I have been following a whole food plant-based lifestyle since 4 years now. Eating consciously has changed me from being a lifelong asthmatic to being fit and healthy.

I am 45 years old and I had suffered from asthma since childhood. My lungs had deteriorated over time and I couldn’t live without an inhaler. Most days, I did not have even normal stamina to carry out my daily work. To do any kind of exercise was impossible and I gained excess weight.

We were living in New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world. And the worst happened about 8 years ago when my lungs collapsed and I woke up in a hospital after 3 days and realised I had almost died.

About four and half years ago we moved to Mumbai and my wife, Ruchi Singh, got in touch with Dr Nandita Shah after attending one of her seminars. Subsequently, we removed dairy and other animal products from our diet and within few days my chest started feeling better and became clear of cough and tightness.

I regained my long-lost stamina and started walking for hours and losing all the excess weight. I work for a film company as a director, and shootings can be very challenging as we have to work with strenuous schedules, sometimes continuously. I realised I now have more stamina than most of my unit members. Normal days are back for me and I am enjoying my personal and professional life.

I am eternally thankful to SHARAN and Dr Nandita Shah for guiding us to a better life, and my wife Ruchi Singh for having an open and adaptive mind to bring change into our lifestyle. I would like to appeal to all to be deeply aware of and understand the science behind all that we eat. Corporatisation of food has been wreaking havoc in our lives and we are living in such times that we cannot let our guard down.

–Mohan S Vairaag, film director, T-Series Films, May 2021