My metamorphosis meant that I gave up meat and became a vegetarian. Being of East Indian origin, becoming a vegetarian wasn’t much of a challenge. After all, East Indian cuisine is made up of amazing vegetarian recipes. I also grew up a vegetarian for the first 15 years. This may not be as easy a transition for those who grew up with meat all their lives. So, I understand your dilemma.

My wife is part Scottish and English but an aficionado of Indian cooking, so she was all aboard. Besides, her argument was that there was no way we were making multiple meals in our household! Thankfully, my children also came along for the ride and became vegetarian at least at home. Cooking Indian or other cultural vegetarian meals at home was exciting and embraced by all in my family. Even sharing meals with my extended Indian side of the family was easy! We started experimenting with new recipes using the newly introduced Instant Pot! There are plenty of tasty recipes on the internet to try out and experiment with.

When we visited our non-vegetarian friends and relatives, it would become quite challenging for us as they would insist on serving a variety of meat. To ensure we had something to eat, we started bringing veggie burgers to barbecues and pasta salads to gatherings. Although the processed veggie burgers weren’t the most delicious option, we satisfied our appetites and met our social obligations. A little sacrifice was nothing when our goal was sustained long-term health.

As a vegetarian, I often faced difficulties in finding suitable food options while dining out at non-Indian restaurants. However, the rest of my family had an easier time as they were more open-minded about their food choices outside the home. Despite these challenges, I persevered with my decision to remain a vegetarian and soon began to feel healthier and less bloated. The biggest change I noticed was I no longer craved meat. In fact, it turned me off. I found myself longing for tasty vegetables in every meal. My taste buds must have transformed. There was a clear psychological change as well.

I continued to research nutritional choices and their impact on bodies. The more I researched the more I became convinced to go further and take dairy and eggs out of my food lifestyle. I needed to become a vegan, someone who doesn’t eat meat, dairy, or eggs. All the research pointed to the benefits of eating whole plant-based meals preferably cooked at home. Home-cooked meals tend to have less salt and oil.

Was I ready to finally give up on cheese and milk-based sweets? This was the hardest decision to make and continues to be a hurdle, to this day. I grew up relishing East Indian sweets made up of milk and or ghee – both dairy products. My extended East Indian family celebrated my love of Indian sweets and would take every opportunity to serve me these delights just to watch the smile on my face. How could I explain my quandary to my loved ones and disappoint them on my visits? After all, food is the glue that holds many family bonds together. This is especially true in the Indian culture and I am sure in other cultures as well.

Popular Indian dishes with paneer, creamy sauces, and raita have dairy. Most sweets are made with dairy milk or ghee. Even non-Indian baked sweets have dairy milk, white flour, and sugar! Not the healthiest of choices but boy are they tasty! I realized that the transition to becoming a vegan was a bigger challenge. This is where my conviction was going to be seriously tested. Was I ready?

---

---

Dear reader, If you wish to make a small donation so I can improve this blog and add more value, I would be very obliged. thanks!

---

Interested in Instant Pot for ease of cooking? Here’s a shortcut link:

https://amzn.to/4bPpTLF

---

Replacement omega 3 pills for vegans:

https://amzn.to/3Vvpw3m

---

Amazon e-Gift cards:

https://amzn.to/3yMcENn

---

B12 Supplements for vegans:

https://amzn.to/4aRcguj