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Testimonial of Dr Shresth Ramesh

Listen to 62 year old Dr Shresth Ramesh from Dubai, who herself got better from her medical issues and who strongly believes that the whole plant based diet is the best for anyone who wants to live a healthy life…

Besan Laddos

These laddoos are so easy to prepare and delicious too. Make them with love and enjoy health this festive season.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup bengal gram dal

• 1/2 ½ cup grated coconut

• 1/4 cup dates without seeds

• 1/4 cup dry dates powder

• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder

• 10 – 12 almonds

Method

Roast the bengal gram dal to lovely golden color. Cool it and grind it coarsely. Add cardamom powder; add grated coconut & dry dates powder. Mix in the dates. Add almonds and roll into ladoos (balls).

Variation

These laddoos can be made with whole red rice, millet flakes, millet semolina, nuts etc

Yields 12 – 15

Food for Thought

FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP

If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. We offer 3 possibilities from 1st Jan 2016.

1. SHARAN India This 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 This 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.

3. SHARAN’s Plant Powered Health This is the new group only for the past attendees of SHARAN’s events: seminars, cooking classes, retreats or longer programs.

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.

Festive Times

In India, August is filled with so many holidays! Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Independence Day, Ganesh Chaturthi! Long weekends in the monsoon. It’s definitely a great break from the monotony of the daily grind.

August also beckons the festive season, which continues till the month of March when summer sets in. As the gusto picks up momentum, we get swayed in the celebrations.

Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, naming-ceremonies, death-ceremonies, divorce parties and more actually quite sum up the whole calendar year! So junk food laden with oil and ghee, sweets, alcohol, late nights, hangovers, shopping, new clothing, gifts, etc easily seduce us.

The rains bring back the greenery and beauty to the land. What a great time to sit back, relax and reflect on the meaning of these and other holidays, and to celebrate them in their true spirit rather than with rituals. Nature in her glory nurtures all life. Despite all the destruction to the planet there is still hope. We are all connected. By truly healing ourselves we can heal the planet too.

Reflect on how you can make Health and Environment a part of your festivities!

1. Why celebrate? Most people have no idea why are they performing a ritual or celebrating a festival. Take the time to find out. The Ganesha festival was organized for a reason – to promote nationalism and get people together for an independent India.

2. Educate yourself Learn some health tips. Take time out to read books, blogs, articles or watch health films or even attend health related programs. Without health, you can’t enjoy the party anyway!

3. Healthy food is delicious Most people associate healthy food with steamed vegetables that are drab and boring! On the contrary, whole plant based food can easily be prepared in a way that is quite unbelievably delicious. The SHARAN website (www.sharan-india.org) boasts over 200 recipes. An internet search will yield many more. And recipe books help add to the collection.

4. Go Eco-friendly Besides all that unhealthy food, most of our festivals are terrible for the environment too. Ganesh Chathurthi is celebrated with plaster of Paris idols that destroy life in rivers, streams and oceans. Diwali has become a leading cause of air pollution with all the fireworks. Holi means toxic colors everywhere. Makar Sankranti manjas cut off birds wings leave tangles here and there. Id celebrations spell death for millions of animals. The list goes on. Do we really want to destroy our planet and life on it with every festival?

5. Be Unique Why not celebrate a festival at an orphanage or an old age home and bring cheer to the less fortunate?

6. Time change Sleep rejuvenates and heals the body. Why not celebrate during the day or in the evenings. Why do parties have to be late at night?

7. Share Health If you are invited to party, carry a delicious healthy dish. It’s a great way to introduce others to health and gain support for your lifestyle!

8. Be Choosy Choose your celebrations with care. If you go to fewer parties you enjoy them far more.

9. Keep Moving Be physically active too when you are socially active. Celebrating together could also mean playing a sport together, going out for bowling or trekking, swimming or dancing and not just food and drinks!

10. Budget it out Nobody remembers a wedding or a party! Memories are formed by thoughtful gestures and not from lavish outbursts. Spend wisely.

11. Eat to feel good Eat mindfully and not till you are over-full!

12. Gift Health Book an exercise class or a zumba workout as a gift. Present health books or recipe books. Gift a cooking class for a change!

13. Keep the cosmetics at bay Go natural. The glow from healthy eating wins over any beauty treatment!