Your focus for the next 12 weeks. This plan is designed to help you:
The goal is consistency, not perfection.
300–500 mL after waking. No need to force large amounts at once; begin hydrated, then keep drinking consistently.
If you enjoy it: 1 tablespoon chia seeds + about 500 mL water. Soak at least 20–30 minutes, or overnight. Drink gradually. If it causes bloating, reduce the amount and build up slowly. It provides fluid together with soluble fibre.
Continue it. Movement, fresh air, daylight, stress reduction and a consistent routine.
Spread water across the day rather than waiting until you are thirsty. Aim for about 2–2.5 litres of fluids per day, mostly water. Increase when sweating more, exercising or spending significant time outdoors.
| Time | Hydration |
|---|---|
| On waking | 300–500 mL |
| Morning | 300–500 mL |
| With/around lunch | 300–500 mL |
| Afternoon | 400–500 mL |
| Early evening | 300–500 mL |
| After dinner | Small amounts as needed |
Include these regularly rather than relying on supplements: beans, moi moi, plantain, banana, avocado, orange, tomatoes, leafy green vegetables, potatoes/yam, fish, yogurt. The meal plan rotates several of them through the week.
You don't need to weigh every meal. Use your hand.
About 1–2 palm-sized portions at lunch and dinner: fish, chicken, eggs, beans, moi moi. When beans or moi moi is the main protein, use a generous serving, not a small side.
At least 1–2 fists of vegetables/salad with lunch and dinner.
About 1 cupped hand of cooked rice, yam, plantain or other starch as a starting point. Increase if still hungry or very active.
Because your breakfast options are limited, we're not creating unnecessary variety. Variety comes from distributing the foods you can reliably access across the week.
You don't need a different meal every day. Rotate the foods already available to you.
Yogurt 3–4 times a week, preferably with fruit as a snack. Homemade isn't needed; a commercial yogurt works. Choose lower added sugar where possible.
| Nutrient | Food sources |
|---|---|
| Protein | Fish, eggs, beans, moi moi, chicken |
| Iron | Beans, leafy vegetables, fish, eggs |
| B12 | Fish, eggs, chicken, yogurt |
| Folate | Beans, moi moi, leafy vegetables, avocado |
| B6 | Fish, banana, beans |
| Copper | Beans, nuts/seeds, vegetables |
| Zinc | Fish, eggs, beans, pumpkin seeds |
| Magnesium | Pumpkin seeds, beans, leafy vegetables, chia, groundnuts, avocado |
| Vitamin C | Oranges and other fruits/vegetables |
Because of the cramps, build magnesium-rich foods into your normal diet rather than reaching straight for supplements. Aim for 2–3 magnesium-rich foods most days: pumpkin seeds, beans, moi moi, groundnuts, cashews, leafy greens, chia, avocado.
Bedtime option: if genuinely hungry before bed, a small handful of pumpkin seeds.
Don't assume every cramp is caused by magnesium. Track each episode in your journal so we can spot a pattern:
Keep building the diet around beans, moi moi, vegetables, salad, fruits, chia, whole-food carbohydrates and yogurt if tolerated. They provide fibre and a broader range of nutrients that support the gut environment.
Continue it if you tolerate it well. Keep it moderate rather than very concentrated. If making it yourself, prepare smaller batches and store them properly rather than keeping a homemade batch for long.
For the first five days of every month: scent leaf + lemongrass wellness tea. Prepare as a simple herbal tea as part of your normal wellness routine.
We're not forcing a perfect schedule immediately.
Reduce phone use and work/study stimulation, begin winding down, prepare for sleep.
At least 7 hours. Once that's consistent, we gradually improve duration and quality. The goal is to trend upward, not to be perfect overnight.
Every day, create at least 10 minutes of intentional recovery. Choose one: quiet walking, prayer, breathing exercises, stretching, sitting outdoors, journaling, music, or quiet reflection. This is part of your health routine, not something for stressful days only.
One small notebook or a dedicated section in your phone. Track four things.
Date, time, location, duration and possible triggers.
Each time you take medication: date, name, reason, duration, dose where known. Especially important given your history of repeated medication use.
Date, symptoms, whether tested, result, medication taken, whether the full course was completed, whether symptoms improved. Whenever possible, test before starting another antimalarial rather than assuming every headache, body pain or fever is malaria.
For reflux, bloating or other digestive symptoms: what you ate, approximate time, the symptom, and how long after eating it began. Useful information without unnecessarily eliminating foods.
The objective is to reduce mosquito exposure and unnecessary repeated medication use, while making sure genuine malaria episodes are treated appropriately.
Unless new symptoms arise, the next round can focus on:
Monitor the WBC/ANC trend and confirm counts remain stable.
Creatinine, eGFR, urea, sodium, potassium and other electrolytes as appropriate. Consider urine protein/albumin as part of a fuller kidney review.
TSH, Free T4, Free T3.
We don't need to repeat every test every quarter if there's no clinical reason.
Eat consistently. Hydrate consistently. Move consistently. Sleep progressively better. Track what happens.
We're using the next 12 weeks to build a stronger nutritional and lifestyle foundation while watching the areas that need follow-up, rather than changing everything at once.