Greatly desiring to move towards, and eventually become vegetarian.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste Jai:

My feeling is that any prayer to Lord Śiva can only create benefit!

You wrote about your past veg diet being too carb-heavy, and yes, this will certainly make a vegetarian lifestyle harder, with too much quick energy from sugars and not enough grounding from good fats and proteins. Learning different preparations of vegetables and taking more vegetarian protein foods (like dals and nuts, and curd and paneer if you take dairy) will surely help you succeed. Vitamin B12 is also vital for keeping your spirits high and your mood stable, so it's worth taking a supplement for this important nutrient if you don't eat many B12 foods (e.g., tofu, soymilk, and cheese).

What pleases me most about being vegetarian is that I no longer feel guilty and hypocritical about my meals; I wasted so much energy on stress and worry and feeling bad about myself, but now taking food is simple and even joyful. Instead of focusing on what you are missing, it might help to think about how good you will feel when your deeds align with your wishes and beliefs. I wish you best of luck in your efforts (and am happy to provide recipes and advice if you'd like to PM me).
And one more bit of "food for thought": believing yourself "tongue-tied and stupid" in prayer is perhaps a thought originating with ego, no? We don't laugh at children who are learning to talk or call them fools when they misspeak, and Lord shows us even more compassion. Letting go of that feeling of silliness is a part of trusting surrender to the Divine, and one of the most wondrous aspects of performing pūjā.

Namaste Arjuni...

Thanks for the tips and support.

I've been doing fairly well in starting by eliminating anything with mammary glands from my diet. I had one slip up, for which I kicked myself since I had other options. Old bad habit. I still have chicken but I'll eventually eliminate that and fish. I'm not one that can do it cold turkey; though I really haven't tried, so maybe I am selling myself short. I am beginning to plan and make some meals around rice, pasta, legumes, adding some vegs. I am learning to make biryani. I made it with chicken, but why not just a rice and vegs, and paneer biryani? I had chanda masala the other day. I do have to watch the starch, because it is soooo easy to rely on. Oddly, for someone of my "huskiness" (5' 5", 217 lbs), a peanut butter sandwich (preferably on whole grain), and a glass of milk (whole please, none of that thin watery stuff lol) is really pretty filling for me. I do think I can do this.

And one more bit of "food for thought": believing yourself "tongue-tied and stupid" in prayer is perhaps a thought originating with ego, no? We don't laugh at children who are learning to talk or call them fools when they misspeak, and Lord shows us even more compassion.

So much win in that statement!

I haven't begun my prayer routine to Lord Shiva yet, having just finished a 40 day promise to Maa Lakshmi to do one 108 round of her gayatri every day for those 40 days. I didn't want to have too many irons in the fires, as it were. That is, have my attention divided (I am horribly superstitious... it comes from having Italian grandparents lol).

[c.smith]

Hari Om!

Maybe this will help.

Was on a fruit and milk (only) lifestyle, taking a more satvik approach and trying to steady body and mind. Latest check-up with doctor, she said to get more protein and less fiber. She's Indian and Hindu so she understands the eating habits and reason for such but relied on results from lab for advice.

Initially when thought of protein, went to tofu, nuts, etc. Like them so no issue.

Friend not knowing about the vegetarianism suggested chicken. "How about a nice, hot, crispy chicken sandwich from" such and such fast food place. Quite honestly, just the thought of putting a chicken in my mouth made me sick. Hadn't had that thought in such a long time. Yes, the suggestion had been made by others along the way, but somehow visualizing it this time made me gag! A living creature, something that I have respect and love for. It has a soul. How could I put that in my mouth and EAT it? Just beyond gross.

Something to think about.

Om

[markandeya 108 dasa]

Namaste

From some research I have done, the thing that is addictive in meat is the fats, the fats are addictive, so it can be a process of going cold turkey, for a while. Extremes are not good and can cause health issues, so to supply that addiction it is good to replace those cravings of fats with more healthy fats, coconut oils, organic milk products, cheese, ghee etc, why not fry up some eggplant and pakora, have a heavy Paratha, treat yourself.

Fats also have a calming and grounding effect if taken in right way. Some fats are good for the body too, then when craving is calmed its good to do some cleansing of the body, some fast, maybe fruits for 3 days, for Vaishnavas following ekadasi is good, one can either do full fast, some even do not take water for 24 hour period, I would advise strict fasting should only be done if the inner vibration is at a a certain level or the sheer craving can cause imbalance. Drinking lots of water or liquids in the morning and adapting some foods that will slowly reduce the cravings which fats bring.

It maybe also worth while adjusting our diets to your lifestyle, if its very busy modern life then the body needs more energy, so to much of simple diet will leave one feeling drained, if were less busy or use less mental and physical energy then light foods are good, its good to adjust according to circumstance.

According to Ayurveda as far as I know and some research in science it takes 7 years for the body to have completely new set of cells, so there will be a craving period depending on how much fatty meats was digested. So if one gives up eating meat dont be suprised that there is some craving, but your not craving for dead innocent animals, its a craving for fats, its normal and one can also feel some attraction, but that is where tolerating and developing mind comes in, and that is why Sadhana is very good to help raise the vibration so one can tolerate the urges of mind and senses with a bit more power. And as C.Smith said when one has purified the body the thought and sight and of eating meat just has no attraction at all. So the cravings is for fats, not meat , replace them wisely.

Everything is vibration, the product of meat has gone through a process of violence, many images have shown animals with tears in their eyes and look of fear, they know their fate, they are sentient beings, so at the time of slaughter fear and anxiety is stored in the final product, which is then passed on, along with subtle vibrations of violence that the innocent animal feels that is then passed into ones own vibration and will hamper giving rise to pure feelings of compassion for all living beings.

For some tips on some cooking and seeing food as medicine this page is quite useful

https://www.facebook.com/Ahimsa-Cook...87500/?fref=ts



Pranams

[kaay]

Hello and Namaste,

If you have desire to move towards and eventually become a vegetarian , do so. As everything is in our mind how we perceive things. Vegetarian diets are more healthier than non vegetarian diet. Just by eating the right kind of food we can remain healthy and fit. Eat vegetarian food and heal yourself naturally!

[SuryaVedanta754]

www.vegan.com

has excellent information on transitioning to a vegan diet