Battling Cancer With A Plant-Based Diet: A Survival Story

It’s no secret that eating plant-based can do wonders for your health, and even facilitate the reversal of major lifestyle diseases like cancer.

Shruti Sethi, a cancer survivor, exemplifies this with her inspirational story. Sitting down with her to learn about her journey gave us a brand new perspective on healthy living.

Growing Up As A Vegetarian

Based in Mumbai, Shruti grew up on a typical Indian vegetarian diet with a lot of dairy products.

“I had always been a vegetarian, and was heavily into dairy. My diet included two glasses of milk everyday, and a lot of cheeses and paneer," she says.

She took to the widely held belief that dairy is necessary for an adequate protein and calcium intake and was not familiar with its harmful effects on the body. Another thing she didn’t discover early on was that she was lactose intolerant. However, due to lack of awareness, she continued her diet as it was despite the repercussions.

A Diagnosis Without Warning

Shruti was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is cancer of the immune system, in April 2016. The news was completely unexpected, as she believed herself to be following a healthy lifestyle.

“As a 34-year-old, it’s a very big shock of your life that cancer can happen at such an age.”

For about eight months after the diagnosis, she was in complete denial. She made certain changes in her diet to detox, eating only gluten-free and organic foods, but didn't give up dairy.

Even though these changes led to some improvements, they could not stop the cancer cells from growing.

Adopting A Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet

Dr. Rashmi Menon was the first medical expert to suggest a whole food plant-based diet to Shruti to combat the disease, which led her to research the same on her own.

“After a lot of reading, meeting people, and coming across videos by Dr. Nandita Shah and other sources like Chris Beat Cancer, I realized that dairy can cause cancer. I used to feel bloated, constipated, I had acne, but I never thought that dairy could cause these things."

This realization allowed Shruti to introspect and she decided to give a whole foods plant-based diet a shot. Her doctors did not fully agree with this change, and advised her to eat protein-rich dairy products, but Shruti’s own experience told a different story.

This sudden progress was encouraging, making Shruti confident in her decision to go plant-based.

Since chemotherapy can take a toll on one’s body, it requires proper nutrition support throughout the procedure to avoid problems. However, Shruti followed the whole foods plant-based diet throughout the rest of the treatment and experienced no complications.

“After the chemotherapy, I refused radiation because I thought that something inside me had healed, and I needed to give my body a rest.”

Once the procedure ended, Shruti learned that she was completely cancer-free.

The diet played an important role in it, but she also practiced extensive emotional and mental healing. It was the culmination of all this which helped restore and improve her health.

A Brand New Outlook On Life

Shruti conquered cancer, and credited her switch to healthy lifestyle practices for this feat. She continued with this newfound way of life in order to make her post-cancer days more positive.

She kept a journal to track her needs, and noticed improvements in her sleep cycle, hormones, and most of all, her acne.

“It felt so liberating. I felt that I was finally the owner of my own body and was taking responsibility for it, knowing what it needs.”

The diet was only the first step for her. Having been a fashion designer previously, Shruti wanted to make a positive change in her professional life as well. In an attempt to do so, she stepped into eco-fashion and started a sustainable brand.

Helping Others Through

“When I was diagnosed, I thought that if I get well, I’m going to help people.”

After recovering from cancer, Shruti took it upon herself to help other people in similar situations. She started giving talks to share her story, and eventually began educating herself on nutrition. She worked as a corporate health consultant for one year and has been assisting people battling with lifestyle diseases in both rural and urban spaces.

During lockdown in 2020, she occupied herself with workshops and talks on food and nutrition, and also took a nutrition course from SHARAN. In a culmination of her efforts and desire to help others, Shruti established her own wellness company called 'Anaha'.

Conceptualized within the last few months, Anaha was set up to educate people dealing with lifestyle diseases about holistic wellness. Working with a small team, Shruti now takes consultations and assists in disease reversal. Anaha promotes healthy living through a plant-based diet to those battling with lifestyle diseases. They also deal with how to live life after battling cancer and its attached fears and anxieties.

"I believe in this diet because it has helped me," she states confidently.

Through this emotionally and physically enriching lifestyle, Shruti overcame a life-threatening disease, and is now dedicated to walk this arduous path with others.