visit the insights shared by dr tripathi during those three weeks were difficult to digest but they did change the opinions of diabetics and nondiabetics alike it wasnt easy to come to terms with the concept of a vegan diet which was the organisa tions principle vegan diets are devoid of all animal based products and include plantbased meals and organic products for the second time since my diagnosis my diet underwent a complete overhaul and there was a lot that i had to adapt to for three weeks i followed this strict diet plan and it was not easy the minimal sugar and oil that i had been consuming over the past 18 months had to be eliminated completely and my craving for anything sweet had to be satisfied by fruits alonegreen smoothies loaded with spinach and mint leaves became the order of the daybreakfast was made with lentils and pulses though the four glasses of smoothies that i consumed kept me full the desire to binge between meals was countered by munching on roasted chickpeas however it wasnt this addition that bothered me as much as the elimination of the few indulgences that the diabetologists and nutritionists had previously given their nod to i had grown up on a non vegetarian diet i still ate a lot of eggs when i married into a hindu household and ate less meat but even eggs were now completely eliminated from my dietmilk in all its forms was banned and while giving up other milkbased products like paneer and cheese werent as difficult the elimination of curd from my diet really got to me eating a bowl of curd post lunch was some thing that i enjoyed with my family now all i could do was watch them eat something that i wasnt permitted to eat it was very difficult but on the other hand i was introduced to a different and new world of food for the first time in 18 months i ate brown rice and it felt like a new lease of life the three weekslong session encouraged me to foray into the world of jowar bajra and other variety of millets i learned to make organic curd dhoklas with plantbased milk and dates replaced sugar in desserts in fact i can now make vegan chocolate icecream to put it simply my purpose in life revolved around substituting all the problematic ingredients in my favorite meals with organic and healthy alternates finally in three weeks i reversed my diabetes in fact my family nibbled on my meals and incorporated some of the foods into their diets as well they are all much healthier now it reflects in their blood reports and were all leading better lives now im often questioned if i miss eating regular processed foods that are a staple of the indian diet and my answer is no the insights provided to us during those three weeks provided enough evidence that the food we normally consume