I turned vegan about 3.5 years ago out of compassion for animals. My quest for a nutritionally well-balanced vegan diet led me to SHARAN and since then I have been largely following this lifestyle.

In February 2021, after a social meeting with fellow marathoners, some of us came down with fever. Thanks to an alert from one of them, I immediately isolated myself at home. I tested positive for Covid-19 and so did the others. My symptoms were fatigue, low grade fever and body ache. Thanks to the quick alert from my friends and early isolation no one else in my home got it.

I had two options – I could call my family doctor and follow his instructions and take more tests and start medication or believe in what I had learnt at SHARAN and try to heal myself naturally. I chose the latter. I decided to stay firm in my beliefs of Dr Nandita Shah’s principles – given the right environment and nutrition, our body will heal itself and fight the virus.

I started taking steam inhalations twice a day. I had lots of warm liquids like hot water with lemon and herbal infusions with lemon grass, ginger, tulsi and turmeric. I also had coconut water and sweet lime juice as all this would help my body maintain a more alkaline environment. When hungry, I ate simple fruits like papaya and banana. In a couple of days, I started including green smoothies and raw salads too, which help to build immunity. It was only after day 10 that I started eating one simple whole food plant-based cooked meal.

My fever lasted only a day and a half and body ache for 4-5 days, after which I was free of symptoms and was on my way to recovery.

I am truly grateful to Dr Nandita Shah and the SHARAN team for all the knowledge about the whole food plant-based lifestyle which boosts my immunity and keeps me healthy.– Nipa Mangat, March 2021