I can’t quite believe it’s 2022! It seems as though the last two years have blended into one, and as I reflect on this period of time, I realise that one thing has remained at the top of my priority list throughout it all and that is the concept of health – not only for my own little family and my Londolozi family but the many guests who are like family, too.

It goes without saying that we have learned many lessons over the course of the last 24 months. We have encouraged everyone to try a nature reunion, to become a nature reunion ambassador and we shared some ideas that stood us in good stead from this time last year (many of us are now using them as a daily practice). We as the Londolozi family have had to think very carefully about how all 234 of us could stay calm and healthy for big stretches of time in order to continue to host our guests no matter which waves we may have found ourselves surfing. And through this all, what I have come to know is that our health is the most important thing that gets us through even the toughest of times. Healthy bodies can keep going. Healthy minds can help us cope with stress and uncertainty. And healthy communities mean trust and a small piece of certainty when everything else is not.

When you begin to see health as a journey rather than a treatment plan your perspective of health changes. The quick fixes and New Year’s jump starts of the past hold very little appeal to me, so I went in search of some other thinking on how we can move into 2022 via a journey of health rather than a quick fix start that – for most people- is over by the end of January. As with everything that Londolozi does, I wanted to find someone authentically living this journey that we could learn from… And, let me tell you, I did!

Hanya House is a Functional Medicine and Wellness Retreat based in White River, South Africa. Their concept of healthspan vs Lifespan particularly aligned with what we believe in at Londolozi:

Lifespan- the length of time that someone lives vs. Healthspan – The length of time some lives in good health. I reached out to this dynamic Functional Medicine team and here is what they had to say:

“There are all kinds of ways to heal. But when you talk to a person who is truly healing – body, mind, and spirit – they will tell you a version of one story: They’ve healed using a combination of the original medicines:

Food, movement, community, stillness, mindset, breath, sound, nature, and themselves.

By “themselves” I’m talking about intuition, instinct, courage, perseverance. Heart. Somewhere along the way, as humans, we lost our knowledge and reverence of these original medicines. Too much effort. Too much time. Too much external noise. We replaced healing journeys with treatment plans. For me, there is no doubt that the original medicines are the foundation of true healing. And when the foundation of 40,000 years of ancient healing is complemented with the discoveries of the last 40 years of biomedical technology, there’s real potential for pushing the limits of human “health span”, meaning the number of healthy years we are alive.

Blending the ancient with the modern is not a quick fix, but when you get it right, the healing that follows is so much deeper and rewarding than you ever thought possible. And of the original medicines, which is the “original original”? For me, it’s food. Food is medicine. And if you’re ready to truly start a healing journey then that’s where I recommend you always start.  

Dr. Rav James

Medical Director – Hanya House

So this new year we invite our global Londolozi family to start your year, not with a fad detox or a 21-day jump start but rather to take some time and explore the art of living and begin to discover food as medicine as the first step to a healthspan adventure. This, for me, is an easy way to start the journey. Not by proclaiming 20 new habits you want to form, but by choosing one step in the right direction, and by starting with something that is as integral to our everyday lives and health as food.

Here are some ideas and easy recipes that the kind team at Hanya House shared with us so we could get going:

Hanya Egg-Free Avocado Oil Mayonnaise 

Why we love it 

• Sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free 
• Quick, delicious and nutritious 
• Avocado oil is high in omega-3 (great anti-inflammatory). Avocado is also a detoxifier 
• Keeps for at least two weeks in the fridge 

Ingredients 

• ¼ Cup aquafaba (the brine from canned chick-peas) 
• ½ Tsp mustard 
• 4/5 Grinds of salt 
• 1 Lemon (squeezed) 
• App. 1 cup avocado oil 

Method 

• Using the hand-blender, blend the aquafaba, mustard, salt and lemon together for approximately 30 seconds 
• Start adding the avocado oil while you continue blending 
• Blend until you reach the correct consistency

Hanya House Cauliflower-No-Cheese

Why we love it:

• Sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free 
• Cauliflower is a great estrogen detoxifier 
• Lycopene from the tomatoes 
• Immune-boosting garlic 
• Potent anti-oxidants, sesamin and sesamolin, in the tahini 

Ingredients 

• One cauliflower, cut into florets 
• Approximately 20 whole rosa or cocktail tomatoes 
• 1 ½ red onions, wedged 
• 3 Garlic cloves 
• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil 
• Salt to taste 
• Tahini (scroll down for recipe)

Method 

Combine all the ingredients, except the tahini, and roast in a pre-heated oven (180 degrees celsius) for approximately 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle a cup of tahini over the cauliflower.

Hanya Tahini with a Big Twist of Lemon

New to tahini? The raw tahini paste is quite thick and strong. The tahini sauce we make is where you add ingredients to the paste to “soften” it. It is great to pore some over a salad at lunchtime.

Why we love it:

• Sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free
• Good fats (great for cardiovascular health, especially cholesterol)
• High in protein
• High in anti-oxidants
• Increases absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
• High in calcium
• Uncooked lemons high in vitamin C and alkalinizing for the body and great detoxifiers.

Ingredients 

• 1/2 cup raw tahini paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 lemons
• salt to taste

Method

Add the tahini, lemons and sea salt to a bowl. Slowly add the water while whisking. The tahini will thicken up first (almost to a cement-like consistency) and will then loosen up as more water is added. Add water until you find a consistency that you like. We prefer a consistency similar to tomato sauce (not too runny and not too thick).

The No-Time-Energy-Boost-Nutty-Butter Cappuccino by Hanya House

Why we love it

• Sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free 
• It’s a meal in a coffee: Good fats, energy for the brain, and some great micronutrients (magnesium and calcium) 
• It should keep you going for most of the morning 
• Quick, delicious and nutritious 

Ingredients 

• 1 Large cup of americano coffee 
• 1 Tbsp of almond-nut butter 
• 2 Tsp of MCT Oil 
• A splash of almond milk 

 

Method 

Combine all the ingredients and mix for at least 30 seconds with a hand-blender.

Enjoy the Journey and here’s to a health-filled 2022.

Happy New Year from all of us… May you gather around a table with loved ones often, and feel the warmth of wellbeing everyday.