I often find myself questioning whether reading books actually teaches me anything, or if it’s simply another form of entertainment—albeit a rather poor one at times. But every so often, something I’ve read will unexpectedly stick with me, making all the difference. When I was your age, I, too, developed the habit of reading, and back then, there was one author who reigned supreme in the world of novels. In one of his books, he mentioned that even in the most unfortunate situations—say, an accident—you can learn valuable lessons, like how following traffic rules can make a difference. I’ve never forgotten that quote—except, of course, when I’m behind the wheel. Now, you might wonder how this connects to what I’m about to say. You might even argue it’s a classic case of finding patterns in everything. But honestly, what you think doesn’t matter here, its my blog; what I think is the only thing that counts.
Four months ago, on an unfortunate day, I found myself visiting the GP for what seemed like a trivial illness—a mild fever and a cold. Whenever I catch a cold, it tends to drag on for 10 to 15 days, which feels like an eternity. I was hoping the GP would offer some magic cure to speed things up. She assured me to cure the cold within two weeks with no medication. As a bonus, she decided to check my blood pressure. The first time the monitor started running, it shot up like my electricity bill, quickly exceeding the limit and flashing an “E” for error. I thought it meant infinity, but she calmly reassured me it was likely a malfunction and made some adjustments to take the reading again. But the machine, perhaps sensing the change, started running again, only to stop once more after hitting infinity. The GP, frustrated with the device’s refusal to cooperate, tried to tame it. She yanked at the wires, shook the machine a couple of times, and adjusted it further. Finally, the device, exhausted by the ordeal, settled at 165/105.
Looking at the reading, the GP’s concern was clear. But we’d already spent 8 minutes of our 10-minute appointment wrestling with that machine. Sensing her dilemma, I decided to intervene. I mentioned that I had a family history of high blood pressure and that I was quite familiar with blood pressure monitors. I offered to track my blood pressure every day for the next two weeks and return for further analysis. She seemed relieved and let me go without any more fuss. On the way home, I cursed myself for making such a big deal of this common cold. It was still there, so had to keep blowing it, but also blew it out of proportion this time. As it turns out, this treasure of high blood pressure is our family friend, everyone shares it. A decade ago, another GP had caught it during a routine checkup and placed me under 24-hour surveillance. Fortunately, I stayed just below the 130/90 threshold, narrowly avoiding medication. Then I bought a blood pressure monitor and became obsessed with it for a while. But the wildly fluctuating readings drove me crazy, don't really like anything or anyone—that changes its mind constantly. When my kids stole the batteries for their remote car, it made me feel very relaxed, with a feeling of BP going down substantially down! From then, I successfully avoided having my blood pressure tested in any setting, thereby managing to keep it in check. But, as they say, no good lasts forever.
In a series of unfortunate events, I found myself watching a Netflix series called You Are What You Eat a week ago. The show, with its vegan agenda, followed a fascinating experiment involving identical twins—one of whom went vegan, while the other maintained a regular diet. It tracked the effects of 8 weeks of plant-based living. The series discussed the dangers of antibiotics in the poultry industry, which made me feel sympathetic toward chickens. I didn't say 'who cares about the chickens given our own rampant use of antibiotics in humans?'. Then they went after farmed fish, revealing their heavily processed diets and the use of artificial colors to mimic the wild varieties. That stung a bit, considering my tendency to buy wild-caught Pacific salmon—at twice the price over Atlantic salmon. But the real kicker came when it revealed the dark secrets of the dairy industry. That’s when I totally submitted myself! Finally, someone was not just bashing the poor meat-eaters, it would be disrespectful not to listen to them.
But going vegan from a strict non-vegetarian diet is like changing religions. I couldn’t walk around with my head held high in society if I made such a drastic change because of my poor health. However, I have run out of options to tame that rebellious blood pressure monitor. Following this sacred vegan diet for 8 weeks felt like a catastrophe waiting to happen. I am stepping into this storm of clouds and rain, but if I played my cards right, I could use it to escape from the radar. That’s when Arjun fell into my trap. After all, I’m your dad, with deeply-rooted Indian values! The trap was simple: I casually mentioned how bad I am at controlling my food habits and how incredible Arjun had been in sticking to a vegetarian diet for two years, despite intense maternal pressure. He grew an inch taller in pride, gleaming with glee. I pushed on, claiming that I could outdo him in self-discipline by going vegan for three months—if I only had the right motivation. The others quickly chimed in, claiming I was all talk and no action. Arjun joined in as well, eager to settle an unrelated score with me. That’s when I threw out the perfect bait: I challenged him to become a non-vegetarian if I succeeded in being vegan for three months. Arjun, ever the sharp one, hesitated for a moment, but then, swept up in the excitement to take the challenge. The others joined in, confident they would win either way. Finally, Arjun had taken the bait, and I had my perfect excuse to experiment with veganism—and, more importantly, to break Arjun’s two-year streak of discipline and out perform him.
When I was younger, one of my aunts used to call me a leech. I’m not sure which one she hated more, but she certainly studied me well. It’s a bit hard for me to let go of things I latch onto. That trait came in handy when it came to my vegan experiment. Chicken, fish, and eggs didn’t stand a chance. But my morning coffee? That was a different story. Milk was off the table, and soy milk? Well, that was an abomination—I would’ve preferred high blood pressure over that any day. I tried almond milk and coconut milk, but none of them made my coffee worth drinking. Finally, I found oat milk, which was surprisingly good, perhaps because I was no longer comparing it to my original milk-based coffee. Once that hurdle was cleared, everything else became easier, as long as I ignored the occasional traces of ghee that would make its way into my food without Arjun's knowledge. Not that I like it or need it, but I can't make people change their way of cooking always! I continued my vegan journey, travelling with my head held high, impressed with my newfound self-control. It felt surreal. My blood pressure had dropped considerably. I used my free private insurance to get a comprehensive check-up, ticking off all the boxes for the tests. While the Netflix series had certainly influenced me, I knew that it wasn’t just the veganism that helped—it was the broader lifestyle changes that came along with it. I gave it a grand send-off by finishing a sub two hours half marathon. I was in the best shape I’d been in for years, with my vegan run proving substantially better than chicken run!
After four months of my vegan experiment, I returned to my “normal” life—but it wasn’t the same as before. That old unhealthy lifestyle could never return. An hour or two of exercise became my new norm. Junk food felt more like medicine than a treat. Alcohol was only allowed in good company. And I made an oath to continue my veganism for one month every year, just to remember the lessons it taught me. I think I was probably a bit drunk that day, so may not take it very seriously!
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PS: This was written long back, sometime in May 2024, but I got so busy with my active life that I just forgot to publish it!
