“Health Is Wealth”

One of the quotes I live by is health is wealth.

It wasn’t until well into my 20’s I made the connection of how I felt with what it was I was consuming. I was used to eating carb heavy, oily foods culturally and it took me moving out on my own to discover just how wrong I’d been doing it for most of my life.

Fatigue, lack of stamina, depression, anxiety, aches and pains, you name it and I’ve experienced it.

I began taking baby steps over the years to making better health choices. I was starting to move into consistent exercising, learning to read food labels and cutting out things I didn’t feel the greatest consuming.

I eventually made a conscious decision to adopt a plant based diet. It was a spur of the moment decision in a checkout line after being told one of the items in my basket was recalled. I said to the cashier I might as well just go vegan. They had a look of concern and said “good luck“. I never looked back.

This random decision had to be one of the best I’ve ever made. This new lifestyle forced me to now thoroughly read ingredients when purchasing foods and that alone taught me a lot about the good and bad of what I was putting into my body.

Now let’s backtrack for a second shall we?

Leaving behind all of the foods I was brought up on wasn’t an easy task. Diabetes, blood pressure, obesity and heart disease were prevalent in my family history and I wanted to get ahead of them. However, I was so used to eating a certain way that it was second nature. I often hear people say they couldn’t possibly cut this or that out of their diets because they’re so attached to whatever food. Trust me, I get it. Cultural attachments, emotional attachments, we all have them. For me though, one of the most important conversations that I needed to have was one with myself. I made a promise that I would do right by my body and that trumped all of the other ties I once had to unhealthy choices.

As time passed, I started to see the benefits of the changes I was making. The ‘cleaner’ or healthier I ate, the better I felt. I had more energy and less brain fog.  I was able to move my body in ways I never imagined in terms of work outs. I was lifting weights. Me! The girl that once couldn’t run to save her life. I felt better going into my 30’s than I did in my teenage years. Sounds crazy, I know!

Years in, I was also starting to feel a lot more confident and this reflected in my life choices. I think about the saying we are what we eat and I actually get it now. Taking care of our bodies is the ultimate form of self love. What I’ve learned in doing so is that mind and spirit follow. It all starts with a decision to do our best. The little choices will then turn into big ones and before we know it, we’re thriving in so many areas of our lives.

One of my greatest lessons is that life is about balance. Balancing the good and the bad. We’re all human after all and I encourage anyone reading this to enjoy the journey.

Drink those 8 cups of water AND eat that ice cream, especially the one from Frozen Fruit Co (shameless plug). Have that piece of bread when you’re out for dinner AND set your alarm to get up a little earlier for a workout.

Above all, do right by you and take care of your temple. In turn, I promise it’ll take care of you.

About Natasha

I’m a Pakistani-American/Canadian actress, dreamer, dog mom, vegan, fitness enthusiast and overall lover of life.

I was born in Texas to a blended family. I lived in Chicago for 13 years before my family settled in the suburbs of Toronto, Canada in 2000. 

8 years ago, I made a bold move to Los Angeles to pursue my love of acting. I’ve personally experienced quite a bit of adversity and I’d like to share the lessons I’ve learned with you. I hope to create a community of love and honesty where we can learn from each other. I see everyday as a new opportunity to grow, whilst trying to discover self and follow our dreams.

I’m on a mission to pursue my passions, live out my purpose and navigate traditions. I created Purpose and Chai in hopes of helping you discover and pursue your ‘why’.  Purpose is why we are here. Who and what are we destined to be? Chai is a symbol of where I come from: Culture and the beliefs that come with it. Few things feel as good as the right cup of chai. Traditions can play a huge part in aiding and/or deterring us from becoming who we are destined to be. It can be a lot, trust me I get it. Lets talk about it! Sit back, grab your cup of chai and lets embark on this journey called life.. together!

Follow Natasha on Instagram (@natashakhawja) and visit her website Purpose & Chai at https://www.purposeandchai.com/.