IE Author and Educator Arjun Kumar Links Veganism, Psychology and Health to Expose Profit-Driven Food Systems
7 min read
Highland resident Arjun Kumar, an author and psychology scholar with degrees from UC Irvine and USC, explores mindfulness, ethics, and emotional well-being in his work.
Arjun Kumar didn’t adopt a plant-based lifestyle for the reasons most people assume. There were no viral documentaries or fitness trends driving the shift. It began, he says, with a personal journey of self-awareness—rooted in mindfulness, emotional healing and a desire to live in alignment with his values.
“I started noticing how food affected my body and my emotional regulation,” said Kumar, a Highland resident and psychology scholar. “When I would eat meat or heavy processed foods, my nervous system would respond differently—I’d feel more agitated, more tense.”
Already exploring meditation and lucid dreaming to support his mental health, Kumar’s practices led him toward veganism—not as a rigid doctrine, he said, but as part of a broader conversation about mindfulness, justice and well-being.
“People always ask me if I’m vegan for the animals or for the environment or for my health,” he said. “The answer is yes to all of that—but also, it’s about how we relate to our bodies and each other. It’s about integrity.”
Kumar holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from UC Irvine and a master’s in industrial-organizational psychology from USC. His debut book, Wisdom Through Psychology, weaves science, spirituality and cultural critique into a toolkit for reflection and personal growth.
“It’s not about being ‘better’ or fixing yourself,” Kumar said. “It’s about understanding your patterns—the ones you inherited, the ones you formed to survive—and deciding which ones still serve you.”
Rooted in Psychology, Aimed at Purpose
Kumar’s interest in psychology grew out of navigating multiple cultural identities as the child of immigrants.
“There was this constant negotiation between what my family valued and what the broader American culture expected,” he said. “Psychology helped me make sense of that dissonance—of why people act the way they do, why we carry certain beliefs.”
Wisdom Through Psychology began as a decade of notes he kept on his phone—insights from school, films and everyday experiences—later organized into a 100-day journey of prompts and practices.
“You shouldn’t need to sit next to a psychiatrist to learn about your mind,” he said. “Psychology should be part of your daily life—your health, your creativity, your relationships.”
The book emphasizes “will” as a compass. “Willpower isn’t forcing discipline—it’s redirecting energy,” he said. “When you know what matters, your choices start to reflect that.” On day one, he writes, “Habits are easier than goals,” a lesson he learned while writing the book by committing to two pages a week.
Kumar also explores emotional duality in a section titled Half God, Half Devil, which asks readers to study both their light and shadow before integrating the two. “Life isn’t supposed to be happy all the time,” he said. “It’s a mix of sadness and joy, trial and reflection.” Humor, he adds, helps keep perspective: “There are no lines between comedies and tragedies. If you can laugh at yourself, you’ll live healthier.”
The book’s foreword, written by psychologist and YouTuber Ralph Smart—known to his two million followers as Infinite Waters—underscores Kumar’s blend of spirituality and science. “He’s a vegan psychologist I’ve looked up to since I was a kid,” Kumar said. “Having him write the foreword felt like coming full circle.”
Food, Culture and the Stories We Inherit
“I grew up in a household where food was love, food was culture, food was tradition,” Kumar said. “You don’t just walk away from that because you read an article about factory farming.”
For him, dietary change meant reexamining the stories attached to food and the emotions beneath cravings. “In a lot of marginalized communities, food is tied to survival and celebration,” he said. “It’s also where we carry trauma. Learning to eat mindfully isn’t just about nutrition—it’s about reclaiming agency.”
He encourages compassion and curiosity. “Our bodies are incredibly intuitive when we learn to listen to them again,” he said. “That process is gradual, and it’s different for everyone.”
Animal Ethics and the ‘Meat Matrix’
For Kumar, veganism is inseparable from ethics and awareness. He describes animal agriculture as a cultural system so deeply embedded in modern life that it often goes unquestioned—a network he calls the “meat matrix.”
“I was a meat eater growing up,” Kumar said. “Up until age 14, then I became a vegetarian, and by 20, I became a fully fledged vegan.” The shift, he added, wasn’t about judgment, but awakening to the realities of industrial agriculture.
“It’s become so extreme that the dairy industry is now the meat industry,” he said. “In the modern age, having animal products is almost like having meat because of how you’re economically supporting animal agriculture.”
He ties that normalization to dissonance—the separation between the product on a plate and the suffering that precedes it. “If you wanted to eat meat, you basically had to kill someone and visually see it,” he said. “That dissonance makes it very easy for people to continue consuming meat.”
Kumar views modern meat consumption as a historical drift. “When humans needed to survive off something, when they were stuck on an island, they would eat meat,” he said. “But then it became cultural, and eventually a luxury—something people did occasionally as ritual or necessity—until industrial agriculture made it an everyday habit.”
He adds that today’s consumption patterns are reinforced by power and policy. “The meat and dairy industries have so much influence,” he said. “About 63 percent of agricultural subsidies go to meat and dairy products, and very little goes to vegetables. That’s why vegan products are so much more expensive.”
Citing documentaries such as Cowspiracy, Kumar says the alignment between government, pharmaceutical companies and agricultural corporations creates a feedback loop that profits from illness. “The government uses tax money to push meat and dairy products,” he said. “Meat and dairy keep people sick—and then big pharma and agriculture profit off that sickness.”
For him, the solution isn’t guilt—it’s awareness. “Veganism is just a mindset to not exploit animals,” he said. “You’re not eating their meat, and you’re not consuming their dairy products. When you become aware of those histories, food choices stop being only personal—they’re political.”
A Global View, A Local Plate
That awareness has shaped Kumar’s outlook on global and local food systems alike. Having traveled extensively—from exploring mindfulness practices abroad to connecting with plant-based communities across the U.S.—he often notes that plant-based eating has long cultural roots.
“What I’ve seen around the world is that plant-based eating isn’t new,” he said. “It’s indigenous, it’s ancestral. It’s often the colonization of food systems that disrupts that.”
He challenges the idea that veganism is inherently expensive. “If you strip away the packaged goods and Instagram trends, plant-based eating can be deeply affordable,” he said. “Whole foods—beans, rice, lentils, seasonal produce—have nourished people for centuries.”
Locally, he highlights the Inland Empire’s growing vegan-friendly options. He points to Loma Linda—one of the world’s designated Blue Zones—as a model of longevity and community-oriented plant-based living.
“Just visit one of Loma Linda’s many vegan restaurants and you’ll feel it,” he said. “It’s not just about the food. It’s about community, shared values and living with intention.”
In Redlands, he praises BZ Taco for a creative vegan menu. “Their jackfruit tacos are incredible,” he said. Other favorites include Plant Power Fast Food, Monty’s Good Burger and Loving Hut; all located in the Inland Empire. “Start with one plant-based meal a day,” he advised.
Redefining Health and Success
Beyond food and mindfulness, Kumar challenges modern notions of productivity and success.
“There’s this hustle culture that equates burnout with achievement,” he said. “But rest is a form of resistance. Slowness can be revolutionary.”
His definition of health is equally holistic. “Health isn’t just the absence of disease or a number on a scale,” he said. “It’s joy, connection, sleep, creativity, boundaries—things that don’t always get measured.”
He credits meditation with grounding his own practice. “Even five minutes in the morning can reset your brain and set the tone for the day,” he said. “You don’t need a guru or a therapist. You already have the answer within you.”
He also applies mindfulness to daily eating. “I focus on every bite—how it feels, how it fuels me,” he said. “That’s how you learn what your body truly needs.”
A Message to the Inland Empire—and Beyond
Kumar’s message may be global, but his roots remain in the Inland Empire. He credits the region for shaping both his identity and his philosophy.
“This community shaped me,” he said. “There’s so much resilience and creativity here. But there’s also food insecurity, health disparities and a lack of access to wellness resources.”
Rather than prescribing one path, Kumar urges self-inquiry. “Healing isn’t about perfection,” he said. “It’s about presence—listening, pausing and responding with intention.”
He believes true well-being is inclusive and accessible. “Sleep, boundaries, creativity, relationships—these, too, are forms of health,” he said. “Everyone has access to self-awareness, compassion and curiosity.”
If there’s one takeaway he hopes readers hold on to, it’s this: the most profound change often begins with the smallest shift—a moment of stillness, a question asked inwardly, or a single breath taken with intention.
