Genelia D’Souza reveals why she quit eating meat and how veganism felt her connected to “a zillion things”

It didn’t begin with a food trend or a strict rulebook. For Genelia D’Souza, quitting meat was a slow, personal shift that started with health concerns and ended in a deeper lifestyle change. In a candid chat with Soha Ali Khan on her YouTube channel, the actor revealed how she stopped eating meat in 2017, first turned vegetarian, and eventually went fully vegan during the Covid-19 pandemic, discovering along the way how everyday food choices quietly shape the body, the mind, and even values.

Genelia D'Souza: From meat-eating family to vegetarian in 2017

Genelia said giving up meat was not something she grew up planning. She comes from a non-vegetarian family and had limited exposure to vegetarian food in her early years.

“I gave up meat in 2017, that was the time I turned vegetarian and not plant-based. I still used to have a little bit of dairy and cheese, and eggs were on. People say that you reach a spiritual place, and that is what happened with me initially. My first step toward being vegan was selfish as I thought this kind of living would be better for my health,” she said.


At that point, health played a bigger role than ethics or the environment.

Learning vegetarian food the hard way

The actor admitted she did not understand vegetarianism in depth when she started. Her knowledge was limited, and the transition took time and effort.

“I didn't know any better. I was born in a non-vegetarian family. I only knew peas, potatoes and paneer as vegetarian food. On the way to becoming a vegan, I realised it is connected to a zillion things. One of the things was having babies; I didn't want anything to hurt them, and I am an animal lover, but I used to enjoy my meat as well,” Genelia said.

She added that cutting down meat helped her explore new foods and feel lighter after meals.

“When you start limiting its consumption, you realise there is a possibility to enjoy other things, which is what happened with me. I started learning more about eating vegetarian food, and I felt extremely light after a meal. I was more disciplined cause I wanted this approach in life,” she added.

Covid pandemic and the final shift to veganism

Genelia said she turned fully vegan in 2020, during the pandemic, influenced by both circumstances and her husband Riteish Deshmukh, who had already quit meat earlier.

“It started with Riteish, he left meat in 2016, saying 'It doesn't feel right anymore'. I took 2 months, and on January 1st, 2017. I gave it up, but we would eat eggs and animal products,” she said.

The lockdown created space to experiment with food habits.

“Then, Covid hit, and everyone was scared, and Riteish mentioned 'Why don't we try to get off all animal products altogether?' I said 'Okay, we are home, let's try to make that shift. We started doing that, and Riteish started feeling amazing,” Genelia said.

Health first, then environment and animals

She also spoke about how everyday food choices affect the body, something she realised only after making the change.

“Every time we had a little milk or butter on our roti, we felt full. Living life a certain way, you never realise the things you are eating every day and how they affect your body,” she said.

While health was the starting point, her reasons expanded over time.

“Initially, it was a health concern. With time, I went on to get very close to the cause of the environment and animals. I didn't do everything perfectly in my year one, and I am still not perfect, but I learn every day, and I try.”