I’d heard for a while that it was beneficial to reduce or eliminate dairy from one’s diet. I was speaking about this with my godmother, 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 seventy percent. I found that I automatically lost some weight, my skin was clearer, I had fewer allergies, and I had a lot more energy.

I get my protein from tofu, beans, lentils, and nuts. I know that it’s enough because I feel full and energized when I’m done eating.

I have a pretty busy schedule, which means that I eat lots of stir-fries, 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, and kale. You put the whole mix into the rice cooker for twenty minutes. It’s delicious and it’s a complete meal—and I found out that in ayurveda, which is traditional Indian medicine, khichdi is used in detoxing the body and for energizing it.

Being vegetarian is right for me because I 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’ve heard that vegetarians live, on average, two years longer, and I have a lot of things I want to do in those two years.