Being a yoga practitioner from childhood, becoming vegetarian as a teenager was the natural way. She started inching towards Veganism slowly post the birth of her child in 2007. After watching a few documentaries on veganism she completely became a vegan, and has never been happier about her choice. She has done a Raw Vegan Associate Chef program from the world’s premier Raw Culinary School: Living Light, in California and is also certified in the science of raw food nutrition. She explains Raw vegan food as fresh organic vegetables, fruits and nuts, which are not processed, and a complete avoidance of dairy products. The food is not heated over 118 degrees so as to preserve the nutrients. According to Divya, this kind of lifestyle is easier to adapt once one gets the hang of it. With a keen interest in a healthy lifestyle, she realised that yoga and a combination of raw/ vegan foods & plant-based foods could help people to heal emotionally and physically. It works in a way that our bodies require energy, and what one puts into their system, defines what kind of energy they will have. Eating raw fresh food gives us a higher lighter energy all day. A great body gives rise to a great mind and hence a great spirit.
The issue with being vegan in India is because we are a primarily dairy-rich culture, one of the main principle food types to avoid. People are slow to the awareness and benefits of being vegan but there are now practising communities and FB groups of vegans, who chat and share recipes. After travelling the globe, she confessed that it’s easy to get vegan food in the West vis a vis India.
The most reliable way to know your goods are genuine, 100% cruelty-free is to search individual brands on the Leaping Bunny and PETA databases. Companies must comply with rigorous standards to get these certifications, which confirm that neither they nor their suppliers, use animal-tested ingredients in any stage of product development. They also pledge to never conduct any animal testing in the future. Being a vegan is a lifestyle where you naturally stay away from animal byproducts which includes staying away from silks, leathers, honey and anything which would hurt an animal in any way. We are here to share and care for everyone on this planet, and animals for sure
