THUNDER BAY - There are many benefits to living a healthy lifestyle and for those who may not know how or where to start, a new event in the city promises to provide information on all the tasty options that are out there in the community.
“A lot of people are becoming more and more health conscious,” said Prashant Jani. “People are going through various websites and come to know about the importance of lifestyle and disease. I think people are much more health conscious than before.”
There were a lot of healthy choices on the menu during VegFest, the city’s very first healthy living expo. Organized by Jani, the one-day expo on Sunday offered a variety of vendors and workshops on vegetarian food and healthy products.
“That’s why I wanted to put on VegFest so people can explore and experience alternate options for eating,” Jani said. “They can understand the importance of diet and disease through workshops and exhibits.”
Various businesses and organizations were offering samples of foods and information, including gluten free pizza, cooking demonstrations, and yoga sessions.
According to Jani, there is a strong appetite in the city of Thunder Bay for alternative and healthier eating options and no expo like this has been held in Northwestern Ontario before.
“We sold more than 300 tickets as of today,” he said. “This is more than what I expected. We are expecting more than 500 people today.”
Choosing vegetarian meals have many benefits including reducing environmental impacts, but it is also closely related to physical and mental health.
“As I work in the Cancer Centre at the hospital, I see a lot cancer patients and many patients of heart disease and high blood pressure and diabetes and through my studies I have come know that diet has a strong relationship with all diseases,” Jani said. “If we change our lifestyle and change our diet, we can prevent a lot of diseases.”
For Fiona Robinson of Blissful Bowls, who was serving up samples of gluten free vegan pizza, VegFest is a welcomed addition to the city.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “I had no idea so many people were so conscious of what they were eating. It’s really nice to see and be part of that community.”
Robinson added that she sees a lot more people making a conscious effort to choose healthier options when it comes to food.
“A lot of people do it because they feel better emotionally, knowing they are being kinder to their communities, their bodies, and their environment,” she said. “There are a lot of nutrients in plant based foods.”
Jani said he hopes people enjoy VegFest and if the support continues to grow, it could become a yearly event.
“At this time I have invested all the money from my own pocket just for the desire to do something good for the community,” he said. “If we get good support I would like to see it happen every year. I hope people love it and will make it happen again.”