Recent Living Light graduate Subah Jain is a beacon of light in the plant-based lifestyle movement. This dynamic young woman has already established herself as a sought-after wellness speaker and educator. Her YouTube channel, Satvic Movement, beautifully merges her love for truth with her gift of communication. Be sure to subscribe. We trust that you’ll find her as enchanting as we do!
While with us at Living Light, we were blown away at her intuitive ability to create amazing, cutting-edge recipes. In our interview below, she shares how she’s utilizing her experience with Living Light to teach others to improve the quality of their lives and their connection with the planet. Enjoy!
- What drew you to plant-based/raw food cuisine?
I was drawn to plant-based cuisine because I cured my health problems with it. I grew up on the standard Indian diet, consisting of milk, ghee, wheat, sugar, and very few fruits and greens. I didn’t realize the damage I was doing to my body until I fell sick. By the time I was 17 years old, I was already suffering from PCOS, hypothyroidism, excessive hair loss, and weighed about 15 pounds more than I should have. I was taking 6 different tablets a day. The fact that I had all these diseases at such a young age was extremely scary. I tried everything under the sun, but nothing worked because I was still eating exactly the same food that was feeding my disease.
My life took a turn when I met a Guru in India, who taught me how to reverse these diseases without medicines, by drastically changing my diet & lifestyle. He recommended that I eliminate all dairy, oils, sugars and processed foods from my diet and eat food straight from Nature, the way it is found naturally, which is mainly raw, alkaline, vegan, water-rich food.
At first, I couldn’t believe that changing my food could cure me. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try, since nothing else was really working anyways. I trashed every single pill I was taking and started following his diet. When I got my blood checked after exactly 3 months, I was no longer suffering from the diseases that I had been taking pills for. I lost about 18 pounds, my skin became clear for the first time in many years, and my menstrual cycles regulated.
It was clear to me that Mother Nature is not just a powerful healer, but actually the only healer. I wanted to tell everybody that they too can cure their health problems by switching to raw, plant-based, alkaline food. I wanted to scream it out to the world, so I decided to make it my life.
- When you attended Living Light, what did you enjoy about the school?
The company. I just love the people I’m surrounded by here. We’re all from such different cultures and countries and yet, it feels like we’re family who knew each other in a previous life. We share the same beliefs, the same values, and the same vision to bring a massive change in this world. I have formed a community with whom I’ll stay connected for a long time. At Living Light, I feel like a fish who’s found her ocean.
Secondly, I love the depth of knowledge offered here. We’re taught everything from knife-skills, presentation and food styling to balancing flavours, creating textures and assessing mouthfeel. Whether it’s learning how to balance a dish, demonstrate a recipe in front of public or organize a catered meal, we’re given very in-depth knowledge, not just superficial.
I also enjoy recipe development days a lot. These are days when we have to develop our own recipe and share with the class later. This is much more beneficial than just watching and imitating, as it twists my brain and really challenges me.
- How do you feel attitudes toward raw and vegan foods have changed in the past 2 years?
To be honest, in the beginning, when I was eating raw vegan foods, I didn’t like it at all (partly because I didn’t know how to make it right). I was eating it just so I could lose weight & reverse my health problems. But after a month, I started feeling differently towards it. I started embracing its rawness and started missing my comfort foods (like milk, paneer, fried snacks, and sugary chocolates) less and less.
Today, after two years of eating raw living foods I have reached a point where I don’t feel like eating anything else. It’s not like I have to control my senses or stop myself. My heart feels joy in eating foods straight from Mother Nature.
What I love about raw food is the juiciness and pleasure it adds to everyday life. Eating a mango on my lunch break, scooping the cream of a coconut in my kitchen, breaking open a pomegranate and watching the seeds burst open. Each of these experiences is grounding and connects one to Nature in a tangible way. Sure, raw food is credited with glowing skin, bright eyes, shiny hair, and weight loss. But I think eating raw food is really about falling back in love with produce.
- Do you have any exciting projects going on that you’d like to share?
Yes. I have an upcoming food book called ‘Satvik Food’ consisting of about 60 recipes (with photos) of dishes that helped heal me. I use the nutrition principles of my guru from India combined with the culinary principles learned at Living Light. I want to publish my book after completing my training here.
I also have a YouTube Channel called ‘Satvic Movement’. I post new videos every month that include education, recipes, and inspiration on how to be the best version of yourself. I am excited to go back home, make healthier versions of staple Indian dishes like samosas, curries, kulfi, and dosa and share it on my channel.
Subah received her certifications in Mastery and Gourmet Raw Vegan Cuisine.
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