 

The rest of the week should be much of the same. I am excited for Brittany to come back from the Southern Free State on Thursday...I think that my room is going to be quite lonely tonight! On the bright side, this weekend should be a lot of fun. We are hoping to have dinner with Anna Marie and her husband on Friday, on Saturday the student from the University of the Free State that visited Appalachian in the fall are planning a braii for us (the South African version of a BBQ) and then on Sunday we are having a large welcoming function because all of the Appalachian students will have arrived in Bloem. 

This is not the most interesting place in the world, but we are hoping to make the most of it! 

Until next time, love to all of you overseas. Missing you all so much. 

Fear of Heights? Nah...

Let me start this posting by telling all of you that I think I can officially say that I've started to conquer my fear of heights these past few days.We've been so busy around Cape Town that I haven't had time to post. Well that...and I keep losing my Internet vouchers.


Remember when I said we were going out to dinner for the first time on Wednesday? Well we did...and I had an OSTRICH burger. And guess what?! It was actually really good. We decided that it tasted just like beef, but wasn't as juicy as an American burger.


Anyway, on Thursday, Kalie and I took a full day tour of the Cape Peninsula. This included a tour of the Cape Point National Reserve, Boulders Beach, a Marina and several other mountainous overlooks. Nothing too exciting happened at the marina or at any of the over looks, but we did decide that we're adding the word "dodgy" (South African term for sketchy) into our every day vocabulary. The best things happened after we reached Boulder's Beach. This is home to the African penguins...an animal that Kalie and I have come to absolutely love. (Little known fact: the African penguin was once called the Jackass because of the obnoxious braying sound that it makes during its mating season.)We had a great time watching the little guys jump in and out of the water and run around on the sandy beaches. We really wanted to steal one and bring him home with us. But, no such luck.


After the beach, we traveled onward to the National Reserve. Here we were given the opportunity to take a 12 km (no idea how much that is in miles) bike ride around the reserve before we stopped for lunch...and it was absolutely amazing. We were surrounded by the most beautiful scenery at every turn and we couldn't have been more relaxed. After the bike ride we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch on the reserve before heading to Cape Point.


At Cape Point, we had the chance to hike up to the original lighthouse once used for European travelers sailing to the Cape. It was once lit using 20,000 (I think...either that or 2,000) candles...but unfortunately it was always hidden by clouds and caused too many shipwrecks, so they eventually built another one at a lower altitude. When we reached the peak, there was a sign that pointed to all different places in the world and gave the exact distance between where we were and that place...it was pretty cool. On the way down, we had our second wildlife encounter of the day. As we rounded the corner of the lighthouse, a dassi (a small muskrat looking ugly thing) was staring up at us...I was definitely startled. The dassi proceeded to jump up on to the ledge and run around the lighthouse, which certainly caused some commotion. When we reached the bottom, we decided that we would also take the hike across from Cape Point to the Cape of Good Hope. It was a pretty decent hike, but we were very exposed, so it made me quite nervous. The worst part was when we reach the peak at the Cape of Good Hope. The entire way up...and I mean WAYYY up...we were somewhat led by a barbed wire fence..however, we could not find any indication that there was a way down. Problem. We frantically climbed around the peak...screaming at our tour guide who was waiting for us at the bottom. Wishing that a helicopter would just come and rescue us. And freaking out because the sun was just starting to set and we knew that we had to leave the Reserve before dark! Lucky we found the "stairs" (haha, what a joke...these weren't stairs. They were rocks wishing they were stairs) and safely made it to the ground! On the way out of the park, we saw wild ostrich AND baboons...something we had been hoping for ALL day. We finished the evening at a Mexican restaurant with friends that we've made at the hostel. At the table I think we had Americans, South Africans, a few Aussies, a Scot, a Belgian, and maybe a few others...we were quite the culturally diverse group!!


And that was just Thursday.


On Friday, we took a tour of the wine country. Wow what a day. Our first wine tasting was at 9:30 am. Yup, that's right NINE THIRTY AM! And there were 5 tastings. Let's just leave Friday with this: the wine country is beautiful. Fish and chips are good. And "day drinking" should be abolished. I don't think I can look at wine the same for quite some time.We finished the night on Long Street (aka the Bourbon Street of Cape Town)...what a crazy day. 


Today, however, we chose to just relax and take it easy.We started the morning by catching a cab to the Old Biscuit Mill. Wow, what an experience. The Mill is a grouping of warehouses that has been converted in to an open air market/farm stand of sorts. There were foods from all over the world and culture at every corner. It was truly incredible. While we were there, one of the power lines outside the Mill seemingly caught on fire and so they had to shut down all the electricity in the booths...which meant that all the vendors that used electricity to prepare their food had to temporarily shut down. So, we settled on crepes from the sweetest Belgian vendors and went on our merry way. 


After the Mill, we came back to the hostel and took a nap before heading out the the Greenmarket Square where we did a little gift shopping. Once we came back from that, we jumped right in to another taxi and caught a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain. We had been hoping to hike it every day this week, but unfortunately it has been so foggy at the peak that it hasn't been safe. So today when we saw a clear opening we took it! We were bummer we didn't have the opportunity to hike to the top, but the view was the same (spectacular) regardless of the mode of transportation. I wish that me telling you or sharing pictures of what I could see from the top did it any sort of justice...but it just doesn't. Hopefully I will be able to upload a few picture when we reach Bloemfontein tomorrow. 


So there you have it: in the last three days, I've gotten stranded on the peak of the Cape of Good Hope and taken a CABLE CAR to the top of Table Mountain. All in all, I'd say that this height frightened girl has done pretty well this week. 


To end our stay in Cape Town, we are going out to dinner tonight with a few friends and then turning in early. We have to catch a cab at 6:15 am to make our flight on time tomorrow. We are sad to leave Cape Town behind, but excited to see what Bloemfontein has to offer. I hope their ready...because I don't know if they are prepared for what's coming. 

No Hiking :(

Unfortunately, we were unable to go hiking today. We woke up this morning and the mountain we were intending on climbing was completely covered in fog and much to our dismay, the fog didn't clear during the day...so hopeful our hike is on for tomorrow. Thankfully we had a backup plan for today which was just as enjoyable. We started by walking to Long Street (some say this is the South African equivalent of Bourbon Street in New Orleans) and reserved a room in a hostel for the weekend (plan a for the weekend...) and then did some "window" shopping at the open air market in Greenmarket Square. We were there too early to get any good deals, so we just decided to return on our way back from the Waterfront.


When we got into the Waterfront (which took forever because we got lost and street signs here SUCK), we decided to take a little time to shop at Victoria's Warf. Wow...what an amazing shopping center. I think it was at least twice the size of Woodfield...which is huge. We spent a good amount of time just walking up and down all of the different levels and hallways looking into all of the different shops. After leaving the mall, we headed towards another shopping center en route to the Two Oceans Aquarium. We got to the aquarium just in time! Right when we were finishing up on the main level, one of the workers informed us that they were feeding the penguins in less than 5 minutes. So we ran...I mean literally ran...upstairs to see the most adorable penguins. After that show we just happed to stumble upon the feeding time for the "predators" as well. Today's feedings included very large sting rays and a couple of turtles...although sharks and other fish also coexited in the tank.


After leaving the aquarium, we went back to Greenmarket Square just as the vendors were packing up, so we were able to get a few really good deals. Our plan is to go out to a nice dinner tonight followed by a night on the town with a few of the other hostel guests. Hopefully our hiking trip will happen soon! We are also looking in to taking a wine tour on Friday.


Love to all of you in the States!

Finally in South Africa!

We've made it! After a delayed flight to London, a nice 5 hour break in the countryside of England and a final 11 hour flight to Cape Town, we are finally settled in! This morning started with a bit of confusion becuase Kalie and I didn't know how exactly to get to the hostel we knew we were supposed to stay at tonight. Luckily, we hopped in a cab and we got dropped off right at the door. After a short nap and some prep time, we spent the day at Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held prisoner for 18 years.

From the 17th to the 20th centuries, Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation, and imprisonment. Today it is a World Heritage Site and museum. In order to access the island, we had to take a ferry across from the mainland and that did not happen without an adventure. The dock was about a 30 minute walk from our hostel....not too bad right? Wrong. Brittany (another girl on the trip) and myself both wound up with rather large blisters during the treck which managed to make the rest of our walking tour of Robben Island quite miserable. Thankfully, it was still a wonderful experience and I'm definitely glad that we did it.

We plan on hiking to Table Rock tomorrow...we can see the mountain range from out hostel and it is BEAUTIFUL. We're leaving early in the morning...so this is probably all I'm going to write for now. It's been a long day and sleep is a more than welcome visitor. 

For more information on what we've done today and where we've been, you can look at these websites: 

http://www.robben-island.org.za/

http://www.backpackers.co.za/

D-day.

Today's the day...it's finally here...and I couldn't be more excited! This short week at home as been nothing short of amazing, but I am so ready to begin this adventure in South Africa. Today I am feeling so blessed to have been given this opportunity. This is a once in a lifetime adventure and I am so ready to capitalize on it. It will be a long journey, but I think that I'm ready for it. My trip will begin at Chicago O'Hare where I will depart for an eight hour flight to London, England. After a layover in London, I will then jump on another plane straight to Cape Town, South Africa. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep on one or both of the flights...but it's highly unlikely! I promise that there are more exciting posts to come! See you June 25th US!