Vegan Action
Dilip Barman — Teaching Veganism
by Lucía Rivera
Gentle vegan activism comes in many forms for Dilip Barman, a 20-year vegan.
“I've been a vegan advocate for a long time, helping to get the word out. But the nice thing about veganism is it's appealing on so many levels,” he said.
Barman is involved in many organizations and groups. As a Food For Life (FFL) instructor, he demonstrates to students of all ages that plant-based foods can be delicious and easy to prepare.
Before the pandemic he got to work regularly with groups of children in his North Carolina area.
“I do some cool activism in the schools and I started a healthy snack program, which has been really exciting. And it's impacted K-4 directly and indirectly, 5th-8th graders, and the Nutrition Education Director of a school,” Barman said.
Barman is involved with a children's program called So Many Kids in the Kitchen that airs on the Plant-Based Network. The show reaches all over the world and encourages youth to make healthful choices within their family, as well as seeking the support of their parents and siblings.
“With kids, we don't pass value. What I do in my classes is, I say, ‘I know something about nutrition, but I'm going to share with you ways that I know that are healthy eating, but always ask your parents what's the best thing because I don't know you as well as your parents,’” Barman said.
Being a FFL instructor has changed during the pandemic; however, Barman believes the message of healthful vegan eating is more critical than ever. He said that healthy eating plays an important role during a health crisis and many underlying conditions “can be largely prevented, managed, or perhaps reversed with the whole-food plant-based diet.”
Barman is also president of the Triangle Vegetarian Society (TVS) in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. During the pandemic, the TVS was not able to hold their usual monthly events; however, Barman helped redesign the group's annual vegan Thanksgiving dinner — known to be one of the largest in the country — into a carry-out meal.
Additionally, he was an Executive Producer for the documentary Code Blue, and regularly writes for local papers and magazines about vegan eating. Barman expressed the importance of gentle vegan advocacy.
“I would encourage vegans to focus on being healthy [...] so that you're a good role model,” he said.
For more information, see https://www.trianglevegsociety.org/ or https://www.somanycooks.com/
Lucía is a high school student and long-distance VRG intern in southern California. She has been vegetarian for almost 10 years and spends her spare time volunteering, baking, and reading.
