Wonder what being vegan means? The word vegan means to abstain from using any food, other products or lifestyle choices that came from an animal. In food specifically it means excluding – meat, fish, dairy products, honey etc. from the diet. Vegans also do not use leather, silk or use products that involved testing on animals.
By choosing vegan, one is choosing compassion over cruelty, and it is also the ideal diet for humans. It’s a win-win solution, any way you look at it.
Giving up on meat doesn’t mean you won’t have delicious food left in your life. The key to sustaining going vegan lies in substituting what you are giving up with a plant-based alternative of the same.
Milk can be replaced by soy milk and almond milk that are available off the shelves. Other plant based milks such as cashew milk, oats milk, rice milk etc, can even be made fresh at home. Dairy cheese can be replaced by cashew cream cheese, almond feta, tofu cheese. Have nut butters such as peanut butter and almond butter, tofu instead of paneer and replace all meats with mock meats or vegetables such as raw jackfruit.
These products are only there to help us transition and satisfy our taste buds – they aren’t really needed from a nutritional perspective.
If cooking is not something you want to get into, there are tiffin deliveries that will not just deliver yummy tiffins to your door-step, cater for your parties but also provide all dairy alternatives, cakes, desserts and ice creams too! Two such services are Vegan Bites, My Pure Path and Simply Vegan. Butternut Co. and Flat tummies provide nut butters and healthy desserts.
Your one stop shop for all your vegan, eco-conscious products could be Rare Earth, Mumbai’s first and only Vegan grocery store!
Mumbai is probably the most vegan friendly city when eating out. You can find the best vegan food at The Birdsong Organic Café, The Village Shop, Sequel, LPQ (Bandra and Gateway), The Pantry (KalaGhoda) and 212 All Good.
If you like thalis, then Golden Chariot (Andheri) has just introduced a lovely Healthy Vegan Thali too! For those looking for budget options, they can enjoy south Indian at any Udipi Joint. All they need to ensure is that food is not cooked in Ghee or Butter.
Most restaurants and cafes are friendly, and chefs are more than willing to customize something special for you if they don’t have the options on their menu. And you know what, when they customize, they really make it good! Don’t don’t worry, you wont just get food, you’ll probably get some amazing food that others will be eyeing as well.
There are some really cool vegan brands available, and it is surprising how this list keeps growing (so don’t just stick to what I have mentioned, there may be lots more)! Arture and Ecowings make lovely vegan bags (available online). Baggit is another brand available at many malls for shoes and bags. Paaduks does really good vegan shoes. For skin care and household cleaning, look out for brands such as Burst of Happiness and Kyra. And for those who like cruelty free make up there is Votre!
Most of these brands are available online or on www.theecotrunk.com
Fries and colas are technically vegan, and by choosing these over meat or dairy products is surely a compassionate choice for the animals, but not at all compassionate towards your body! Merely being vegan will not bring about a transformation in health. But adopting a healthy vegan or a whole foods plant based diet will! This means including a whole lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, beans and legumes, and a little bit of nuts and seeds. Minimize oil and cut our refined sweetners completely and include a good amount of raw foods into your diet.
Bhavna is a holistic health coach, helping you transition to a healthier lifestyle. You can contact her on +91 9821524977,
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