Joyce Cardozo shares how she thought of herself as a Nazi, changed her diet gradually, and how she silently and beautifully works on enlightening others…

It were my 2 young Catholic neighbours (vegans) aged 10 and 13 way back in 1999 who spoke to me about Veganism.  I was quite shocked and my first query to them was “How can you celebrate Christmas and Easter without non-veg?”  They laughed at me and asked me if I would like to read the book “Heads and Tails” by Maneka Gandhi.  Being fond of reading I said yes and that book turned my life upside down.  I read it in just 9 days and wept at the end of it.  On the 10th day i.e. 10th Feb. 1999 I said goodbye to meat. What a storm I faced in the house.  I refused to cook mutton, veal, beef and pork for my family from that day. I showed them the book and 2 PETA videos showing animal cruelty in abbatoirs.  They were not moved at all.  I never stopped praying for my family. I continued to eat fish and dairy products because I found it very difficult to give up these.  But in November 2000 I said enough and made the decision to become vegan.  My family was shocked at my decision and felt I would go back as  I was a die  hard eater of veal. I wept when I read the chapter on veal in the book and couldn’t sleep for days after that as I considered  myself a NAZI. My next mission was to spread the message.  I carried PETA handouts in English and Hindi  about cruelty and would give them out to people everywhere I met them after opening up a casual talk. I would push PETA handouts under doors of people who I  came to know were large meat eaters.  They did not know who was doing it but they would read the handout and gradually the number of persons buying meat from the butcher who I used to frequent dropped.  One fine day I met the butcher and he asked me why I wasn’t coming anymore.  I told him what I had learned and that I wanted to spread awareness among people.  Months later when I met him, he mentioned that his customers had dropped and then one fine day the shop closed!!  I never failed to pray for the butcher and the customers.   God answers prayers!!!!! Then I approached a shop selling live chickens and gave him the handout in Hindi.  He looked at me as though I had come from MARS.  He wanted me to tell him how he would support his family without this business.  I told him that there are alternatives and you cannot earn by killing  the defenceless.  Both he and his wife would continue to give me stares each time I passed his shop.  I would cross the  road when I reached his shop and hold my nose and say a prayer for him and his customers.  Today that shop has also closed down.  Whenever I pass a shop selling chicken or a cold storage shop, I say a prayer for them.  It takes time but it works!!!!!!!! I leave PETA handouts  at doctor’s clinics and places where I know people will pick up  and the word spreads.   I make sure that I tell people in and around that I am a vegan and hence do not eat whatever is offered.  Many Catholics are surprised but then some come back  and ask for the reason and want to listen. Two months ago when my son turned vegetarian and I could not believe my ears.  How I thanked God that my prayers were finally heard.!!!!

Food for Mind

‘Unless we change our food choices, nothing else matters. Because it is meat that is destroying most of our forests. It is meat that pollutes the waters. It is meat that is creating disease which leads to all our money being diverted to hospitals. So it’s the first choice for anybody who wants to save the Earth.’ – Maneka Gandhi

A Power-packed Burger!

Check out SHARAN expert Bhavna Kapoor showing you how to whip up an absolutely healthy, oil-free burger with no bread and home-made mayonnaise!

GMO Gol Maal

As most of you are aware, there’s a huge lobby trying to get GMO foods introduced into India. The current wave is of GM Mustard.

GMOs are basically Genetically Modified Organisms, which have been artificially manipulated in a laboratory through genetic engineering. In this way we can actually create artificial fruits and vegetables. This is clearly playing around with nature. How can artificial replace the natural?

Find out 5 reasons to avoid GMO foods:

1. GMOs are unhealthy Studies show how GM foods leave material behind inside us, possibly causing long term problems. Numerous health problems like food allergies, Autism, reproductive disorders and digestive problems increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996.

2. GMOs contaminate

3. GMOs increase herbicides use

4. GMOs harm the environment GM crops and the associate herbicides harm birds, insects, amphibians, marine ecosystems and soil organisms. They also reduce bio-diversity and pollute water resources.

5. Genetic engineering creates dangerous side-effects Mixing genes from unrelated species unleashes a host of unrelated side-effects, such as producing new toxins, allergens, carcinogens and nutritional deficiencies.