Keep your diet simple

Dr Mere SAMISONI generally shops once a month and spends about $350 for her and her grandson.

For fruits, vegetables and seafood, Dr Mere goes weekly to the Suva market, on Fridays or Saturdays about 9am.

"I like and choose from a selection of green leafy vegies such as bele, ota, tubua, rourou, beans, carrots or pumpkins.

For fruits it is pawpaw, pineapple, passion fruit, soursop, cranberry, bananas, vudi or ladyfingers, when in season.

Her seafood favourites include nama (sea grapes), vivili, vasua, (clams) or cawaki (sea urchin) and lumi (sea weed).

She buys fruits such as bananas, pawpaws, watermelons, lemons, passion fruit and soursop when in season for fruit drinks and spends about $25.

Mere has moved to herbal to include shampoo & conditioner (Colgate herbal) toothpaste, (Ocean bodyguard with tumeric & neem oil) bath gel, (Nabawan) toilet paper, mouth gargle, (lady stick aloe-vera) deodorant, Pure Fiji (with coconut) floral light perfume & (ultimate organics with Coco & shea butter) choices for face, skin and hair creams.

"Some months I pay more and other months pay less. The costs average out over the year," she said.

Dr Mere says she eats a simple, well balanced diet with enough cereal, white meat, fruit, nuts, peas, vegetables and fluid to keep her whole system functioning well in order to give a healthy appearance especially for skin and hair care.

"I don't spend much on my skin or hair care but ensure cleanliness, which is as the saying goes "cleanliness is next to godliness," she said.

She also enjoys draunimoli (green lemon leaf) and coboi (lemon grass) and occasionally enjoys green tea.

Dr Mere still uses "Mortein" multi-purpose insect spray and 12hr protection with anti-mosquito tablets in electric anti mosquito heaters.

Her tips for shoppers:

"Keep your diet simple and balanced to include a serving of cereal for fibre and vitamin Bs, white meat, beans and legumes or eggs for protein to rebuild body cells, fruit and vegetables for fibre, minerals and vitamins and drink fluids for hydration.

"Fluid is important, especially in the tropics where one loses a lot of fluid through perspiration. I drink about two litres a day from an early morning glass of Fusion Excel Fask water four times a day plus tea and fruit juice (in season) in between to a milk of cocoa and cinnamon drink before bed.

"Have three meals a day with the main meal during the day to work off the extra calories and not go to bed with a heavy and full stomach.

"For breakfast I have a cereal. I prefer porridge cooked with cinnamon and served with milk. I like milk powder freshly made every morning. I also like cereal with fresh fruit and nuts. This helps bowel habits to be regular with antioxidant and detoxification at the same time.

"The next meal is one serving of white meat or beans and peas as desired with vegetable salad or cooked vegetables, green and yellow, served with tapioca, dalo, yam, sweet potato, potato or rice for energy.

"The evening meal should be a light one of soup such as vegetable, chicken or seafood soup.

"Or sandwiches with preferred spreads or dessert like fresh fruit and ice cream or yoghurt. Salad is a welcome change in the evening too.

"I like to eat unsalted peanuts with peas or dhal as a light evening meal followed with fruit and cocoa milk drink before bed. The tryptophan in the cocoa served with milk helps one sleep."

Source: Keep your diet simple