Over the past several years, I have cut down on my meat consumption. Although, it is easier to do such a thing in India with some restaurants labeling specifically that they are Veg or Non-Veg. In the expat community from the US all you hear is complaints about not having beef. Most of these people would be too scared to eat a samosa from a regular food vendor but they forget that our beef comes from many places besides the US with all sorts of different regulation rules. I don’t miss beef or chicken.

During our first 3 months here, I had a crab curry and that was about the extent of my seafood consumption as well. The crab was good but where the crab comes from matters to me. The water pollution is so horrible here that anything remotely close to the Mumbai shore would not be edible for me. In Sri Lanka, the seafood is fresh and the shrimps are huge.

However, back to beef and chicken. These to meats are staples in the US. We consume pork too. Recent studies have shown the link between processed meats and cancer. The problem with the food chain now is that we have done so many bad things to it that we can’t reverse or stop the disease and squaller that the cows live in. We have genetically altered their bones and fat cells.

While I don’t eat a lot of meat, I still occasionally try the meat dish, I don’t see the hype. Normally, I get the meat sweats. This is a feeling of lathargy accompanied by sweating after consuming a plate of meat. Beef is illegal to produce in Maharashtra so the beef dish is rare. With the changes I have made in my diet, I am not sure that beef would react well with my stomach. I find that meat in general make me feel heavy. It wasn’t until a lesson on the 3 Gunas that any of this made sense of why all this happens. Eating planted-based foods are the best option for feeing lighter and not needing that 2:30pm sugar crash.

I have a relationship with meat that has grown kind of distant since I have started consuming a more vegetarian diet. My sources of protein range from tofu, paneer and lentils. There are many products in the market for diets and plant-based foods. Finding what works for you is the best thing you can do. Stick with it for a while and start making adjustments to your day and style by allowing your body to tell you what makes it function at its best.