The number of people turning vegan is growing rapidly in India Is it that fact that more and more celebrities like; Alia Bhatt, Jacqueline Fernandez, Amitabh Bachchan, Esha Gupta, Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor etc. are turning Vegan? Because anytime a celeb does something different or not traditional it kind of heightens people’s awareness as it gets more coverage. Having said that a celebrity may spark a person to turn Vegan to a certain limit but the question is how long will that last? Is vegan food really that yum to make someone give up what they are used to eating for years? Here’s the answer to all of that.
What Is A Vegan Diet?
A vegan diet means food that is derived from plants and avoids any kind of animal products, including honey. You may say but these are important sources of iron, protein, fats, minerals, and vitamins. So how does a Vegan get all of that?
How to Get Nutrients If You Are Vegan
If the correct nutrients are added to a vegan meal daily, it can meet all nutritional needs that normal food does. Products like nutritional yeast, rice milk, fortified soy are full of Omega 3 fatty acids, similarly, kale, broccoli, sesame, kale, collard greens, almonds have all the calcium needed for the body. Spinach is rich in iron and so are lentils and chickpeas, beans, oatmeal etc. natural sunlight gives one all the vitamin D needed. While black beans, tofu, nuts etc. provide all the necessary proteins. The point is to balance your meals with all the necessary nutrients the body needs.
Is Vegan Food Tasty?
HFT spoke to Reyna K Rupani, who has been a vegan for four years and now actively spreads awareness about going on a healthy vegan lifestyle as the head of SHARAN in Mumbai. SHARAN is an organization spearheaded by Dr. Nandita Shah who doesn’t prescribe any medicines but just changes one’s diet. They are also the ones who organize the Organic Farmer’s Market all across Mumbai.
Reyna says that Vegan food is actually really delicious.”When I first heard about going vegan I was not very sure about it. But when I tasted lasagne with vegan cheese, vegan ice-cream etc after the talk that I attended I was convinced that I could do it!” says Reyna.
She makes almost everything from vegan yogurt to butter, cheese Ice creams and mithai at home. “I have also tried vegan cheesecake pasta and more. The best part is that all the alternatives are easy to make and store. Like vegan curd and cheese stay good in the fridge for 10 days! Butters stay for 3 months and with no preservatives,” informs Reyna
Vegan Alternative For Meat: Mock Meat
Did you know there are Vegan alternatives for meat from Leg pieces, sausages, chaap, rogan josh, Shammi Kabab, etc. all of which are made of soy. It is not only extremely popular but can even fool a carnivore! Shammi Sethi, owner of Rare Earth, the. first and only vegan shop in India spoke to HFT and told us that he thought of starting the store about 10 months back after he suffered some serious health issues and therefore turned vegan. He soon plans to start a mock meat counter with ready to eat products at his store which is located near the Khar station in Mumbai.
Vegan vs Non-Vegan
While there a many who feel that Vegan food does not meet all the nutritional requirements our body needs, Reyna feels that life has become beautiful with Vegan as you know you are living with your values of compassion. She makes her own vegan cheese yogurt butter, ghee, Nutella, oil-free pickles, baked farsans etc. All the products that she makes are Dairy free oils free sugar-free and organic too.
She lost about 17 kilos in 8 months and has never felt fitter ever before. She says, “I am so glad I did as my acidity issues were over and I also lost 17 kilos in 8 months! That was four years ago and I have barely put on 4 to 5 kgs after that!!”
However the topic of Vegan vs Non-Vegan is an endless debate, our advice would be; Listen to your own body, pay attention to it and while turning vegan is a good way to detox your body, be sure to add the necessary nutrients that your body needs to your diet!
