Dear Deepti,
Thanks for agreeing to get featured. The purpose of this article is to focus on your vegan pregnancy and any challenges/highlights. So, here go the questions!
1. How long have you been vegan and what prompted the move?
2. Were there any particular cravings or aversions you had to deal with? How did you manage?
3. What were some of the challenges you faced?
4. Were there any obvious benefits you felt?
5. India as a nation is obsessed with ghee, and women, after delivery, are encouraged to have heaps of it (along with mutton bone soup and other animal products.) What were the things you included in your post-natal diet?
6. Your advice to women out there who may be wary of going vegan or staying vegan when pregnant?
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Q: How long have you been vegan and what prompted the move?
Deepti: I started reading about veganism around 2010. Me and my kids are vegan since 2011. When I first was introduced to the idea, my reaction was of disbelief. I ignored the concept like a new diet fad. However, as I kept on reading independent studies after studies, it started to occur that there was much more to it than just diet. People narrated their first-hand horrific experiences of cows being impregnated while lactating; of painful insemination methods; of hormones to keep their supplies up artificially; of stolen calves and grieving mothers; and so much more. It was hard to even comprehend how low could humans stoop down. This made me reflect on my own dietary choices. However, the goodness and health benefits of dairy were so ingrained in me, that it took me many more months before I could take the leap of faith. Once, as I sat down to enjoy my favorite vegetarian dish at a restaurant; and closed my eyes to devour it; I witnessed a cow standing right in front of me. Her eyes were full of tears and she was looking at me while attempting to explain... Deepti they took my baby and killed him so that you may enjoy your meal! Later, as I joined the pieces of the puzzle together, below are the most powerful thoughts that struck me and stayed with me.
Just as I am a mom to my human kids, the cow is a mom to her kids. If my baby ever falls sick; say develops fever; I go insane if the fever doesn’t subside. However, death creates far more lifelong impressions than just one episode of sickness. How does that mother cow endure who is constantly raped; falls in love with her newborn; only to lose her baby to a bunch of rakshas [from her point of view: we humans must be demons; presumably from whom she might even be plotting to steal human milk to feed her own calves; at least if not more; in revenge alone].
Sadly, a cow not only experiences this painful birth and death multiple times in her own life; she also witnesses this happening to all her friends [cows] around her; in repeated cycles. The law of karma is undeniable! Whether good or bad; the energy that goes, has to come back. Whether I personally cause harm, or I pay someone to do it; I continue to be a part of the problem until I consume dairy. It’s high time, I did something to be a part of the solution! The solution is loud and clear!
I was convinced veganism was the way to go. Over the course of this past year, I joined multiple vegan communities over social media and had the fortune of reading first-hand experiences from people all over the world. Many independent-contributors/parents/families wrote about a turning point in their life which helped them transition into vegan overnight. However, I choose to gradually transition/introduce non-dairy substitutes one at a time for me and my kids. Atharv was 2.5 years old and Avika was a newborn around that time. I am thankful to my husband who, in principle; supported me in my experiments with non-dairy substitutes. I started my family with the low hanging fruits such as paneer and cheese. Next came butter, then came in curd and ghee; followed by other items. Personally, tea was the last thing I gave up. I had the option to switch to almond or other nut-based mylk teas. However, I choose to give up tea completely. Today I am proud to say, it’s a blessing in disguise, to be tea-addict free for over 7 years!
Q: Were there any particular cravings or aversions you had to deal with? How did you manage?
Deepti: My recent pregnancy with Ishaan was particularly interesting in terms of cravings. Even though legumes were the main source of my daily intake of protein, I had trouble consuming them. Where the logical side of me was worried about protein deficiency; my inner voice kept reminding me to trust my body. I told myself that my body knew it all, and; it would only signal my mind what was best for both me and the new life sprouting within; and that all I needed to do was to continue to listen to it without self-doubting!
Unlike my earlier two pregnancies; this time each new craving lasted a week. Also unlike my earlier two pregnancies where I craved for specific dishes; this time my cravings were for specific ingredients. Interestingly at the top of the list were black salt; raw & ripe jackfruit; persimmon fruit, and sweet lemon pickle. At one time it was coconut oil and that week I literally poured a cup of oil in each serving and still survived :)
Q: What were some of the challenges you faced?
Deepti: Being vegan was not as much a challenge for me as it was for my friends and loved ones. My family back in India and my friends in the US were overly concerned that I was depriving the little one inside of vital nutrition. A recent visitor from India who had applauded me multiple times on my bountiful vegan pantry; now wondered why I choose to bring another soul to earth; only to deprive it of dairy; just like I deprived Atharv and Avika! A few Folsom (a small city in California where I live) friends spent hours trying to convince me and my husband why I should give up my ‘supposedly crazy’ diet; if not forever; at least during pregnancy. Regardless of the rebuke or regardless of a series of illogical explanations, people’s genuine concerns about my yet unborn made me feel loved and blessed.
Q: Were there any obvious benefits you felt?
Deepti: Going vegan helped me improve my health in many small and big ways. After turning vegan in 2011; in the four years that were to follow; I effortlessly and steadily lost 40 pounds (18 kilos) without any exercise, diet, fasting etc. (I still have another 15 kilos to get rid of. And my excuses are - no exercise; hypothyroidism for 25 years; my sweet tooth; and my love for oil and deep fried delicacies) Coming back to health benefits; not just in weight; I saw improvement in issues I could never imagine were linked to dairy. I had developed knee pain and breathlessness in my late twenties. Both disappeared after a vegan diet. I had chronic cold, cough and produced copious amount of phlegm all year round; all of which disappeared. Occasionally my eyes produced some kind of film which blocked my vision. I could not step out without deodorant. If I ever ran out of vegan substitutes and gave-in to dairy; one or more of these symptoms would return; to reinstate these symptoms were closely linked to the unsuspecting diary! Individuals over social media have reported getting healed from a variety of symptoms, unique and very different from my experiences. Likewise, given that each body is different, my 2 cents is that every individual who goes vegan should anticipate their own unique experiences.
Q: India as a nation is obsessed with ghee, and women, after delivery, are encouraged to have heaps of it (along with mutton bone soup and other animal products.) What were the things you included in your post-natal diet?
Deepti: After Ishaan arrived this June 2018, for the first two months I tried to stick to lentils that are considered easier to digest. I had khichadhi made of either red masoor or yellow moong. Either that; or oats with veggies khichaDhi. My diet also included a variety of cooked veggies; idli, dosa and chapati. Temperatures in Folsom average to 40 C / 105 F in June; but my body within was as cold as tundra. Hubby had prepared a huge batch of harera for me. This traditional recipe was not only my dessert but also gave me the much needed internal warmth after the ‘marathon’ called ‘delivery’. I also had a variety of ladoos generously cooked and donated by local friends. Flaxseed, coconut, dates to name a few. As a substitute for ghee, my friends used coconut, sesame and mustard oils in their preparations for their vegan friend. I avoided processed meals, restaurant food, and anything straight from the fridge for the first few months.
Q: Your advice to women out there who may be wary of going vegan or staying vegan when pregnant?
Deepti: The health benefits of ghee or curd are undeniable. However, while considering benefits, it’s extremely important to be mindful where is it sourced from. Today’s dairy milk no longer comes from treated-like-family-member cow in Grandpas village. A few decades ago; growing up in Ghaziabad; we either had buffalo milk or cow milk from breeds considered unfit for human consumption. Today even worse; unless adulterated with laundry detergents; our dairy comes from industrialized factory farms. One needs to give serious consideration; as to when pasture grazers are confined for their lives, fed food inappropriate for their digestive tracts; pumped with antibiotics, and milk producing hormones; when cows are constantly raped, tortured and killed in front of each other; when their newborns are stolen to satiate human greed; how on earth can the resultant dairy be beneficial! This dairy; if anything; is far from being healthy.
Ironically; as a society; at one end we pride in force-feeding dairy milk to our human kids. At the other end, we are shamed into feeding our own milk in public, which rightfully belongs to our babies! Other than humans, no species on earth consumes dairy from another species. I hail from a generation where daughters and daughter-in-laws are expected to abide by family customs, traditions, and values as-is; where compliance to elders - even in matters of disagreement is a virtue; and where counter questioning spouses’ dietary choices is an offense. Without courage, none of us can overcome our degrading tendencies and fight the battle for a personal or social change. Despite my traditional upbringing; despite criticism from those closest to my heart; despite rebuke from people I looked up to for strength and support; and despite condemnation from neighbors, acquaintances and everyone in between, whose conscience was pricked by the logic of veganism; I miraculously continued to muster strength all along, stood against all odds, and stuck to my principals. And when everything seemed to fail, my vegan Ladoo Gopal never failed to answer my prayers.
My message to fellow moms and would-be-moms is simple. Our baby is, and rightly should be our #1 priority. As a mother, we have 100% stake in the health of the life growing within. The bottom line responsibility for making the best choices for the baby’s health, nutrition and well-being lies in a mother’s hands. Keep in mind, there is no way you can harm you or your unborn on a well balanced plant-based diet consisting of leafy greens and other veggies, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts and a little oil. From South to North; and from East to West; the easiest path is to follow our own grandma’s traditional diet (minus the dairy products of course); whatever it may be; whether daal-roti or dosa-sambhar or something else. If you are still unsure about considering a vegan pregnancy, consider joining one of the several vegan parenting support groups over facebook where like-minded parents offer tons of free support and advice.
I stand up to be the voice of the voiceless. I hope to see the end of the era of normalized violence and see the dawn of the era of normalized nonviolence in this lifetime. And I am painfully aware that my part is but a drop in an ocean. But if my few days of effort in preparing this written interview can inspire even one mother to go vegan, it’s well worth the effort!
Q: Links of the supplements you consume.
Deepti:
1. B12: two kinds - both empty stomach under the tongue
2. Blackthorn Elixer
3. Probiotic
Q: Name + what you do + where you are based
Deepti Sharan Shukla
I am a Computer Professional who has had the fortune to work with great individuals at Amazon, Nordstrom, Infosys, DHL in the past. Currently an at-home mom, living in Folsom, California, with my husband - Abhinav Shukla; an internationally renowned Hindi poet; and three kids - Atharv, Avika, and Ishaan.
Here are a few more blogs this amateur wrote in the past. Also includes vegan resources compiled by fellow vegans:
http://ninaaadsaptak.blogspot.com/2015/05/i-just-cant-quit-my-one-cuppa-tea-coffee.html
http://ninaaadsaptak.blogspot.com/2015/12/my-journey-from-being-non-veg-to-being.html
http://ninaaadsaptak.blogspot.com/2015/09/veganism-common-questions-and-my.html
http://ninaaadsaptak.blogspot.com/2015/10/comment-by-non-vegan-for-centuries-in.html
http://ninaaadsaptak.blogspot.com/2017/09/vvegan-resources-by-bethany-shannon.html
Here are the tiny URLS of those same blogs in order:
Thanks
Deepti
