AT the front door of Alchemy in Ubud, Bali, there's a large fridge with bottles of kombucha and plant-based health tonics. Near the cashier are rows of breakfast smoothies, a variety of fresh fruit and nut mixes.
The vegetables are served either raw or lightly heated to preserve most of their nutrients.
The savoury menu is extensive, made up of creative ways to serve more plants on your plate, with absolutely no trace of animal products. No meat, no chicken, no fish, no eggs, not even dairy. Everything served in this cafe used to have roots, or are roots themselves.
Five years ago, I could not have imagined entering such an eatery on a sunny morning during my holiday. But in the past few years, much to my own surprise, I have dabbled and transitioned to a more plant-based diet.
This isn't to say I have forsaken meat and dairy altogether. If I'm at my parents' house, I would have my mum's world-famous kari tulang.
If I'm travelling, I'm not that fussy either. Sometimes, I'll crave a good steak. And who could say no to the occasional ikan bakar for lunch?
But my consumption of animals has fallen dramatically over the past three years. These days, I eat meat, chicken or fish only two to three times a week.
The transition has been gradual, with no specific pressure or feeling of deprivation. Rather, it is about re-educating myself about conscious eating, why we eat what we do and what impact food has on our lives. This information has made the change very natural and easy.
Unlike a few years ago when I began, plant-based diets have grown in popularity in Malaysia. In Kuala Lumpur, you can find a lot of modern vegan restaurants with creative dishes to entice your taste buds.
Grocery stores now have meat substitutes, from vegan burger patties to vegan cheese. The Internet is littered with thousands of vegetarian recipes.
There are documentaries highlighting veganism as the better choice for health and the environment. Have you seen Game Changers on Netflix? That documentary is the reason why many of my male friends wanted to go vegan - because Arnold Schwarzenegger told them it works.
Other shows highlight the unsustainable fishing industry, and how modern dairy farming and chicken production are no longer as healthy as they used to be.
There is a huge amount of information for you to read, so you can educate yourself and make conscious choices in a plant-based lifestyle.
DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Eating is cultural. How we eat is influenced by how we were raised. Growing up in a Malay household meant that although vegetables were a constant feature, they were hardly the mainstay of a meal.
During tough times like war, meat was considered a luxury, so perhaps these days, we feel compelled to eat as much meat, chicken and fish as we can because it feels like a privilege.
In college, hot dogs were my staple because they were cheap, flavourful and easy to cook. Meals with vegetables were, for me at that time, bland, soggy, sad and boring. In my early 20s, I was always tired, bloated, suffered from major acne, and even acquired Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
But as I approached my late 20s, I became aware of my family's long history of lifestyle illnesses and was intrigued by a more holistic approach to wellness.
Is food a major pillar of our health and happiness? After all, biologically, food is fuel, and so how can we control our consumption to ensure that it benefits us instead of the other way round?
Of course, I was initially very sceptical about the idea of eating less meat or cutting it out altogether. How on earth can you live on mostly plant-based food? How can anything be tasty without animal fat, or cheese or chicken?
This is perhaps normal for my friends of specific faiths that forbid animal consumption, but for me, a girl who grew up around hamburgers, fried fish and gulai ayam, that concept sounded incomprehensible.
But the science is undeniable; we eat more meat than our bodies need, mass-produced animal products are no longer as healthy as they used to be, and studies have shown that a plant-based diet may help in addressing symptoms of bad skin (I was immediately intrigued) and even autoimmune diseases.
In addition, this way of eating adds more fibre and nutrition to your diet, making your gut healthier which, in turn, gives you better overall health. All these made me deeply curious and eventually, I opted for the "try everything" approach.
I decided to give it a shot, make little realistic shifts here and there, and see where it led me.
REDUCED PERCENTAGE
A few months into adding more plants on my plate, I have reduced my visceral fat (according to both my scale and health screening results). My bad acne episodes are a thing of the past, I rarely fall sick, and I feel more energetic than I ever did in my 20s.
You'll see a lot of arguments and counter-arguments about plant-based diets. Although there are pros and cons, I'd have to say that from my own personal experience, I've only benefited from it.
Was it easy to reduce animal consumption dramatically and eat more plants? Not at first, but once you get into the mindset and habit, it feels almost natural.
Like any change of habit, it requires determination, and there was a great deal of experimentation going on in my kitchen in the first year to find the right balance and taste. I used to believe that french fries and ice cream were vegan too, but that didn't mean they were healthy.
Focusing less on the label (vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, etc.) and more on conscious eating (what are my sources of carbs, protein or fibre? Is that amount of meat per week really necessary?) has allowed me to really enjoy the transition to a plant-based diet.
Sustaining this lifestyle becomes even easier when I can see and feel the difference in overall health and energy levels. I never want to go back to eating that much meat as I did in the past.
The older I get, the more I understand that health is the ultimate wealth. You get to do more in life when you're in your best form. You get to be there for the people you love and days are better when you know that you have consciously made the shift to be healthier.
Perhaps this reflection of my experience, transitioning to a more plant-based diet, is a reminder that there is always room to learn when it comes to improving our health.
If you have doubts, consult an expert, like your doctor or nutritionist. Read about it and be informed. Be open to change.
Sometimes, something sounds unfamiliar and may feel almost impossible to do. But if we muster enough determination to better ourselves and make some changes, that shift will not be so hard.
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