3 things that happened when I, a hardcore Punjabi, gave up non-vegetarian food

 

My name is Kohli…Kohli, not from the epiglottis, but straight from the heart. Because that's where we Punjabis operate from. Apart from fulfilling some serious Punjabi stereotypes such as going balle balle every time there's a reason to celebrate and not partying without those Patiala pegs, I also happen(ed) to swear by the go-to dish for every Punjabi--chicken everything.

Chicken tikka, butter chicken, roasted chicken, Afghani chicken, chicken hariyali. No, I am not typing out the menu of some famous chicken joint. I am just mentioning some of my favourite dishes that also happen(ed) to be a part of my daily diet, up until the day the spiritual Punjabi in me took over the foodie Punjabi, and I decided to visit the gurudwara every day and give up alcohol and non-vegeterian food.

Also read: I don't need those Patiala pegs to have fun. I'm fun enough sober.

Here's are the changes I noticed in myself when I gave up my ultimate weak spot when it comes to food:

For Starters, I Learnt The Virtue of Self Control
Yes, Punjabis love chicken, but Punjabis also have friends, who may or may not be as kind-hearted as they are. So, when some not-so-kind friends would walk around with a leg piece dipped in pudina chatni in front of me while I was on a spiritual-cum-dietary cleanse, it would evoke past memories and remind me of the sumptuous taste and the feel of the juicy chicken melting in my mouth.

Blame it on the circumstances or just the lack of chicken in my system, I made the not-so-wise decision of ditching my carnivorous friends and finding new company in vegetarians, only to realize how wrong I was. Because hanging out with them also meant visiting hep places, where waiters would carry a tray full of those bright-yellow crispy chicken nuggets or pizza decorated with zesty chicken chunks, right past me, throwing me back into the memorabilia of my good-old non-veg days.

But, then struck the realization that I was losing out on food and well, some very close friends. Hence, I started giving more importance to practicing self-control. It began by turning a blind eye to those chicken-chunks-laden plates on the surrounding tables and progressed to being able to look at that friend sitting right across the table with a chicken lollipop in her hand without any lust in my eyes (of course for the chicken).  After three months of practice, I am now at a point where chicken excites me, but not to the level that it can make me break my resolve.

Also read: I live for butter chicken and hell, Navratri is the toughest time of the year for me.

Wanna Know The Best Part? I Frickin' Lost Weight
They say hard work always pays. And mine paid off too. Practicing self-control didn't make me lose friends, but it most definitely made me lose something that I will never regret losing. Yes, I lost almost five pounds in just two months--without any exercise or diet, mind it. Maybe this was my consolation price for giving up on my favourite food. But never did I expect this in return.

Initially, I thought it could be all because of shunning masala tikkas and fried nuggets. But, my curiosity prompted me to delve further and so I came across a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that revealed that turning vegetarian can lead to weight loss even if shedding pounds isn't the original goal for going green. After all my doubts were cleared, I also got to know that going meat-less can lower risk of heart diseases and cholesterol.

But There Was Something That I Stopped Losing, After All
I am talking about my temper.

From the person who would respond to a 'what if..?' in a tricky situation with an intensely angry 'no if no but, only jatt' to turning into a person whose motto in life became, 'keep calm and bolo ta ra ra ra'; giving up non-veg helped me become calmer and less aggressive in life.

If you think that these are just my assumptions and that these claims hold no basis, you can check out this study conducted at Arizona State University that showed omnivores who went meatless felt better emotionally.

And well, if you still don't believe me, try it yourself and witness the change.