I loved ice cream and gulab jamun.
I used to eat them regularly.
I loved coffee and tea with milk and sugar.
I used to have many cups a day.
After my fifth encounter with COVID-19,
I developed lactose intolerance.
I couldn’t eat ice cream or gulab jamun.
I couldn’t drink coffee or tea.
I stopped having ice cream and gulab jamun.
I switched to black coffee and tea.
I hated black coffee and black tea,
so I added almond milk, but it was not like cow’s milk.
But I could drink coffee and tea, and that was a relief.
Soon, the list of dishes that I could eat shrank.
Many of my favourites disappeared from the list:
butter chicken and chicken tikka masala, as they contained cream.
I couldn’t eat anything that contained paneer,
including my favourite paneer butter masala.
I had to ask the chef not to add milk
to mutton or chicken stew whenever I ate out.
Deciding what to eat became a chore,
which I dreaded, as the chefs often
ignored my warnings, causing me trouble.
But I began to eat healthy; salads replaced paneer dishes.
Grilled or baked chicken replaced my favourites.
I completely stopped eating sweets and had fruits instead.
My weight came down and my health improved.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
When you are faced with a problem, work around it.
You will end up with better results.
