The Vegan Journey of Vidhi Pala | Vegan Beings India #038

 

I have had thyroid since childhood (hereditary). Within two months of turning vegan, I got my thyroid normal. This gave me a boost to deal with people who were asking me about my nutrition and health. Moreover, I have lost almost 25 kg weight, from which I have lost 12-13 kg after adapting to a healthy vegan lifestyle. 

It was around 14-15 months back that I watched a video about cruelty in the dairy industry. I couldn't watch it for more than 20-30 seconds. Instantly, I decided to go vegan and I always regret why I didn't know this sooner.

Initially, I had to struggle to explain to everyone why I turned vegan, but my family supported me, so it became quite easy. It was going smoothly till I was at home. I had quit dairy within a moment, and I was so sure that nothing could change my mind, and my transition phase was much easier. The struggle started again when I had to go to the hostel after the first lockdown. Not only about food on campus, but I had to deal with so many questions from the friends over there. However, debating with them made me stronger about the concept of animal rights and veganism.

I was trying to live a sustainable lifestyle, but after turning vegan I got to learn many things about how animal agriculture is related to the environment. I make healthy vegan dishes and through my page @veggiieveganfit , I share how vegan dishes are delicious and we don't need any animal products just for our 5 minutes of taste. I am vegan for animals, health, and the environment. Currently, I am not much into activism but will start soon with more enthusiasm.

I have learned, unlearned, and relearned so many things, connected with many people over social media and all these things made me confident about veganism/animal rights. To anyone reading this, I would say just try to look into the eyes of the animal, whose product or who is going to be eaten by you. It's all about conscious choices.

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Hi, I am Vidhi, about to complete my post-graduation (M.Tech.) in VLSI domain and looking for placements. I am a classical dancer and completed my graduation in Kathak. Apart from that, I like to sketch, skate, write and cook. You can follow my work at @veggiieveganfit 

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The Vegan Journey of Dharini | Vegan Beings India #037

At the age of 1.5 years, we introduced cow's milk for my son, for which he started showing allergic symptoms despite removing dairy from the diet. Later, I could fix this issue by myself not consuming dairy and that worked since I was still breastfeeding him. I breastfed my son for 2.5 years on a vegan diet. 

I chose to be a vegetarian from childhood for compassion reasons. My vegan friend Divya Anandan inspired me to go Vegan from Vegetarian. 

In October 2017, initially, I went vegan to regain my health after postpartum exhaustion and fatigue symptoms. I reaped enough benefits from following a vegan diet and felt positive and determined to embrace a vegan lifestyle as well. I care about the environment and I could make a huge difference by going dairy-free and not using animal products/products tested on animals.

My very first step for going vegan was about going dairy-free. I had a strong emotional attachment with curd and coffee. I grew up eating curd rice all my life and coffee was my saviour, surviving through emotional roller coasters. Letting go of dairy wasn't just a change in diet but also was a spiritual evolution of letting go of things that don't serve me anything good. I followed a strict juicing routine, salads, smoothies, and steamed foods made to shed unwanted fat, with much less physical activity. I started regaining my health postpartum. Going vegan was a life-changing experience that made me embrace a humble lifestyle and stay positive, grounded, and as a human.

We tend to force ourselves with the conditioned practices without batting an eye on visible issues since we have been programmed that way by sticking to traditional practices.

Going Vegan made me question the existing truths of mine.

Going Vegan made me think compassionately.

Going Vegan made me embrace a humble living by mindful consumption.

Going Vegan made me consume processed foods to the minimum.

Going Vegan made me shed unwanted fat.

Going Vegan made me follow sustainable fashion.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step and going vegan starts with a determination more than perfection. It is not just having compassion for animals but also for yourself.

I could never go vegan, said every vegan. If you fear not achieving the goal of going Vegan, start with baby steps: meat-free/seafood free▶️ Egg free▶️Dairy/honey-free.

✅Be kind to yourself.

✅Trust your journey.

✅Celebrate small wins.

✅ See the bigger picture.

✅Believe in the purpose.

✅Your effort matters.

I have felt the best of my health after going Vegan.

I am more positive in and out after I went Vegan.

I make my vegan milks and curds, I tweak traditional recipes that aren't Vegan. Veganism made me creative, turning me into a recipe developer.

Vanakkam! I'm Dharini from Madurai,Tamil Nadu. 

I'm a trained graduate teacher and a food Instagrammer. I am passionate about cooking, art, crafts, music, and poetry. I share my daily routine and food stories on Instagram. I believe that I can make a difference in lives in small ways that I can. I write about carrying out a simple vegan lifestyle and what it takes to be a full-time homemaker.

I would love to thank all my vegan friends who are my soul family, they backed me up all the time supporting me through the struggles of the journey. The vegan friends and followers cheer me up with positivity and hope which keeps me going.

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The Vegan Journey of Mudra Parekh | Vegan Beings India #036

 

My experience being a vegan has been a rollercoaster ride. I first watched the documentary Dominion but it was too hard for me to watch. I couldn’t watch more than 5 mins of it. So, I started researching animal cruelty in India, especially dairy in India. I also thought about how I treated my companion animal differently compared to how my actions affect other animals. Even though it wasn't an overnight decision for me, it is the best decision I ever made. 🌱

My transition phase was a bit complex because I believe that everyone has their unique vegan journey. I didn’t quit everything at once, rather, I tried to quit or reduce on cheese the first week, then curd, then buttermilk, etc. And then it seemed easier than just quitting it all.

Firstly, when I turned vegan I lost a lot of weight. I was really happy with the result. Then, I started researching the options available in my city itself. The research gave me the stats that either there were no alternatives available or those that were available were extremely expensive. So I started meals.with.mudra, my plant-based dairy business. The basic idea behind the business was to make affordable alternatives available and also to remove the taboo of vegan food being expensive. Providing options will attract more people towards the idea. Otherwise, people will be like "if not dairy then what"? It's been a great journey so far and I am happy that I can help people as well as the animals.

Being vegan has connected me to so many new and interesting people. It has opened me up to a whole new community. It has got me to talk about veganism on different platforms like Instagram live sessions or zoom sessions. Being animal friend-ly brought me to a world of living beings. My perspective towards animals changed drastically once I made the connection.

To anyone reading this, I would say: Put yourself in their shoes and think from that perspective. It won't seem so hard. Also, instead of thinking of quitting on meat or dairy, look for the alternatives, plenty of them are available. I hope, then it won't seem that difficult. 

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Hi, I am Mudra Parekh, 20 yrs old. I started my vegan journey about 1.5 yrs back and my plant-based dairy alternatives business started around 6 months back.

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The Vegan Journey of Jeganraj | VBI #035

There was a time when I was arguing against the hypocrisy of vegetarians who were calling out carnivores for their food habits. I had given up eating meat for about six months at that point. I realised, first I had to reconcile my love for other beings in the world myself and I knew becoming Vegan was the only option.

I was aware of veganism 15 years before and had tried it out for six months until succumbing to taste buds on a hungry night. This time the choice was made more rationally and it felt like a choice made for a lifetime. After 30+ months, I'm glad I had made that choice and while there is still so much scope to be more compassionate, becoming a vegan was an important step in the journey.

I have had a great time learning to be a vegan. One of the main positives has been a better understanding of food and which then translated into confidence to cook more. I think I'm well on my way to watching 10000 hours of recipe videos and that should automatically upgrade me to an expert chef :D

I live and work out of Bengaluru in the IT industry. I love playing racquet sports and at present Squash is one thing that drives my life. I enjoy being involved with Squash as a player, administrating tournaments, and refereeing as well. Apart from that I love stories and hoping to share a few stories from my imagination with the world through a book.

For now, I'm working on a story that can seed veganism in the minds of people. I also try to popularise the plant-based options that are available in Bengaluru by gifting those to non-vegans. I'm also planning on switching to wearing only T-shirts that have messages to seed the idea about Veganism so that it stays in the collective conscience of the people I connect with.

As a non-vegan in the past, I know how social conditioning has put a patch over our eyes for the cruelty towards animals. I'm sure all human beings have innate compassion and it's only a matter of time before the realisation hits each one of us to do our bit to reduce intentional cruelty in the world and join the fight against oppression.

After turning vegan, there have been some nice discoveries:

1. Fruits and Vegetables exist beyond Banana and Potatoes

2. Cooking is magic and fun

3. Vegan food didn't mean fewer options and in fact because of the change in perception, the variety of food I have had is mind-boggling

The one challenge I have faced is the understanding of protein consumption. I did lose a lot of muscle mass when I transitioned from non-vegetarian to vegetarian and then vegan because of my lack of knowledge. Now with the help of the community and further reading, I'm more comfortable in getting my proteins (For being an athlete). I have never had issues with playing Squash after becoming vegan. In fact, I probably had my peak as a player since turning Vegan and I can see the improvement has the scope to be exponential soon. The COVID has put a break to Squash training and I'm hoping to continue after this covid induced break.

In the end, I would like to share what Rumi, a 13th-century Muslim poet, and Sufi mystic, wrote: 

"I have existence and I value it so much,

So have all the beings on the earth and they

too, try to preserve it

Then, how can I kill the tiniest creature

just to satiate my palate

To me, even milk is forbidden"

---

Jeganraj

 

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