A Vegetarian For 22 Years - Shivani Ray (1)

Shivani Ray: Hi! I am Shivani Ray, I am 22, I was raised vegetarian and my family has in fact been vegetarian four generations now. We believe in the principle called Ahimsa, nonviolence; which basically means don't hurt anything unless you absolutely have to. I have stayed vegetarian for the health benefits and for environmental reasons. I had heard for a while that it was beneficial to reduce or eliminate dairy from ones diet, I was speaking about this with my god mother who is vegetarian macrobiotic and one of the healthiest people that I know. She finally inspired me to do it, so I reduced my dairy intake. By about 70% I found that I automatically lost some weight, my skin was clear, I had fewer allergies and I had a lot more energy. I get my protein from tofle beans lentils and nuts, I know that it's enough because I feel full and energized when I am done eating.

I have a pretty busy schedule which means that I eat lots of rice, soups, and salads. One thing that I really like to make when I don't have a lot of time is khichdi. Khichdi is lentils and rice with spices added in and vegetables. I like to add peas, carrots, green beans. You put the whole mix into the rice cooker for 20 minutes, it's delicious and it's a complete meal and I found out that an 'Ayurveda' which is traditional Indian medicine, khichdi is used for detoxing the body and for energizing it.

Being vegetarian is right for me because they believe in the sacredness of life. I don't want to contribute to the ongoing environmental destruction that's the result of meat production. Also, I have heard that vegetarians live on average two years longer and I have a lot of things I want to do in those two years.

Female Speaker: To learn more about the natural living lifestyle get a copy of the beginners guide to natural living at your local health food store or amazon.com.


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