Acid reflux and vegetarianism

Acid reflux adds to the list of false friends among fruits and vegetables.

Acidic foods, such as oranges and tomatoes, and cruciferous vegetables, such as onions, cauliflower, broccoli, and spinach, are said to promote acid reflux.

I've already been told that drinks with caffeine (masala chai, cafe au lait), fruit juices, soda, and milk may also promote acid reflux.

It was just a day or two ago when I said I couldn't give up milk, because I take it in my coffee. Now, I have to seriously consider what to do. I feel like I am a crossroads with the food that I can eat.

For the rest of the day, I am going to contemplate the likelihood of having to make a real list of food and drinks that I can responsibly eat.

I think I'm going to end up with a short list.

Global worming

Drinking raw vegetable or fruit juice

Be careful when drinking raw vegetable or fruit juice. I know it's trendy, but even from a trustworthy, "established" franchise, one must proceed with caution.

At a very nice restaurant this morning, I found a little worm floating at the top of my watermelon juice.

Because I've regularly drank watermelon juice before at this restaurant, I'm going to have to start a cleanse program today. (Yesterday, my GI system was really all out of sorts, more so than normal, considering my acid reflux, that I saw an ayurvedic doctor.)

How embarassing to have to write this, but I want other people to know what it is really like to experiment with becoming veg.

Lesson: if you are eating raw food at home, make sure your thoroughly inspect, wash, and cook your fuits and vegetables. If you are eating out, try to eat only cooked fruits and vegetables.

The Valley of the Dahls

Dahls can be like beans. Eat with care.

I am finding my new vegeterian diet to be an experience in self-discipline.

Just because you taste a bowl of dahl, and you find it wonderful, it doesn't mean you can pig out on it and 3 buttered naan. You will pay for it later.

Don't overdo one vegetable over another. Balance and moderation are key to eating a healthy diet, especially when your diet is vegeterian.

My biggest challenge is controlling how much of what I eat.

It was, when I was non-veg, and it still will be, now that I am experimenting with being veg.

False veg friends

My Ayurvedic Doctor said just because fast food can be made from vegetables, and pickles and potatoes are vegeterian, doesn't mean I should eat them. They are all false friends.

I can't justify eating fast food, even if it is completely vegeterian, my new ayurvedic doctor told me today. Likewise: veg pickles and anything with potatoes are now unwelcome vegetables in my diet.

If you are making a switch to a vegeterian diet, you must be sure to consult with a doctor or a dietician, who can help you with the adjustments that your body is going to make.

Just because somebody puts vegetables on your plate, it doesn't make it O.K. Make sure that they are the right vegetables.

Guilt over one bite of chicken

Don't keep non-veg food in your refrigerator.

Today would have been 3 whole weeks of having become a naan-veg, but of course I went trolling in the refrigerator last night before I went to bed. And of course, I saw some left over chicken, which my dinner guests didn't finish eating from Sunday night. And of course, I told myself, "What would one bite hurt?"

Well, I now feel guilty. Actually, I feel disappointed in myself. Like, I had started this experiment with vegeterianism based on a strong enough belief that I did it for almost 3 whole weeks in a row.

Why was I so quick to discount my beliefs just for one taste of 3 day old chicken left overs ?

The reality is : I had not made a strong enough commitment to my experiment with vegeterianism. I shouldn't have been serving non-veg food to my dinner guests, and I should not keep non-veg food in my refrigerator.

Let's see how well I fare going forward, now that I have learned two new lessons . . . ?