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From the desk of Dr. Nandita Shah...
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I was at a webinar where I heard that “if we were to kill ourselves at the same rate that we kill animals for food, we would be extinct in seven days.”
I looked it up and found that every year, more than 80 billion land animals are slaughtered for food. And when we include fish, the numbers become almost impossible to comprehend. One scientific estimate put the number of farmed finfish killed for food alone at around 124 billion in a single year. The sheer scale of this suffering is almost impossible to grasp!
I switched to a plant-based diet from vegetarianism when I learned about the cruelty in the dairy industry. I could not be a part of that anymore. It was only afterwards that I understood how a plant-based diet could also positively impact human health, and what else I needed to do to get even better results.
I realised that the more I changed, the more positive impact it had on my health. I noticed my health improving as I aged, something that was unimaginable to me before, even as a doctor.
For me, it would have been hypocritical to practise what I knew could prevent and reverse disease and not share it with my patients. That is why I changed my practice and founded SHARAN.
But most importantly, what I have understood is that if we want to survive as a species on this planet, we need to understand the laws of nature and our intrinsic connection to each other. We human beings are dependent on all the other species on this planet. The extinction of another species will not save our species; ultimately, it threatens us too.
October is a special month because it holds several important days for animals, including October 1 – World Vegetarian Day, October 2 – World Farm Animal Day and October 4 – World Animal Day.
Let us use this month to recognise that we share a common home — our planet — and common needs for food, shelter, safety and love.
We are all sentient beings.
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Delhiites, meet Dr Nandita Shah and get ready to shop for a green Diwali at Ekatva
Don’t miss the Ekatva Festival in Delhi on 24th & 25th October at Sunder Nursery. Explore 100+ conscious, artisanal and homegrown brands, sample exciting food from 25+ stalls, experience live music and performances, participate in 16+ immersive workshops, discover wellness practices and engage with artists, creators and voices shaping a more thoughtful future. SHARAN members have a special discount code and the first 50 people to register will get a FREE ticket. Tell your friends to join the fun. Click here for more details.
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'This is the best decision of my life. It changed everything.'
Take a moment to hear about Dr Nandita’s journey towards adopting a plant-based lifestyle and how it helped her find her purpose.
Recipe - Soy Kheema
Watch Dr Shah herself make this flavourful, meat-free dish that replicates minced meat. The best part is that it’s fat-free, healthy and cruelty-free too!
Food For The Mind
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10 reasons we should not eat animals or their products
1. Anatomically, we are herbivores
Eating foods not designed for our species is like putting diesel in a car that runs on petrol. Eventually, sickness prevails.
2. Animals are sentient beings
They feel pain, fear, pleasure and attachment. They are on this planet for reasons of their own and do not deserve to be raised simply to be killed, tortured in experiments, sold as commodities or used for entertainment.
3. Animal agriculture contributes significantly to climate change
Animals raised for food are the largest cause of greenhouse gases and global climate change that is affecting all of us. Animal agriculture produces 65% of the world’s nitrous oxide emissions which has a global warming impact 296 times greater than carbon dioxide!
4. Animal agriculture uses enormous amounts of land
Animals raised for food use nearly 70% of all agricultural land (and over 75% globally when factoring in feed crops), making it a primary driver of deforestation and biodiversity loss.
5. Animal agriculture is extremely water-intensive
Animal farming is water-intensive, requiring significantly more water per gram of protein than plant-based alternatives (e.g., thousands of litres for beef or cheese compared to hundreds for grains).
6. It pollutes our rivers, lakes and oceans
Runoff containing manure and agricultural fertilisers can cause eutrophication — excessive nutrient enrichment that creates algal blooms and oxygen-depleted “dead zones” where aquatic life cannot survive.
7. It contributes to antibiotic resistance
About 80% of the antibiotics produced in the world are fed to animals in our food chain, posing risks to both animal and human health via resistant bacterial strains.
8. We accept behaviour towards animals that we would never accept towards our own species
Mutilation, forced breeding, confinement, separation of mothers and babies, trafficking and killing are unacceptable when done to humans. Why do we accept them when the victims belong to another species?
9. Our food choices affect much more than our own health
What we eat affects animals, the environment, our climate, our water and our future. A whole-food, plant-based diet can be better for our health while also reducing the suffering and environmental damage associated with animal agriculture.
10. We are all connected
Perhaps this is the most important reason of all. We cannot continue to see ourselves as separate from nature. We depend upon other species, healthy ecosystems, biodiversity, clean water and healthy soil for our own survival.
This October, let us think beyond our own species. Let us recognise our common home, our common needs and our common capacity to feel. After all, we are all connected.
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All Events
Most of our events are online now, so you can join us from anywhere in the world. Click to know more…
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| What is SHARAN? |
Sanctuary for Health and Reconnection to Animals
and Nature (SHARAN) is a social enterprise with
the goal of spreading awareness about holistic
health and an ecologically sustainable and
compassionate lifestyle.
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| Compiled & Edited by: |
This newsletter is compiled by SHARAN Head of Mumbai, Reyna K Rupani. She facilitates the Six Weeks to Health Gain & Weight Loss program and also conducts health talks for schools, groups, corporates and more.
Oct 2026 | Issue: 279
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