01 Jun

Vegan Foods Reigning 2022

Much more than a fad, diet, or trend, veganism is a way of life for thousands of people around the world. According to statistics in 2022, the number of vegans at present is 79 million – making up only 1% of the world population. In fact, Vancouver is ranked amongst the top five most popular cities for vegans. Vegan food and vegan products in Vancouver are universally a must-try! Surveys have also shown the growth of vegan food is “rapid” and there will be a 40% increase in the coming years. 

Whether the cause is based on environment, ethics, or health, the rising demand for plant-based and organic foods concludes it to be the need of the hour, as is the conservation of our planet. Planet and palette-friendly, here are some vegan food products that have been and will be seen reigning 2022:

1. Legumes

Searching for a nutritious alternative to meat? Legumes will be your best friend. Peas, pulses, and lentils make the holy trinity for all vegans. Rich in minerals and iron, legumes are also diverse ingredients you can mix and match in many ways to fulfill your diet needs. 

2. Nuts and Seeds

Whether you are craving something binge-worthy or need a quick office snack to accompany you for the day. Nuts and seeds are of high nutritional value and satisfying. Hemp, flax, and chia seeds make for great additions to salads while nuts like almonds, cashews, and avocados will almost always find their way into a vegan diet.

3. Mushrooms

One of the only non-animal sources of Vitamin D, mushrooms are today a staple for vegans. They are rich in fiber and protein and can be cooked in a multitude of delicious ways. It’s no surprise they are called earth-meat and can be easily consumed as alternatives to your preferred meat. 

4. Fruits

While many might be concerned about the “fruits are high in sugar” debate, researchers conclude that their nutritional value outweighs their sugar counterparts. So, feel free to include a bountiful of fruits in your vegan diet. Apples, pears, guavas, berries, grapes, plums, apricots, and such are on the rise. 

5. Plant-based meats

You don’t have to go cold turkey on meat, as the market is now brimming with healthy vegan alternatives. Some of the most popular ones are plant-based chicken, bacon, tofu, seitan, jackfruit, and soy. In fact, the global plant-based meat market is estimated to reach USD 24.8 billion in revenue from today’s 6.023 billion. 

6. Milk Alternatives

Offering a variety of flavors and nutritional elements, milk alternatives are often marked as the beginning of the vegan revolution. Almond, oat, and soy milk are already a huge demand in the world, whereas rice, coconut, cashew, and even hemp are beginning to establish themselves in the market today. Saying no to dairy and dairy products is considered ideal for lactose intolerant vegans. 

7. Chocolates

For the longest time vegans have been questioned about their love for chocolates. Can vegans eat them, or can they not? The answer is yes, and no! While the majority of the brands contain dairy in their products, dozens of indulgent vegan options have now surfaced in the market. Some of the most common vegan chocolates as suggested by PETA include Hershey’s, Alter Eco, Theo Chocolate, VGAN, and CASSE-COU. 

8. Seafood

Following the Netflix documentary Seaspiracy, The Growth of vegan food is significant in the seafood market, we appear to be entering a new age of fishless fish. And the trend could very well revolutionize the food industry. Vegans can now enjoy fish filets and sauces, shrimp, lobsters, crab cakes, tuna, and even caviar which are made with vegan ingredients.

Brands like Beyondmeat, Amy’s Kitchen, Gardein, BeLeaf, Jinka, and Sophie’s Kitchen are spearheading the vegan seafood wave. The future of vegan food will be seen growing exponentially in the sphere of seafood.

Plant-based fish has been gaining traction as a tasty and readily available option, for example. Consumers prefer plant-based fish products due to the fact they’re typically allergen-free, 100% vegan, and highly nutritional.

The best part about vegan food? Everything can be paired with anything! The vegan world is your oyster – quite literally.

22 May

Aditya Tawatia – Spearheading The World’s Health Conversation

As dynamic an entrepreneur as he is a philanthropist, Aditya Tawatia is the founder and director of Yoga & Health Expo Foundation – the non-profit organization working towards healthy eating and well-being lifestyle.

A successful personality in each one of his endeavors, Aditya is renowned in the media, health, and community service landscape. Currently titled as the President of the Indo Canada Global Forum, BC, he is considered to be an industry innovator for bridging relations between India and Canada over the past decade.

The entrepreneur has always been inspired by his father’s ideologies that he continues to put in motion in all his ventures even today. From being the publisher of Canada’s oldest ethic English newspaper “The Link” that is today well-renowned across the country’s stations to paving way for a healthy organic lifestyle platform with Yoga & Health Expo Foundation, Aditya rightfully redefines what it means to be a true visionary.

HEALTHY BEGINNINGS: International Yoga Festival Vancouver

Established with the aim to enhance health, happiness, knowledge, and peace in life through a holistic approach to life, Yoga & Health Expo is Aditya’s non-profit organization based in Vancouver, Canada, that celebrates healthy food and joyful living. Through Yoga, Veganism, Local for Vocal, going Organic, and Meditation, he believes in the necessity of saving our Environment and giving back to the community earnestly.

Be it highlighting the importance of vegan food and products or building a Yogic way of life through yoga classes, instructors, and practices, he is most passionate about spearheading the motto of clean and green eating for a better future for the world.

An avid wellness enthusiast himself, he advocates for ‘Oneness’ which he grew up admiring in his own  Indian household. He believes in bringing the values of peace and harmony of Indian culture to the rest of the world through healthy and organic eating. “My real passion lies in forging a strong link between the country of my birth, India, and the country of my living, Canada.” he shares.

LOOKING TOWARDS A BETTER FUTURE

The Yoga Festival & Health Expo is an annual affair that aims for an environment-friendly, clean and healthy lifestyle for everyone around the world. The festival has witnessed seven expos since 2015 – all of which have fared most successfully. The event will now be making its comeback with the 8th Yoga Festival & Health Expo this 19th of June 2022 in Vancouver.

As always, Aditya today too aims to unlock the true potential of a healthy lifestyle and an even healthier planet if only we choose to eat right.

#adityatawatia #yogahealthfoundation2022 #YogateacherVancouver #YogaclassesVancouver #VeganproductsVancouver #VeganfoodVancouver #yogahealthfoundation

14 May

Yoga & Holistic Wellbeing: Road To A Healthy And Happy Lifestyle

In our ever-bustling never-resting state of mind, the International Yoga Festival & Health Expo aims to bring focus on healthy eating and bring oneself closer to the pursuit of positivity in one’s body and mind. Here’s how we at Yoga & Health Expo believe in bridging the gap between health and happiness, holistically.

Established in Vancouver, Canada, the Yoga & Health Expo is a one-day festival celebrating the joys of good wellbeing while enhancing health, happiness, knowledge, and peace in life through a holistic approach to the Yogic way of life including Yoga, Veganism, and Vegetarianism in our lifestyle. Hosted both physically and virtually since 2015, the celebration welcomes famous yoga instructors, a platform for health-conscious brands and retailers, and stalwarts from the walks of wellness, health, veganism, vegetarianism, and organic living.

Following a successful streak of seven expos since 2015, we are all set and excited to make our comeback with the 8th Yoga Festival & Health Expo this 19th of June 2022. Aiming for an environment-friendly, clean, and healthy lifestyle through food, the Expo shall witness yet another gathering in celebration of good health and good food.

Our Founder and President – Aditya Tawatia

With his belief in the essence of a community and giving back to it earnestly, Aditya Tawatia is the man behind Yoga & Health Expo. One of the most accomplished businessmen in recent times, he hopes to enhance health, happiness, knowledge, and peace in daily life through a holistic approach following the four cores of the brand.

An avid advocate for ‘Oneness’ which he grew up admiring in his Indian household, he believes in bringing those same values of peace and harmony of Indian culture to the rest of the world through healthy and organic eating. Hence was borne Yoga & Health Expo.

OUR FOUR CORES: Yoga, Meditation, Veganism, and Vocal For Local

Yoga: The oldest form of attaining wellbeing through the amalgamation of mental, physical, and spiritual disciplines. We at Yoga & Health Expo honor its ancient wisdom with interesting yoga sessions, conversations with instructors, and a healthy dose of motivation to practice it on daily basis for good wellbeing.

Meditation: Meditation has been long proven to combat many physical and mental health issues, and we encompass this exercise in all our activities to increase focus, reduce anxiety, and ground our minds to the present.

Veganism: Healthy, do-able, and well within everyone’s reach, going vegan is not just for trends and can be opted as a definite lifestyle option – this is what we hope to bring to the table for clean eating.

Vocal for Local: Supporting small businesses pertaining to fresh local produce makes a difference, and we at Yoga & Health Expo believe in harnessing the power of the right nutrition to make everyone’s journey to wellness happier.

OUR PAST VENTURES

Celebrating the power of good health and wellbeing every year, our previous excursions have witnessed the health industry’s most coveted participation in our interactive yoga sessions, mindfulness activities, and sparked interesting conversations on holistic and eco-friendly wellbeing. Our Expo highlights the sanctity of leading a clean and green organic eating and the natural way of life.

Emerging strong against the pandemic, our 7th Virtual Yoga Festival & Health Expo 2021 was a resounding success with speakers Rachel Beau – Creator & CEO (PARTY STAR) of Rock’n’Beau Entertainment; Marlene Watson-Tara – long-time vegan, activist and human ecology enthusiast; Bill Tara – co-founder of Sunwheel Natural Foods in London, England; Dr. Matthew Nagra – Naturopathic Doctor, and many more experts guiding our guests on living in accordance with nature’s laws.

For more information on our upcoming International Yoga Festival & Health Expo, please visit: https://yogahealthfoundation.com/.

#yogahealthfoundation2022 #YogateacherVancouver #YogaclassesVancouver #VeganproductsVancouver #VeganfoodVancouver #adityatawatia #yogahealthfoundation

07 May

6th Online International Yoga Festival & Health Expo

We are pleased to announce that we are organizing 6th International Yoga Festival & Health Expo virtually. As we know that from last few months the entire world is facing the outspread of Coronavirus, but that would not dampen our spirit. We have successfully hosted 5 festivals in the past, and we are proud and blessed to organize our 6th festival with the same enthusiasm and energy. Our idea is pious and we promote a healthy organic lifestyle for everyone through Yoga, Meditation, Veganism, and Vegetarianism. We feel blessed to support and connect with the global community and strengthen our ties amid dark time. We are happy to invite everyone to our 6th online yoga festival & health expo on 20th June 2020 from 11 am to 2 pm. We will soon share the program highlights and other details.

Have a blessed & soulful day!

04 Feb

The Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

Traditionally, yoga poses or “asanas”, were developed and practiced in India to help the body and mind develop flexibility during long hours of meditation. What many people don’t know however, is that yoga is about much more than physical fitness alone. It is a holistic system with the physical component of asanas only forming one out of eight limbs of a complete yoga practice. Yoga means “to unite”, referring to the union of body, mind and spirit. It is a science of balanced living, a path for realizing full human potential, and a tool to cultivate the ability to remain centered in the midst of turbulence.

Life’s stresses indeed cause many people to feel emotionally unbalanced. When we are stressed, our survival instinct kicks in and the body goes into the fight or flight response mode— either preparing to do battle with the perceived threat (fight), or preparing to flee (flight). This response is regulated by the brain, in the region called the amygdala. Among the body’s responses to stress are increased heart, respiration, and blood pressure rates and decreased immunity and insulin production.

Without a healthy way to release daily stress, it becomes internalized and fight or flight becomes the body’s customary response. Over time, this can cause damage not only to the body, but also to the mind. Research shows that constant stress actually changes the brain. For example, stress can lead to a stronger connection between the amygdala and the hippocampus. A stronger connection of these two brain areas leads to increased stress response. Stress has also been shown to diminish the connection between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, thus altering the brain’s ability to bring calm to the mind and body. When a person is under constant stress, these imbalanced brain connections can cause a greater reaction to stress and a more challenging time mitigating that reaction.

Yoga, including asana and meditation practices, can help ease these physiological stress responses by helping to bring down heart rate, blood pressure and by boosting the immune system.

In his article, “Healing from Depression” Dr. Deepak Chopra discusses some of the benefits of meditation. In terms of mental health, he explains that studies have shown mindfulness meditation to alleviate mild-to-moderate depression and stress.

As noted by Dr. Chopra, the healing effects of yoga, particularly those of physical asana and meditation practice, are supported by empirical research. According to a Johns Hopkins University study, meditation has been proved to be helpful in reducing anxiety, depression, and pain. In 2011, Harvard researchers discovered that eight weeks of meditation could decrease the volume of the amygdala, which in turn, could help reduce stress, fear, and anxiety. Stanford researchers also discovered in their studies that mindfulness meditation practitioners experienced a decrease in the symptoms of social anxiety.

A Duke University review of yoga for neuropsychiatric disorders tested the belief that regular yoga practice had a positive effect on emotional wellbeing. At the conclusion of their experiment, researchers stated, “There is emerging evidence from randomized trials to support popular beliefs about yoga for depression, sleep disorders, and as an augmentation therapy.”

Studies have shown that yoga asana practice helps reduce the symptoms of conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by increasing an individual’s sense of awareness and control over the body. One study of women aged 18 to 58 compared the impact of Trauma-Informed Yoga versus Women’s Health Education on PTSD symptoms. Results showed that by the end of the 10 weeks, more than 50 percent of the yoga practitioners no longer met the criteria to classify them as having PTSD, while only 21 percent of the group in women’s health classes exhibited the same results.

Shedding light onto how meditation may be helpful in all these areas of mental health, Dr. Deepak Chopra explains that meditation trains the mind to develop a witnessing awareness that is independent of the external environment.

“This core self is not a philosophical or theological concept; it is an experience of your authentic existence,” Dr. Chopra states. “With an established sense of the silent witness, it will be easier to not become identified with the darkness of your depressed days.” Essentially, cultivating this observer state of mind through meditation allows you recognize that you are not your emotions.

We look forward to uniting in Yoga for Peace, Harmony and Health!

By Nirmala Raniga

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