Veganism has been gaining popularity in recent years, with many celebrities and influencers adopting a plant-based lifestyle. One such star is Genelia D'Souza, who turned vegan in 2020. The actress cited her love for animals and a desire to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Genelia D'Souza On Why She Quit Eating Meat
In a conversation with Soha Ali Khan on her YouTube channel, Genelia said that she transitioned from a non-vegetarian diet to a fully vegetarian diet in 2017. "I gave up meat in 2017, that was the time I turned vegetarian and not plant-based. I still used to have a little bit of dairy and cheese, and eggs were on. People say that you reach a spiritual place, and that is what happened with me initially. My first step toward being vegan was selfish as I thought this kind of living would be better for my health," she said.
Genelia D'Souza shared that she didn't know much about vegetarianism as she was born into a meat-eating family. "I didn't know any better. I was born in a non-vegetarian family. I only knew peas, potatoes and paneer as vegetarian food. On the way to becoming a vegan, I realised it is connected to a zillion things. One of the things was having babies; I didn't want anything to hurt them, and I am an animal lover, but I used to enjoy my meat as well. When you start limiting its consumption, you realise there is a possibility to enjoy other things, which is what happened with me. I started learning more about eating vegetarian food, and I felt extremely light after a meal. I was more disciplined cause I wanted this approach in life," the actress added.
Genelia D'Souza mentioned that she turned vegan in 2020 during the pandemic. "It started with Riteish, he left meat in 2016, saying 'It doesn't feel right anymore'. I took 2 months, and on January 1st, 2017. I gave it up, but we would eat eggs and animal products. Then, Covid hit, and everyone was scared, and Riteish mentioned 'Why don't we try to get off all animal products altogether?' I said 'Okay, we are home, let's try to make that shift. We started doing that, and Riteish started feeling amazing. Every time we had a little milk or butter on our roti, we felt full. Living life a certain way, you never realise the things you are eating every day and how they affect your body. Initially, it was a health concern. With time, I went on to get very close to the cause of the environment and animals. I didn't do everything perfectly in my year one, and I am still not perfect, but I learn every day, and I try."
Is A Vegan Or Vegetarian Diet Sustainable
When asked whether vegans or vegetarians experience nutritional deficiencies, nutritionist Kinita Patel shared, "Fundamentally, any diet if done wrong can result in deficiency. Today, even meat eaters have B-12 deficiency, so it's not because you turned vegan. Any diet you follow, you have to check your pathology, check your reports, and read your clinical data. You see if you are already deficient or if you need to make any changes in your diet. Vegan foods can struggle to provide you with everything, but you can take supplements to complete that deficiency."
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