Pio, our yoga teacher, is a strict vegetarian. Yup, totally meatless and eggless! And since we began taking yoga under him, he has emphasized, time and again, the benefits to the body of doing away with meat and becoming vegetarian.

EASIER SAID THAN DONE!!!

For all my life, meat has dominated the dining table at home, at restos, at parties, and just about everywhere. I do not recall a single meal that did not have any of the food that a strict vegetarian would consider “BAWAL” (off limits).

To yoga’s credit, somewhere down the road last year, for some reason, I suddenly lost my appetite for certain meat dishes, especially those cooked in artery-clogging cooking oil. That included lechon kawali (deep-fried pork), beef cubes or chunks, and to some extent, even lechon (roasted pig). And to the delight of my mother, who can never erase from her mind the impression that her daughter hates veggies, I have actually began eating more of the greens and even looking for them.

But having carnivore family members at home, it is still very hard to totally erase meat from the table. Guess I can’t expect such drastic changes overnight. But I am hoping that slowly, I can introduce more menus to the kids that have veggies (even if I have to disguise them in whatever way possible). Right now, junk food is definitely OFF my shopping list (and if the kids have a craving, the only way they will get them is to buy these with their allowance). And ON my list are health foods like tofu, yogurt and salad greens.

It is still a struggle and everyday, I have to make a conscious decision about what to pop into my mouth at mealtime. That will be the day when I get to win the “BATTLE of the BAWAL”.