Celebrate the power of plant-based nutrition |

Celebrate the power of plant-based nutrition

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From the desk of Dr Nandita Shah

If you are plant-based when the rest of the world is travelling, celebrating or eating out at restaurants in the conventional way, it can indeed seem like deprivation. I remember when I first learned about the truth of the dairy industry, I knew I had to stop consuming it. Yet, I was a bit worried about being deprived of cheese and ice cream and other delicacies. But necessity is the mother of invention and I started experimenting in the kitchen and created amazing dairy-free alternatives. As the SHARAN team grew, more people added their ideas and we now have almost 600 whole food plant-based recipes on our website!

To add to that we also have wonderful cooking classes to bring the best of healthy plant-based nutrition to you. The best thing about this is that we can enjoy everything and yet live according to our values and heal our bodies.

I totally understand that we need to eat out, travel and visit people. Nowadays there are so many ready-made plant-based alternatives available for that occasional indulgence. Most good restaurants have vegan items on their menus and there are amazing vegan restaurants in most big cities. I recently had the opportunity to invite my extended family to one and they all enjoyed the food even though they are not vegan. Travel, too, has become easier than ever before.

The world is changing fast, and if we are to keep up with it we will have to change our ways, otherwise we will all succumb to climate change. I read somewhere that there are only two kinds of people – vegans and vegans-to-be. There will not be a third option. So, let’s celebrate the fact that we have already chosen the right path and can now inspire others.

We have four amazing retreats coming up and each one with a different theme! One is all about going raw, another one is designed for families, plus we have a weight loss retreat and even a residential cooking one! Exciting isn’t it? Get more info here.

I was “free” from the shackling arthritic aches and my menopausal troubles vanished

Kerala based 58-year-old Shanti Vinod shares how her daughter’s health issues showed both of them the way to healing and wellness…

Arthritis affected me early, at the age of 32 years, and all kinds of treatment failed to rid me of the painful disease. Kerala experiences significantly mild winters, yet I was bedridden many a day and had inflammation with excruciating pain in all my joints. I couldn’t tackle stair-climbing, dreaded travel and hated cold weathers. The worst was I walked like an 80-year-old!

My daughter, who is lactose and gluten intolerant as well as having thyroid-related issues, had started eating a whole food plant-based diet in 2018 and reaped the benefits. She encouraged me to try going dairy-free and oil-free too.

In just 6 months, I was free from the shackling arthritic aches. My menopause symptoms like hot flashes and sleep deprivation vanished and my energy levels shot up. Since the lockdown I have been managing household chores like washing vessels, sweeping/mopping and gardening which were previously impossible.

Now I have started travelling a bit. My daughters felt that I should attempt a hill station trip and hence I went to Kodaikanal. I did need warm clothing, but I felt exhilarated as I was able to bear the cold, without any joint pains. I went on a beautiful trek up a mountain to visit a farm. My muscles did get sore but the liberation I experienced was immensely gratifying.

Incidentally, now my daughter has no thyroid problems or lactose/gluten intolerance related complications and her periods have started to be cramp-free too.

One-Pot Chocolate Cake

This cake is actually as delicious as it looks! We can in fact celebrate our health and life every day with the whole food plant-based diet. Do try this quick and easy recipe and let us know how it turned out!

Ingredients:

2 cups + 2 tbsp (320 g) whole wheat flour
1 cup (96 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups (480 ml) original unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp white or apple cider vinegar
1¼ cups (307 g) unsweetened applesauce
½ cup (120 ml) melted coconut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (360 g) date paste
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp unrefined salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 ºC) and line two 8″ round cake pans or one large rectangular pan with parchment paper. Mix the almond milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl and keep aside for a few minutes to activate. Add the coconut butter, vanilla extract and applesauce and beat until foamy. Mix in the date paste.

Take the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a sifter and slowly sift over the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or stand mixer. If you don’t have a sifter, simply mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the wet mixture while beating. Beat until no large lumps remain. It should be creamy and pourable. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed, adding more date paste if desired.

Pour the batter in the rectangular pan or evenly between the 2 round pans. Bake them at 175 ºC for 30-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Serves 10

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.

Celebrate that you are plant-based

If you are already plant-based, congratulate yourself. There are so many reasons that you should celebrate. Here are just some of them

1. It’s the best for your body

We are instinctively attracted to fruits and vegetables, beans and seeds and we can even eat these raw. These are the foods that our bodies are designed for and they can keep us in the best of health.

2. You are saving other humans from starvation

Currently, 3/4th of the world’s agricultural land is used to raise livestock. Animals are fed and reared for meat and dairy so that some humans can eat higher on the food chain. However, this deprives other humans of food. Raising animals to eat is the most inefficient way to produce food and yet it is in high demand, while about 8.9% of the world’s population goes hungry to bed every night.

3. You are saving lives

Every living being wants to live its life in peace and without terror. When you eat plant-based you are standing up for every voiceless animal. Currently, approximately 80 billion land animals are slaughtered each year for food! You are saving a life every day.

4. You are mitigating climate change

It’s a well-known fact that livestock produces more greenhouse gases than all the vehicles put together on the planet. It’s great that you are not a cause of this.

5. You are saving biodiversity

Forests are being cut down or even burnt to make space to raise animals. Several other species are deprived of habitat and food so that humans can eat animals or their secretions. You are no longer a part of this.

6. You are saving the oceans

71% of our planet is ocean and this is being plundered at an alarming rate. Trawlers are used to scoop up every living thing over huge expanses of ocean. Even though all the fish are not eaten by humans they are all killed anyway. The oceans that were once teeming with life are dying quickly.

7. You are saving water

Huge amounts of water are required to raise animals for food and our fresh water supplies are getting depleted fast in many places. Your consumption of water is minimal comparatively.

8. You are reducing plastic pollution

You can shop for fruits and vegetables with your own cloth bag but meat and dairy need packaging and refrigeration.

9. You are living according to your values

No one wants to cause harm and suffering. We are all compassionate beings, yet most turn a blind eye to the suffering of others especially if their income or food depends on it. You are aware and are living your values.

https://staging.sharan-india.org/people/reyna-rupani/

This newsletter was compiled by SHARAN Head of Mumbai, Reyna K Rupani. She facilitates the Six Weeks to Health Gain & Weight Loss program and also conducts health talks for schools, groups, corporates and more.

Edited by Seema Nayak, who has benefitted a great deal by going on a whole food plant-based diet.

Sanctuary for Health and Re-connection to Animals and Nature (SHARAN) is a social enterprise with the goal of spreading awareness about holistic health and an ecologically sustainable compassionate lifestyle.

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