The Vegan Journey of Shruti and Jayshree | Vegan Beings India #046

 

We're a Chartered Accountant-Digital Marketer duo who turned plant-based a year ago. As time passed, we became incredibly passionate about the cause. We wanted to spread awareness about the vegan lifestyle and the journey it took to get here to make it easy for other beginners and vegan-curious people to slowly make the shift. All these ideas culminated in the birth of Vee Villy Vegan, our personal blog on Instagram. We cover everything from plant-based food recipes, vegan skincare and beauty, to various tips to help people transition and sustain this lifestyle.

We were raised as vegetarians since birth. Interestingly, though we decided to go vegan around the same time, we had different reasons for doing so. 

Shruti has wanted to try a plant-based diet since her college days but found it difficult to transition, primarily due to a lack of resources at her hostel. On the other hand, Jayashree wanted to turn vegan in 2019 after watching a couple of videos on animal cruelty online and realising how similar a cow's eyes were to that of her own adopted dog's. 

In 2020, armed with adequate information and a proper game plan, we took the plunge towards veganism and have not looked back since. Ultimately, we realised our causes aligned towards a kinder, more sustainable lifestyle. We are grateful that we could be on this journey together. We've been vegan for over a year now.

We struggled with going vegan cold turkey, so we decided to phase out our journey and make a slow shift. We started with personal care and beauty products and slowly cut down dairy from our diet. This gradual transition allowed us not to get frustrated. It gave us adequate time to make the complete shift without it being too overwhelming. We were also really patient and not too hard on ourselves.

Eating out with friends has also become more difficult as there are not many vegan-friendly restaurants in town. But we are lucky to have supportive friends who don't mind eating at the same 4 restaurants and also try our vegan food recommendations from time to time.

Finally, we would like to say that every step you take towards a kinder lifestyle is a step for the better. As we said before, we need more imperfect vegans than just a few entirely perfect ones. So if you feel intimidated in the beginning, know that you can take your time and make small changes that still count. :)

To sum up: Vegan food is yummy, plants don't feel pain, and yes, we get enough protein! :)

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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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