In Mexico, we are mostly carnivores. Tacos have 3 ingredients: Tortilla, meat, and salsa. And specially in the north, carnes asadas are a weekly ritual. There is no escape from meat. My mom cooked it everyday and veggies were only a tiny side.

I enjoy the flavor of cooked meats. I love when family or friends invite me to hamburgers or barbecue cookouts. I love burritos. I love tacos, who doesn’t? But I don’t like how heavy my stomach feels after consuming it. I don’t like the way humanity slaughters animals on an industrial scale. And I don’t like how most meat is full of antibiotics, colorants and other chemicals. Trust me, I owned a restaurant for 10 years, I know all the dirty little secrets of the meat industry.

So over the last few years, I’ve been trying to eat less animal products. But it is really hard to escape it. Especially because it’s been a lifelong habit. I just do the best I can. I try to, as New York Times best-selling author Michael Pollan famously coined, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

I do my best to eat a variety of foods that include nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, rice, vegetables, and fruits. I want to live a long and healthy life, and the Yogi philosophy teaches that one way to increase my chances of doing so, is to reduce consumption of meat. Why? Because it is unhygienic. Just watch some videos on how cows, pigs, and chickens are raised. It’s disgusting.

But again, if you grew up eating meat, it will be really hard to stop eating it. Even, when you are aware of the industry’s practices. Take it seriously, but not too much. If someone invites you to their home and cooks for you, eat it. Don’t be rude. Adapt to what’s in front of you. Your stomach is resilient. And, let other people eat whatever they want.

Above all, regardless of what you eat, chew it well. Chew it until it dissolves in your mouth. Don’t just swallow big pieces of food. Saliva plays a crucial role in digestion. Your stomach will have a hard time digesting big chunks of food.

"It is not what you eat,” Yogi Ramacharaka remarks, “but the amount that you assimilate, that nourishes you.”

And to assimilate, you must masticate that food thoroughly. Extract the maximum amount of nourishment from the minimum amount of food. Chew it slowly. Chew it mindfully. Chew it properly. Savor every bite.