My Story: How Justbe Was Born from a Kitchen Struggle

During a 21-day retreat, I discovered the power of whole-food plant-based eating. No oil, no sugar, no dairy. My energy soared, and I felt a profound shift. I came home and immediately changed my family's diet. My husband's 23-year-long acidity vanished, and my son, after 15 years of suffering, no longer needed his asthma inhaler.

After seeing the miracles in my own home, my son asked a simple question: "Where can we eat out?" I searched all over India and found no restaurant serving our kind of food. That night, I decided to open one myself. With my husband's support for just three months, I started Justbe, and six years later, we are still here.

People are often surprised when I say we use no milk, no oil, and no ghee, yet we feel better than ever. Giving up dairy and refined products made a huge difference. My cholesterol dropped from 300 to below 200, my rosacea cleared up, and my husband's asthma disappeared. This is the gift of health I want to share with everyone.

Looking back, I see how my childhood prepared me for this path. Growing up as the eldest of four sisters in a Marwari home, hospitality was ingrained in me. I was always the one making chai for guests or serving food. I never imagined that this early training would one day lead me to run my own hospitality business.

The first two months of running my restaurant were incredibly hard; survival instinct was all I had. I was learning everything on the fly, from managing the kitchen to washing dishes, all while running my home. But the joy I get today from serving food that heals, one plate at a time, makes every struggle worthwhile.

On the opening day of my restaurant, four staff members disappeared. My family, my husband, my sister, and my son, stepped in without a second thought. We served, we took orders, we cleared plates. That day, I learned that I will never give up. That has become my mantra.

I took the road less traveled, but I was determined to make it accessible for everyone. I wanted a 10-year-old to crave my food and an 80-year-old to find something they could enjoy. A healthy lifestyle isn't just for the affluent; it's for all of us.

During a consultation, a cancer patient was more worried about her hair loss than her illness. It made me question our attachment to external appearances. To understand this better, I shaved my head. It was a liberating experience that gave me wings to fly, reinforcing my belief in living for myself, not for the world.

This book, "100 Self-Portraits, 100 Dreams," features my story as a mother. Being a mom to my two boys, Vardhan and Dev, taught me unconditional love and the strength to fight for them. It made me a warrior, just like my own mother. My children gave me the love and the pain that helped me grow.