From Heavy Diets to Conscious Eating; Gagan Dhawan on Rethinking Nutrition Through a Plant-Based Lens

New Delhi [India], February 07: Indian food culture has a rich and diverse history of being plant-forward. Across the country, grains, lentils, vegetables, and fruits have formed the base of everyday meals. These century-old habits might have been routine at one point in time, but the popularity of modern eating patterns has seen a turn towards faster, more processed alternatives.

For entrepreneur and wellness thinker Gagan Dhawan, the concern lies in the outcome it has on the human body instead of simply looking back with nostalgia.

“What we now call a vegan diet is supported by solid global science,” he says. “Interestingly, many Indian food patterns already reflected these principles long before research caught up.”

When abundance replaces awareness

As people have become more urbanised, westernised food systems are altering how people eat. Meals are heavier, faster, and increasingly disconnected from the body’s actual needs. Processed foods are an indulgence that have become routine.

“We are now eating in ways our bodies don’t really understand,” Dhawan explains. “Food may not be bad, but an unbalanced diet can leave us feeling off. Left to itself, the body will always demand cleaner food.”

The results are now visible at scale. Heart disease, diabetes and cancer remain among the leading causes of death globally. Compounding matters, these diseases are systemic outcomes of the food being produced and consumed.

From trends to systems

Like many professionals, Dhawan explored multiple diet frameworks over the years. From his experiences, trendy diets and elimination-based approaches delivered short-term changes but the results rarely lasted.

“Extreme diets may show quick results, but they also stress the body,” he says. “A diet that is sustainable matters more.”

His shift came through exposure to whole food vegan research emerging from medical and academic institutions. Large-scale studies, like that by New York University, show that a WFPB diet can significantly reduce medication dependence and, in many cases, reverse conditions such as hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Taking this approach means an emphasis on unprocessed plant foods, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

“What you eat every day is what you become,” Dhawan says. “When you make the right choices, you see the results in your body. Think of your plate as the direction of how your body will look and feel.”

Understanding our food

Dhawan’s framework focuses on a whole food vegan pattern that delivers fibre, micronutrients and bioactive compounds essential for long-term metabolic health.

“A vegan diet can still be highly processed,” he notes. “A whole food vegan diet is about what you include and how little you rely on refinement.”

There have been multiple studies proving that whole food vegan diets support cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, and improve cognitive function. Contrary to common myths, vegan diets are also able to support the building of muscle and strength, with unprocessed carbohydrates playing a key role in fat reduction and performance.

What science is now confirming

Nutrition science increasingly points to food as a primary intervention rather than a secondary support. Studies from institutions such as Harvard have demonstrated greater weight loss on vegan diets compared to controlled diets over similar timeframes. An added benefit is that plant proteins deliver significantly higher antioxidant levels than animal proteins, which are linked to inflammation and increased disease risk.

Another challenge when changing mindsets is the assumption that vegan diets are expensive. Following a whole food diet includes staples that remain among the most cost-effective foods available.

“When people see this as a restriction, they miss the variety,” Dhawan says. “There are thousands of vegan recipes, and even regular restaurants offer vegan options.”

Beyond the numbers

While health outcomes matter most, Dhawan also highlights the broader implications of dietary choices. Going vegan has a lower environmental impact and is one of the most effective ways to shrink your carbon footprint, as per a study published by Oxford University.

There is also a psychological dimension when avoiding dairy and meat consumption. For many, a change in their diet toward whole foods provides mental health benefits, more energy, and a greater sense of well-being when they shift.

“It’s about supporting the body properly,” he says. “When it is properly supported, everything else works better.”

A step forward

For Dhawan, this way of eating is not a dramatic overhaul of a person’s habits or associated with their identity. It is a series of small, conscious choices made over time to better your diet and opt for healthier alternatives. That’s why he emphasis meals that feel familiar, accessible, and sustainable within modern routines.

Progress, in this sense, shows up in steadier days, and better lifestyle choices. In choosing foods that work with the body rather than against it, the shift from heavy diets to conscious eating becomes less about trying something new and more about a mental shift.

In a world overwhelmed by extremes, Dhawan’s approach is deliberately practical. To eat smarter and let the science lead.

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