IN ENGLISH
I was tired. Very tired. In fact, my tired was tired.
I called my brother and told him how I felt. He said, “You just need more sleep.” I replied, “What is sleep? I don’t sleep at all. But this tiredness… it’s not the kind that sleep can fix. I’m exhausted, deep down, completely worn out.”
Eventually, I went to the doctor. During the EKG, my whole skeleton was trembling. I was prescribed depression medication, anxiety pills, sleeping tablets, and more.
Two weeks later, I phoned the doctor again to say I wasn’t improving, and that my head was hurting terribly. The only response? They increased the medication.
Months later, I stopped all the pills on my own, but I never changed my lifestyle. I ate what I thought was healthy, but not truly clean foods. And I was constantly busy, always running, doing, pushing.
Then it happened again. The second crash. My husband became more concerned, my blood pressure was dangerously high, and we feared a stroke. I went back to the doctor, but this time we approached the situation piece by piece. I was prescribed beta-blockers and water pills because my heart rate was constantly elevated.
The symptoms were different this time. My body wasn’t shaking like before, but I was constantly overheating; people joked that I was going into early menopause. Despite being fit, I couldn’t even carry a flowerpot from the garden to the porch without being completely out of breath.
The depression during this second wave was the worst of all.
My medication was increased again: beta-blockers went from 10mg to 40mg morning and evening. Stronger antidepressants. More anxiety pills, day and night. And when that still didn’t help, they added a mood stabilizer.
My body stank from the medication. I gained weight. I felt miserable.
One day, hanging up laundry, I broke down and cried like a child. I cried out to the Lord, telling Him I couldn’t go on. I was tired of trying. I couldn’t see the light anymore.
The psychologist and doctor referred me to a psychiatrist. But due to financial constraints, I simply couldn’t afford it. I felt lost and out of options.
As a nutritionist, I’ve always been focused on food, and someone told me about Johan Jacobs’ book Go Natural – Wisdom for Healthy Living. My husband said, “You have nothing to lose.” A friend mailed me the book, and I devoured every page.
That book gave me hope. It marked the beginning of my recovery.
The first thing I craved was bread. I had avoided wheat since age 12 due to a spastic colon. But we found an old mill behind the storage room, powered by a washing machine motor, and began milling our organic wheat. And to my amazement… I could eat wheat bread again.
Next, I wanted milk. I had always been told I was lactose intolerant. But I drank litres of raw pasture-reared milk, I couldn’t get enough of it. And nothing happened. No symptoms!
That’s where the transformation began.
I replaced all our food with fresh, whole, unprocessed ingredients. If I didn’t make it myself, I didn’t eat it. I gave my body a full year to detox from the pills and toxins.
Later, I also read Healing Begins with Sanctification of the Heart, the book by Dr. MK Strydom, and made even more changes to my daily lifestyle.
Today, I’m completely off all medication, and I’m healthy. It’s been two and a half years since then, and I am healthy, strong, and filled with joy.
People often ask, “Where do I start?”
The Word of God says:
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)
When you read Go Natural – Wisdom for Healthy Living, you realize just how badly we are being poisoned, not just physically, but in the way we think about food, health, and healing. The book helps you reformat your thinking and challenges the systems we rely on, systems that often only treat symptoms without ever addressing the root of the problem.
Along my journey, I also compiled a recipe book, Anders is Beter, to guide others in replacing everyday food products with healthy alternatives, including household staples, treats, sweets, and cookies.
So if you want to change your lifestyle but don’t know where to begin, don’t go through the same struggles I did. Start by reading Go Natural and use Anders is Beter as your practical companion, you won’t regret it. That combination can help you soar again.
I believe you can eat your way to health. I believe that if you give your body real, clean, life-giving food, and if you adjust your lifestyle, you can heal completely.
All glory to the Lord, who led me on this journey and gave me a new perspective. He sends us into this life with one thing, just one: a body.
So let me ask you: What are you doing to take care of yours?
Elize Esterhuizen
IN AFRIKAANS:
Ek was moeg. Bitter moeg. My moeg was moeg.
Ek het my broer gebel. Hy het gesê: “Jy moet meer slaap.”
Ek het geantwoord: “Wat is slaap? Ek slaap niks. Maar dié moeg… dis ’n moeg wat slaap nie gaan beter maak nie. Ek is regtig moeg.”
Ek is toe dokter toe. My hele skelet het gebewe op die EKG-masjien. Ek is op depressie-pille, angstablette, slaappille en nog vele meer gesit.
Twee weke later, toe ek bel en sê ek voel nie beter nie en dat my kop verskriklik pyn, het hulle net die pille vermeerder.
Na ’n paar maande het ek self van die pille afgegaan, maar ek het nooit my leefstyl verander nie. Ek het baie gesond geëet, maar nie skoon kosse nie. En ek was besig, besig en nóg meer besig.
Toe gebeur dit weer—’n tweede keer. My man was bekommerd oor my hoë bloeddruk en ’n moontlike beroerte. Ek is toe weer dokter toe. Die keer het ek geweet dit kom, so ons het dit stukkie vir stukkie benader.
Ek is eers op beta-blokkers en waterpille gesit, want my polsslag was voortdurend verskriklik hoog.
Die simptome was hierdie keer anders. My liggaam het nie so gebewe nie. Maar ek was steeds so warm dat almal grappenderwys gesê het ek het vroeë menopouse. Ek het ook geen asem gehad nie. Al was ek topfiks, kon ek skaars ’n blompot van die tuin tot op die stoep dra—dan was ek uitasem.
Die tweede keer was die depressie die ergste.
Later is die beta-blokkers verhoog van 10 mg oggend en aand, na 40 mg oggend en aand. Daarby nog antidepressante, sterker angstablette soggens en saans… en toe, toe dit nog steeds nie werk nie, selfs ’n “mood stabilizer”.
My liggaam het gestink van al die medikasie. Ek het baie gewig opgetel. Ek het aaklig gevoel.
Een dag toe ek wasgoed ophang, het ek gehuil soos ’n babatjie. Ek het uitgeroep na die Here, want ek kon nie meer nie. Ek was moeg probeer. Ek kon nie meer die lig sien nie.
Die sielkundige en dokter het my verwys na ’n psigiater. Maar weens finansiële omstandighede kon ek dit nie bekostig nie. Ek het nie meer geweet wat om te doen nie.
As voedingskundige is ek baie ingestel op kos, en iemand het vir my van Johan se boek Go Natural – Wisdom for Healthy Living vertel. My man het gesê: “Jy het niks om te verloor nie.” My vriendin het vir my die boek gepos, en ek het elke bladsy verslind.
Daar is hoop, die Go Natural-boodskap was die begin van my herstel.
Die eerste ding wat ek wou eet, was brood. Sedert ek 12 is, moet ek koring vermy weens ’n spastiese kolon. Ons het toe ’n ou meule agter die stoor, wat met ’n wasmasjien-motor werk, aan die gang gekry en self organiese heel koring gemaal. En ek kon weer koringbrood eet.
Toe wou ek melk drink. Ek is glo laktose-intolerant. Maar ek het liters en liters rou veldbeesmelk gedrink—ek kon nie genoeg kry nie. En ek het niks oorgekom nie.
En daar het alles begin.
Ek het al my produkte begin vervang met skoon, vars en heel produkte, niks meer verwerkte kosse nie. Ek het alles self begin maak. En as ek dit nie self gemaak het nie, het ek dit nie geëet nie.
Ek het my liggaam ’n volle jaar gegee om skoon te kom van al die pille en gifstowwe.
Daarna het ek ook Dr Strydom se boek A Bible from a Medical Perspective gelees en nog veranderinge in my daaglikse leefstyl gemaak.
Ek is van ALLE medikasie af, en ek is gesond. Dis nou twee en ’n half jaar later, en ek is gesond en uiters gelukkig.
Almal vra: “Waar begin mens?”
Die WOORD sê die WAARHEID maak jou vry.
Wanneer jy Go Natural – Wisdom for Healthy Living lees, sal jy besef daar is groot fout, ons word vergiftig op soveel terreine. Die boek sal jou herformateer en anders laat dink oor jou kos, jou gesondheidsjuweel en die sisteme op wat ons so aan vasklou, wat jou behandel, maar nooit die wortel van die probleem verwyder nie.
Ek het ook tydens hierdie ontdekkingsreis ’n resepteboek saamgestel—’n gids oor hoe om al jou kosse te vervang met gesonde alternatiewe. Al die basiese huisitems, lekkers, koekies en meer is daarby ingesluit.
As iemand hul leefstyl wil verander, maar nie weet waar om te begin nie—moenie sukkel soos ek aanvanklik gesukkel het nie, lees dadelik Go Natural en vir die basiese resepte: Anners is Beter. Jy sal nie spyt wees nie, die kombinasie sal jou help vlieg.
Ek glo ’n mens kan jouself gesond eet. Ek glo dat as jy jou leefstyl aanpas en jou liggaam voed met skoon, gesonde kosse, jy totaal kan genees.
Alle eer aan die Here wat my op hierdie pad gelei het en vir my ’n nuwe uitkyk op die lewe gegee het. Hy stuur ons in die lewe in met een ding – net een ding – ’n liggaam.
Wat doen jy om jou liggaam op te pas?
Elize Esterhuizen