Small stools = big hospitals
What a rural African village can teach you about gut health
Hi….my name is Merryl and I’m a mother and grandmother who wants everyone to know the energetic wonder of eating living foods.
One of my favourite memories of growing up on a farm in Africa was the day we managed to get Snake - the man who cleaned our house - to take us to his place for lunch. It was school holidays and the parents were away working in town. We three children didn’t feel like peanut butter sandwiches yet again.
Three pairs of small, bare, white feet followed a pair of bigger, bare, black feet, two minutes, on a hard trodden single-file path winding between the rocks and over the hump of the sun-baked koppie (rocky hill) to the other side. To Snake’s compound. To a world apart. To a culture so utterly other.
There were a few round pole and dagga huts with conical, thatched roofs scattered on the hard-baked dirt clearing. We were ushered into the biggest hut where Mrs Snake (ashamedly, I have no idea what her name was) was still in the main hut stirring the big black pot of sadza (maize meal cooked stiff and sticky) with a long thick stick that she gripped with both hands. She stood bent over the coals in the middle of the hut. We were invited to sit on straw mats scattered on the hard, smooth floor. The sadza was divided into two big dishes. One was placed on a straw mat between Snake and the three little white visitors. The other went outdoors for Mrs Snake and her brood. We were the honoured guests.
More bowls were added. Little finger bowls of water and individual bowls of stewed green leaves. Leaves called Rape. We followed Snake’s example and dipped our fingers into the water, pulled off a piece of sticky sadza, using our wet fingers to form it into a ball and dipping it into the greenish juice around the Rape leaves. The juice my mother would’ve drained away before serving the leaves. I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a meal as much as I enjoyed that simple fare on that single day, not quite understanding the honour bestowed and undeserved.
Snake never took us there again. My parents probably forbade him to repeat that invitation. It was in the 1970s when the Rhodesian bush war was intensifying.
Also in the 1970s, a British physician named Dr. Burkitt noticed something striking…while studying rural African communities.
Diseases like colon cancer, diverticulosis, and heart disease, all too common in the US and UK, were almost unheard of in the people he was treating.
These communities enjoyed better digestive health than most of the developed world, despite having far fewer hospitals or medical technologies.
So what was their secret?
Dr. Burkitt concluded that the answer was simple: healthy stools.
He summarized decades of research by saying, “Countries that produce small stools need to build big hospitals.”
That’s just how impactful our diet really is!
And it’s why I’m so excited to invite you to the brand-new
>> Get To Know Your Gut Masterclass
It’s hosted by the brilliant Dr. Alan Desmond, one of the world’s leading gastroenterologists, and best-selling author Ocean Robbins of Food Revolution Network. Together, they’ll show you how your gut impacts far more than your stools. And they’ll give you simple, proven steps for a healthier microbiome.
You’ll discover:
How to make healthy bowel movements normal and natural in your life
How to reset your gut in as little as 24 hours
How your microbiome, sleep, mood, and metabolism are linked
How to create your own Ozempic effect 100% naturally
How playing with your dog can improve your gut health
Dr. Desmond and Ocean will show you exactly how to get your gut in tip-top shape with simple steps, compelling science, and even a few laugh-out-loud moments.
Healing ourselves, healing the world :)
To a Life of Love & Laughter,
Merryl @ GreenSmoothie.com
P.S. I promise you’ll learn a LOT about things that really matter for your life, including healthy poops:
>> Get To Know Your Gut Masterclass
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