Vannakkam: I was raised on a western mixed farm, and didn't even hear of vegetarianism until I was 17 or so ... maybe older. So I too was addicted to meat. Mostly beef, but everything else too. So perhaps my testimony will help. I have no doubt that I ate more meat then than you do now. It was very much a staple, and some people would eat only meat at some meals ... like nothing more than a steak ... push the veggies to the side.
Some friends were experimenting with it, so being an experimenter myself, and not that stupid about metabolic rates, time it takes for medicine to take full effect, etc., I took a personal vow ... just as an experiment ... for one month. (This was a couple of years before I encountered Hinduism) I tried to watch how I felt. And guess what? I felt a lot better ... lighter, my digestive system was less clogged, more spiritual, and less moody. So from personal experimentation, I became a vegetarian. Only later did my wife and I read a lot of books on it. So why don't you try it for a month? See how you feel.
As far as substitutes go, beans and dals are your best bet, given you're already on an Indian diet, and some of the substitute things most likely aren't available there. So just make sure you eat more of those.
Another subconscious trick it to always substitute the word 'flesh' for meat.
Aum Namasivaya
Bookmarks