Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) leader Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi says the lifestyle changes he had to make for more than five decades contributed towards him turning 90.
He has been diabetic for more that 50 years and was later diagnosed with gout.
In an exclusive interview with SABC News in Parliament, Buthelezi shared one of the moments when he had to give up red meat to beat gout, soon after he had to make lifestyle changes to beat diabetes.
He says when he was diagnosed with gout, he was told to stop eating red meat.
He says: “In the African society red meat is the only thing that’s considered to be food. So it was very difficult for me to do so. I then decided to switch to lamb. I decided that lamb was not red meat but when I slept at night my big toe, which indicates gout, tingled, lamb was telling me that it too was red meat.”
“I think that might have contributed to my health because then I was confined to white meat only, that is chicken and fish, and vegetables.”
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