How a whole foods plant-based diet healed Akriti Pandey and inspired her to pursue a vegan lifestyle
“I am now actually a vegan for the animals. Helping my health and the environment are a beautiful by-product of it. One of my core values in life is equality, which is something that has made me question a lot of things, including how we treat non-human animals”
In her twenties, self-employed manufacturing entrepreneur and social investor Akriti Pandey was going in and out of hospitals every week, staring in the puzzled faces of five doctors. She was hyperventilating because the slightest thing would trigger her anxiety. She also had psoriasis which caused her to scratch till fluids leaked, eczema, severe hair loss, irritable bowel syndrome which caused her severe public embarrassment at two instances, constant migraine, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, sinusitis, frequent laryngitis, regular lymph node infections, hemorrhoids, chronic yeast infections which led to labial adhesions, urinary tract infections, seasonal influenza and fungal infections every now and then due to weak immunity. The ever-resourceful Akriti then gathered that she needed a lifestyle makeover. Her research led her to eat a whole food plant-based diet combined with a food map and an elimination diet. Within days, she started to heal and all her chronic diseases disappeared. A plant-based diet is the most challenging part of the vegan lifestyle, according to Akriti. Having conquered that challenge, she started embracing the entire vegan lifestyle from the clothes and accessories she wore to the hygiene and cosmetic products she uses and so on. She started converting to veganism for health reasons and then continued to remain vegan to maintain a stance against animal cruelty. She has never looked back since:
“I became a voice for the voiceless almost immediately because I felt a strong urge to help. I know what it feels like to be so lost and losing hope. I want to be there for people who want to heal holistically but may have given up. I really think emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health should be prioritized. I always believed that if we started healing and thriving as individuals, we would start healing as a collective. This includes the planet and living in harmony with the animals. I truly believe we owe it to the planet and all the animals (human and non-human).”
Born and raised in Bandung, Indonesia, Akriti first got the chance to spread awareness when they made her a speaker at the Vegan Festival in Jakarta. A door of opportunities came knocking for her as she started sharing her healing journey. Since then, she has been a speaker and moderator at various festivals, yoga workshops, and conferences in Southeast Asia, as a volunteer advocate for veganism and the greater good: The amazing Akriti now wants to lead by example – she now capitalizes on her social media channels on Youtube and Instagram to educate aspiring vegans and followers about veganism and sustainability by capturing her fitness journey and a healthy holistic lifestyle. She has lost 30 kilograms of weight and aspires to compete in a fitness contest in order to show that it is possible to be fit consuming only vegan protein and supplements. She is also getting into shape to participate in a bikini pageant as a vegan female: Part of healing led Akriti to become certified Plant-based nutrition and holistic Health coach after a year of studying at ‘Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York.
“I think it’s important that we have more Asian female vegan faces. I know that being ethnically Indian the society tells us there are tons of things we cannot do. It is therefore important for me to go on stage to tell everyone to shut the voices out, that you can be whoever you want to be, and do whatever you want to do!”
She also became a certified yoga instructor and is currently studying to become certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) in preparation for going on stage. As Akriti details her experiences as holistic health and plant-based coach currently, she shared a common misconception that if all plant-based foods are healthy. While it may be relatively healthier than consuming meat and dairy, it may not necessarily be healthy. Embarking on a healthy plant-based diet requires effort just like any other diet to reap the health benefits. However, to improve the entire spectrum of health from emotional and mental to spiritual, she recommends an entire lifestyle change to veganism and extends her support for the Veganuary campaign:
“I am going to bed knowing I hurt the least amount of souls. It has really helped with my spiritual journey and self-awareness. It might seem like you are changing something about your lifestyle for the animals, but really you are becoming more mindful of your existence and your contribution to the bigger picture. (By embracing this lifestyle), you will learn so much about yourself, discover a whole lot of perseverance and compassion you didn’t know you had!”