Astride: "Eating Local is Taking Care of Yourself"

At 45, Astride Raghoonauth has decided to turn the economic crisis caused by inflation into an opportunity to reconnect with her roots. A resident of Curepipe and passionate about her work on an agroecological farm, she has transformed her kitchen into a hub of creativity. At home, a typical dinner is reinvented around a banana peel curry, a papaya fricassee, or even moringa cookies.

Eating local is no longer just a slogan; it’s a survival strategy. "At the market, the price of cassava and sweet potatoes is skyrocketing. It’s better to plant at home," she believes. Serving meat or fish at every meal, once commonplace, has become a weekend luxury.

As animal proteins have become expensive, Astride gently steps back. She allows her children, who still crave that familiar taste of meat or chicken, to lead while knowing that plant-based proteins are her best allies. "At home, we have a motto: sharing. No one should go without. It’s a fundamental value I want to instill in my children because sharing always starts under your own roof."

This change, although forced by rising living costs, has become a driver of health for her: "This economic crisis pushed me to finally practice what I used to tell my children, especially that eating local is taking care of oneself."

"At home, we have a motto: sharing. No one should go without," she states.

Thanks to nutrition training focused on affordable products, she skillfully juggles accessible foods without ever sacrificing balance. Her strength? Meticulous organization. Everything in her home is categorized to avoid unpleasant surprises at the checkout. She adjusts every aspect of her spending to ensure that her children’s activities and schooling remain a priority.

Her easy pleasures of takeout or meal orders two or three times a week have disappeared in favor of homemade meals. While her children sometimes sulk at the absence of meat, Astride turns these moments into educational discussions.

"We learn to do things differently and to appreciate scarcity. Not being excessive is good for our health." The weekend, however, remains a time when she cooks more elaborate dishes to mark a break from the simplicity of the week.

Yet, behind this resilient smile, the fatigue is real. After returning from work, she faces immense mental load balancing her children’s homework, planning meals, and caring for her own parents so they do not endure the economic storm alone. Along with busy days comes the weight of the world, international tensions, and the uncertainty looming over the future.

To cope, Astride relies on autonomy and collective awareness. Her garden has become her food bank, filled with nourishing plants. By involving her entire family in the fight against waste and rigorously planning each menu, she proves that even in the face of high living costs, one can maintain dignity and vitality. For Astride, wealth is no longer measured in imported goods but in roots firmly planted in her yard.