SHARAN

Our upcoming free talk this Saturday, is highly recommended for all women to attend – Importance of Core Strength & Pelvic Floor Muscles for Women. Register here

Lifestyle Medicine Is Now My Passion

Dr Yogita Bavaskar speaks of her experience of going on a whole food plant-based diet and how this lifestyle has given her a new life

I am a doctor (MD in Preventive and Social medicine). I have had rheumatoid arthritis since 2009. I tried all treatments but was still having bouts of joint pains which were debilitating. In 2020 I got introduced to the whole food plant-based diet and started following it sincerely. But I was not satisfied with the few cooking options I had. Through the internet, I found SHARAN’s website and YouTube channel and I was amazed to see a whole lot of recipes and other videos related to health. I watched almost all the videos available on YouTube and also attended the Basic Cooking online workshop and others. Reading Dr Nandita Shah’s book reassured me when I was doubtful about whether I could continue this lifestyle lifelong.

Later, I also realised the importance of our thoughts in the causation of disease. I attended a workshop on Affirmations and it helped me a lot. Even though I am a doctor I was unaware of this lifestyle and I was suffering so much due to an unhealthy lifestyle and wrong choices. I used to have pain after consuming milk products but I never thought of quitting dairy as I thought milk is essential for me. But after getting this knowledge I removed it from my diet and got the results in less than 3 months. I have been in remission of RA for 18 months now. This lifestyle has given me a new life, I feel more energetic and younger by 10 years. I have suggested this lifestyle to my parents who are cancer survivors and they also saw improvement in their health issues like constipation, gastritis and prediabetes. Thank you so much, Dr Nandita Shah and team SHARAN for being torchbearers in spreading this knowledge to all. 

I am currently pursuing a Board Review Course in Lifestyle Medicine from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Lifestyle medicine is my passion now and I wish to help more and more patients to adopt this healthy lifestyle. 

Children are the portal to change, so I wish to start awareness campaigns in schools to bring about a healthy generation. 

Kimchi

This traditional Korean dish is a great low-calorie source of fibre too. You can store it for a few months, and apart from sandwiches, you can use it in stir-fries or soups too. Just make sure you add it in at the end, to avoid cooking off the good bacteria.

Ingredients

• 1 head of Chinese cabbage with leaves (about 500 g), washed and cut into large chunks or 2 cups radish, cut into match sticks
• 5-6 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp unrefined salt
• 10 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp date paste
• 2-3 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes or Kashmiri chilli powder

Method

In a large mixing bowl, place the cabbage and sprinkle salt on top. Using your hands, massage the cabbage with the salt until slightly softened. Keep aside for 1-2 hours. Throw out the water and wash thoroughly. Add the spring onions.

Make a paste of the remaining ingredients with a few tablespoons of water. Spread this paste on the cabbage and transfer to a clean jar. Cover loosely and allow to ferment for 2 days in a dark spot at room temperature. You will notice bubbles forming.

Transfer to the refrigerator and enjoy as a pickled side salad.

It may be stored in the refrigerator for a few months. Use a clean fork each time when removing the kimchi from the jar.

Note 

Consume in small amounts as it is high in salt. 

Makes 500 g 

Food For The Mind

FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP

If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. We are offering two possibilities

1. SHARAN India is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.

2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.

All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.

Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.

Bacteria – Nature’s Gift To Us!

The word bacteria generally conveys a negative connotation. Yes, there are bad bacteria, but there are good bacteria too! And they have a lot to do with keeping us healthy.

Healthy soil contains a large percentage of good bacteria which produce many essential nutrients for the plants to grow, and in turn, provide nutrition to us. Bacteria are also the world’s greatest recyclers, as they break down dead and decaying matter. Imagine if they were not there – all dead things including trees, animals, birds, insects et al would not be decomposing and disappearing!

In the human body, friendly probiotic bacteria ensure our intestines function efficiently and also produce acids which curb the multiplication of bad bacteria. They also help in lowering cholesterol, beating belly fat, boosting the immune system, protecting the gut and preventing yeast infections.

However, good bacteria can be easily destroyed by countless factors. It’s when the balance topples, with bad bacteria taking over, that we experience the signs of tiredness, chronic constipation, bloating and other digestive issues.

In fact, Vitamin B12 is manufactured by bacteria too! Today, due to our super-hygienic lifestyles, we have B12 deficiencies. It’s the pesticides and chemicals present in our fruits, vegetables and grains – not the bacteria – that are poisonous to us! So, the best solution would be to focus on strengthening our immune system with the right diet, rather than fighting the bad bacteria and destroying the good bacteria.