If you’ve scrolled through Indian celebrity news or sustainability content lately, you’ve probably stumbled on the question: is Anant Ambani vegan? The youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has made headlines for his public health journey, animal welfare advocacy, and high-profile events that often feature plant-based menus. It’s easy to get confused by conflicting claims online, so we pulled together verified details from his public appearances, interviews with his personal team, and official statements to clear up the confusion. We’ll also break down how his diet choices tie into his broader philanthropic work, if he ever deviates from plant-based eating, and what his go-to meals look like on a regular day.
Is Anant Ambani Vegan? Breaking Down His Official Stance
Anant Ambani first confirmed his fully plant-based diet during a 2023 fireside chat at the Reliance National Sustainability Summit, and his personal nutritionist has since verified the claim in multiple interviews. He initially switched to a vegan diet in 2020, halfway through his highly publicized 108 kg weight loss journey, after his medical team recommended cutting out red meat and dairy to reduce his risk of chronic health conditions. Many fans assumed the diet change was temporary, tied only to his weight loss goals, but he has stuck with it consistently for nearly four years at this point.
He later expanded on his reasoning for staying vegan in a 2024 interview with a leading Indian lifestyle publication, saying he learned about the environmental impact of animal agriculture while working on Reliance’s renewable energy projects. He noted that animal farming contributes to nearly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and switching to a plant-based diet was one small personal change he could make to align his actions with his professional sustainability goals. He has repeatedly stated that his vegan diet is a permanent lifestyle choice, not a short-term weight loss hack.
What Does Anant Ambani’s Daily Vegan Diet Look Like?
His diet is curated by a small team of nutritionists to meet his high energy needs, since he regularly works 12+ hour days overseeing Reliance’s green energy projects and the Reliance Animal Rescue Foundation. His breakfast is almost always overnight oats made with almond milk, chia seeds, fresh local berries, and a sprinkle of nuts, or a vegan protein smoothie if he’s heading straight to a morning workout or farm visit. He avoids sugary breakfast cereals and processed vegan breakfast foods entirely, per his nutritionist’s recommendation.
Lunch is usually a mix of simple Indian plant-based dishes: yellow dal, quinoa or brown rice, roasted seasonal vegetables, and a small portion of vegan raita made with coconut yogurt. If he’s attending a work meeting off-site, his team pre-packages his lunch so he doesn’t have to rely on restaurant options that might not have suitable vegan choices. Dinner is lighter, usually a large green salad with roasted sweet potato, marinated tofu or tempeh, and a side of tomato or lentil soup. He avoids processed vegan foods as much as possible, prioritizing whole, locally sourced ingredients grown on Reliance’s organic farms.
His favorite snacks are fresh fruit, roasted chickpeas, and vegan dhokla, a traditional Gujarati steamed savory cake. His wife Radhika Merchant, who follows a mostly plant-based diet herself, often cooks his favorite vegan versions of Gujarati home dishes for dinner on weekends.
How His Vegan Choices Tie Into His Philanthropic Work
Anant Ambani’s commitment to veganism isn’t limited to his personal diet; it directly informs many of the philanthropic initiatives he runs through Reliance Foundation. As the head of the Reliance Animal Rescue Foundation, which cares for over 2,000 abandoned and injured animals across India, he has implemented policies that prioritize plant-based care where safe and appropriate for the animals. He also regularly hosts free vegan cooking workshops for low-income communities across Gujarat, to teach people how to make affordable, balanced plant-based meals with local ingredients.
Some of the key initiatives he has launched that tie directly to his vegan beliefs include:
- A free school lunch program across 1,000 government schools in Gujarat that serves one vegan meal per week to over 200,000 students, to introduce kids to balanced plant-based eating at an early age
- A partnership with 1,200 small-scale local farmers to subsidize organic vegetable and legume seeds, making plant-based staple ingredients more affordable for small grocery stores across rural India
- A mandatory vegan catering policy for all official Reliance Industries events, which has cut the company’s event-related carbon footprint by 32% since it was implemented in 2022
Local community leaders in Gujarat have noted that the school lunch program has also helped reduce rates of childhood obesity in participating schools, and cut food waste by almost 20% because the vegan meals are more popular with students than the old non-vegan lunch options. He has also invested over $10 million in Indian plant-based food startups, to make affordable vegan products available to consumers across all income brackets.
Common Misconceptions About Anant Ambani’s Vegan Diet
As with any high-profile public figure, there are dozens of false claims about Anant Ambani’s vegan diet circulating online. One of the most common is that he only eats expensive imported vegan products that are completely out of reach for average Indians. His nutritionist debunked this claim last year, revealing that 90% of the ingredients he eats are sourced from local Indian farms, and his monthly grocery bill is actually lower than the average upper-middle class Indian family’s, because he buys staple ingredients in bulk and doesn’t purchase expensive imported vegan snacks or supplements.
Another widespread misconception is that he forces his family and friends to eat vegan when they visit him or attend his private events. Multiple guests who have attended his private birthday parties and family gatherings have confirmed that he always offers both vegan and non-vegan options for guests, and never lectures anyone about their food choices. He has said he prefers to lead by example, rather than lecturing others about their food choices.
There’s also a false claim that he never deviates from his vegan diet under any circumstances. That’s not entirely true, as his medical team has confirmed that he will take prescription medications that contain animal-derived ingredients if it’s necessary for his health, with no exceptions. The only time he deviates from his vegan diet is for medical reasons, if a doctor prescribes a medication that contains animal-derived ingredients.
At the end of the day, the question of is Anant Ambani vegan has a clear, verified answer: yes, he follows a strict fully plant-based diet, and has tied that choice to both his personal health goals and his broader work in sustainability and animal welfare. You don’t have to agree with all of his choices to recognize that his platform has helped bring more attention to plant-based eating in India, especially for people who might not have considered it a viable lifestyle before. If you’re curious about trying a vegan diet yourself, you don’t need a team of nutritionists to start small; even swapping one meat or dairy meal a week for a plant-based alternative can make a difference for your health and the planet.