I became a vegetarian about 6 months ago. I did it on a whim and told myself, let me just see how long I can go without eating meat. It was not meant to be any type of commitment to a new eating plan, just a desire to try not eating meat and see how I felt. Here I am six months later and I haven’t eaten any meat, and more surprisingly, I have absolutely no desire to eat animal products at all.
Being in Asia has afforded so many wonderful opportunities to expand my food choices and experiment with new foods I probably never would have eaten before. My body feels stronger and lighter. My mind feels calm and focused. My sleep has improved and my Asana practice as well. There are too many benefits of eating a vegetarian diet to list. When I first started I had no intention of making this a permanent eating habit. Now, 6 months later I have no intention of not making this a permanent lifestyle.
There are a so many different vegetarian choices of food to eat that I have never gotten bored or feel restricted with my food choices. Not eating meat allows me to not have to watch my food consumption too closely. I eat when I am hungry, I eat small portions and I eat frequently throughout the day. This had led my body to become slim, supple and healthy. My skin has a healthy glow.
I supplement my diet only with Vitamin B and I do not feel as if I am missing any vital nutrients. If anything my body has become much healthier and my weight has normalized. In the past I had tried so many other eating patterns, trying desperately (like most women in their mid-30’s) to find a meal plan that keeps me slim, healthy and not feeling deprived or hungry.
Finding my way to vegetarianism took me a long time. Now looking back on this I wonder constantly why I never tried this years ago. Within a few days of cutting meat out of my diet, my body responded so positively that I knew without a doubt that I had finally found the correct lifestyle for me. By not making the drastic change of committing to completely changing my eating habits, I never suffered the mental aspect of feeling like I was depriving myself of anything. Instead of saying to myself ‘I’ll never eat meat again’ I said “I’ll eat meat when my body craves it’. Well that time still hasn’t come and personally, I hope it never does
