Sakshi Jain - Plant Futurist Feature

Introducing Sakshi Jain, Founder of My Joyful Plate, a platform that aims to promote healthy food choices through easy-to-make recipes and informative content. Coming from a vegetarian family in India, Sakshi has seen the numerous health benefits of a plant-based diet and is a big believer in yoga and a plant-focused lifestyle.

With experience working in the food industry, Sakshi pursued a program at Haas School of Business, focusing on the role food systems play in climate change. As a Plant Futures fellow, she led industry outreach and speaker connections for the Plant Futures Symposium '23. Sakshi's vision is to create a future where consumers, manufacturers, and policymakers work together towards a more sustainable and healthier food system.

Follow her on Instagram at @MyJoyfulPlate for delicious plant-focused recipes and more great content.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I come from India; land known for its rich & diverse plant-first food culture. My whole family has been vegetarian throughout our lives and seen numerous health benefits of a plant-based diet. I am a big believer of yoga & plant focused diet and follow it religiously. Over the course of my professional career, I was part of the food industry working with CPG giants driving innovation & launching new products. I joined Berkeley in 2022 for a program at Haas School of Business, where I took up courses specific to Climate change & the role Food systems play. As part of the Challenge lab, our team consulted Aromyx, an AI start up replicating human taste & smell receptors. This year as a Plant Futures fellow, I led industry outreach & speaker connections for the Plant Futures Symposium'23. I started "My Joyful Plate" with an aim to create awareness about healthy food choices, be it from packaged food or through made from scratch easy recipes. I wish to leverage my experience & learnings to drive change for a healthier future.

What is your inspiration to seek change?

I have seen many of my peers develop diseases like diabetes & hypertension at a very young age. While the access to food has increased, there is a high adulteration and processing which is making it less suitable for consumption. I realized that a systemic change is required in our food system to ensure that we live a long and healthy life.

What does the future food system of your dreams look like?

I wish to see a food system where consumers, manufacturers, policy makers all work together for a more fresh, wholesome and healthy future. Where the food consumed is grown locally in a sustainable manner.

What is your favorite plant-centric meal?

Indian Dal Khichadi