The Secret Of Looking Good

Sharon is an old friend of mine. We used to live in Napier both. Then I moved to Wellington and she moved to Auckland. The last time we saw each other was six years ago when I invited her to stay with me in Wellington for a holiday. Now since I have recently moved to Auckland, we are in touch again.

She came to visit me two weeks ago, when I saw her I was very surprised that she looked so good - so good that she actually looked much better than six years ago. She would be in her late thirties but she certainly looked younger than six years ago. Not only age hasn’t left any mark on her face, there was a healthy, shiny glow in her face which was not there before. We know, you can use expensive makeup or have facial surgeries to get rid of wrinkles or hide some marks, but one thing money can’t buy is the natural, radiant glow, as it is from within and is an indication of our inner health. I was a little curious about her ‘secret’ of looking so good; however, we were too busy catching up with each other’s life stories, I didn’t particularly ask how she managed to be so well kept.

Before she left, I said we should have dinner together one of these days and perhaps should have Yum Cha one day. Sharon told me that she is now a vegetarian. It is at that point I suddenly realised that it is no coincidence that she has a transformed image. I realised that her youthful and vibrant look has a lot to do with her vegetarian diet. She’s become a vegetarian for three years. She told me that since she became a vegetarian, she has found more energy and generally feel much better than her non-vegetarian days. She admitted though, the first three months were difficult to adjust such as feeling hungry all the time.

I have been interested in becoming a vegetarian myself but I haven’t done enough research or studies to gain enough knowledge about adopting a balanced vegetarian diet to take this radical step. To me it's a matter of timing and knowledge rather than a matter of yes or no. I know that many people have misconception about vegetarian that it is a nutrition-depriving diet which would compromise our health. I am not too concerned about that because many meat eaters don’t eat a balanced diet either! Junk food seems part of life. Have you noticed that hospitals are full of meat eaters? It is a fact that vegetarians generally suffer less illnesses and live longer. We must be aware that, whatever diet we adopt, always learn and choose the right way rather than the poorly informed way. There is always a smart way to go for anything in life. For example, exercises are good for us. But if we don't do it properly, it can cause injuries and damages to our body. It's how you do it that counts. Sames goes with vegetarian. Vegetarian is not as simple as avoiding meat and have less protein intake. Sharon gave me a few examples on how to achieve a balanced vegetarian diet including mixing seven types of rice together, when to eat garlic and onion and when not to, etc. She said that although each food has its own innate merit, combined together it might be a different story. In short, there is science in how to eat properly, especially for vegetarians.

Although looking good and healthy would be a strong motivator for me to become a vegetarian (one day), another important motivator, however, comes from my inner desire of wanting to be purified. I have a reasonably good fitness level and a well tone body. Weight has never been my problem. Becoming a vegetarian to me certainly is not about becoming slimmer. However, I am starting to feel stronger and stronger that the poison built up in our bodies from careless intake of food are causing harm in our thoughts and awareness which needs a cure. Becoming a vegetarian seems the natural way to go.