As a Vegetarian, and now a Vegan, i get asked this a lot – mostly by my family members, but also from other people when they find out about my lifestyle choice.

I don’t normally post about about vegetarianism/veganism because you don’t have to be either if you practice yoga…you can eat meat if you want to and still practice yoga…nothing bad will happen to you!

The change happens i guess once you start getting serious about yoga, about your practice, about the philosophy….and yoga stops being merely something we “do” and becomes part of us – of who we are.

In a previous post, i talked about the 8 Limbs of Yoga, and if you remember, one of the limbs, the Yamas, mentions Ahimsa – non-harming, non-violence towards others – and by that we mean ANY being. 

I wasn’t always vegan or vegetarian…there was a time where i did eat meat, and lots of it. It all started at the age of 18 when i became vegetarian, and then recently, a few months ago, i took the final step and became vegan. It was a very natural and gradual progression, it was never forced. So what do i eat then, if i’m no longer eating meat and fish and dairy?  I’ll tell you what….the world opens up, you discover foods you didn’t even know about: tempeh, seitan, tofu, spirulina, chlorella, soy/hemp/almond/hazenut/rice milk just to name a few. And you become a bit more adventurous with your grains, pulses & veggies and with your combinations and use of condiments and herbs. 

Pasta {normal, kamut, farro etc}, rice {white, brown, black, red, etc}, pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans {all kinds}), potatoes {normal & sweet}, all vegetables {the list is way too long}, fruits and nuts, breads.

Life as you know it doesn’t end, you won’t starve or deprive your body of protein or minerals, you are simply being more aware about what you are putting into your body, and that’s def a good thing. Let’s not forget the animals, who are treated terribly and kept in horrifying conditions….to then meet a cruel death. 

If you are thinking bout becoming vegetarian or vegan – do your research, inform yourself – any decision you make should be an educated and well informed one. 

The following websites are a great place to start to get all your information: http://vegankit.com, http://www.happycow.net/vegan_diet.html, http://www.ordinaryvegan.net, http://www.veganoutreach.org/, http://www.happycow.net/vegan_nutrition101.html, http://www.happycow.net/vegan_nutrition.html, http://www.happycow.net/l_vegan.html, http://www.sunwarrior.com/news/, http://veganstreet.com, http://www.mindbodygreen.com

Here’s Ordinary Vegan’s Top 5 Sources of Vegan Protein and 23 Ways to Rock Your Vegan BBQ + Healthy Food Substitutes for a Vegan or Vegetarian Lifestyle and this i really wanna try to make Golden Turmeric Milk – Turmeric (Curcuma) has many health benefits!

If i come across any other interesting website, i’ll keep adding them on here, so check back from time to time for any updates 🙂

Did you know they were Vegetarian? and these celebrities too: http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html

So if you’re wondering where do vegetarians/vegans get their protein, here are some nice visuals of plant-based sources of Protein (and one on Iron) 🙂

 OK this one’s not about Protein, but still useful and good to know 😉