Ever since the pandemic set in, all of us youngsters were clueless and disoriented as to what to do next.
An entire year that is 2020 we were all in our homes glued to our laptop screens. Work from home had gone on a full swing mode with no physical interactions and whatsoever. We were hardly stepping out unless it was very necessary or wanting to catch a breath of fresh air to get away from the boring and monotonous routine.
The year 2020 was hard on all of us as the second wave hit us hard. Mental health became a big talking point as many were unable to cope with burnout and huge turmoil that the world was going through. Many individuals fell prey to high level of stress, anxiety and issues which were out of control for them to handle by themselves.
10 months back in March 2021, when the world was trying to stay afloat in the pandemic, I also made a decision regarding my lifestyle and how I wanted to be going forward. While it is important to work on our mental wellbeing, it is equally important that we keep ourselves healthy from all fronts and that includes what we eat and how we remain fit.
I was feeling quite low and lethargic quite often and would always wonder despite doing the simple and basic walking exercise my body wasn’t really shaping up. Milk was always a problem for me as I had Lactose intolerance. One evening in March I met up with a friend and he suggested that I should try being Vegan. Initially I felt a little vary when he told me to make that change, but as I was heading back home I decided to take up the challenge.
Vegan – the new lifestyle change
That very night precisely 21st March, 2021 I told my folks at home that I am turning Vegan. It was an instant decision and kept at it with full vigor and commitment. Turning Vegan meant cutting off all dairy products including curd. I started following a basic diet on a weekly basis along with doing intermittent fasting for 14 hours. I wasn’t just turning Vegan, I had also decided to fast which basically means I am eating only two meals in a day.
5 reasons why I turned Vegan
- Be Healthy – One of the important reasons was to look fit and healthy. I was feeling a lot of heaviness in the body and many days I would not be able to focus on the important things at work. One critical reason for changing my lifestyle, is cutting off all dairy products. My weight and overall physic I was not able to maintain. The moment I cut off milk and other products, I started toning down and looking slimmer and a flat stomach. I was having a lot of bloating issues in the stomach due to over usage of milk.
- Changing Habits – One key motivator for me was focusing on having good habits. After I had made up my mind about moving to a vegan diet, I knew I had to start with a certain routine which would help me maintain myself. The immediate change was starting Intermittent fasting for 14 hours. It was a big change for me and helped me become stricter with myself. I started following a fixed routine for a couple of months.
- Moving to Plant based diets. – Since I had cut off from dairy products, I needed a substitute for them. Not having any milk was not an option. I found many different plant based products which were suiting me. I zeroed in on Almond milk but I was also vary of the sugar intake It had. So I filtered myself and made sure I did not overdo the quantities. Tofu is another item which I could use instead of Paneer and made my life simpler and convenient to get and consume on a regular basis. Having an alternate to curd was also a critical to maintain my diet. Shifting to Peanut Curd solved that problem.
- Veganism is trending – I am a very experimental kind of person. I like trying new things, new cuisines and various other items. This was no different. Once I take on a challenge, I stick to it. My first 4 months was quite smooth. I ate my regular food just changed a few items in my diet to make it more vegan friendly and health conscious. Once I got comfortable with the idea and diet, I slowly experimented with my meals and started eating lot more green vegetables and increased my nuts and fruit intake.
- Lifestyle – Turning vegan was not only to remain in shape but it is also a lifestyle choice you make. Earlier veganism was not been given too much preference in comparison to veg and non- vegetarians. The common audience are slowly accepting it and realizing it is here to stay and has become a very important topic in social circles and in the news. Groups like Peta are encouraging people to reduce animal-based products and move to plant based foods. A lot of celebrities have turned vegan.
Being committed and following a strict routine is critical to a better healthy lifestyle.
Through this approach, I have become more conscious of what I eat and how I keep myself fit. It has helped me become a better person and made me value myself more. I have become committed to the cause and I have put a strict no no for dairy products in my routine. Over the 10 months that I have been doing this, I reduced my weight by 4 kilos. It was a major achievement for me.
I will continue this diet and maintain myself and recommend that one must take care of their health from all quarters.
I hope you enjoyed reading my journey and do share your vegan story and what made you take it up.