The Power of Passion and Purpose

Entering a new phase of life can be an intimidating prospect for some older adults, with the looming question of how to find continued meaning and purpose in their later years.

But for Lalit Kapoor, an entrepreneur who has devoted his post-retirement life to wellness education, the answer is clear: keep learning, adapting and giving back.

The inspiring 73-year-old has turned his own health journey into a mission to improve the lives of thousands around the world.

After graduating from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kapoor received his MBA from UCLA in 1975 before embarking on a successful career in various management and sales positions for an aerospace company. In 1984, he founded his own IT services company, Group-Ipex Inc., which was later acquired by Hall Kinion, a Nasdaq-listed professional staffing firm.

Kapoor's next entrepreneurial move was to launch Group-Bigates, a company specializing in computer telephony software with operations in Pune. It was acquired by AVAYA in 2004.

After retiring in 2005, Kapoor initially focused on building his dream home and getting his daughters married. But a 2013 viewing of the documentary “Forks Over Knives” took his life in a new direction.

This thought-provoking documentary explores the idea of food as medicine, and how adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet can prevent and even reverse chronic diseases such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. It follows the journeys of a nutritional biochemist and a former top surgeon, whose research and discoveries led them to the same conclusion. Kapoor was inspired by the film's message and its portrayal of everyday Americans with chronic conditions who used a plant-based diet to take control of their health and their lives.

“Like most of us, I used to think that my diet and lifestyle were healthy and that my chronic illnesses were due to genes or sheer bad luck,” says Kapoor. Older family members had heart attacks, hypertension and diabetes; two uncles died of heart attacks at relatively young ages.

Kapoor’s diet relied heavily on animal-based products, which he soon realized was not the optimal health choice. “I never smoked and alcohol consumption was only a few margaritas on the weekend,” he says. “We were practically vegetarians and ate meat and seafood only while eating out or at parties. I loved milk and eggs and I always thought they were good for me.”

Suffering from a slew of chronic diseases–hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, gout, hyperthyroid and sleep apnea–Kapoor and his wife decided to change their diet and lifestyle. Within 18 months, he had lost 65 pounds and was able to discontinue all of his medications.

He was hooked on this new health perspective.

“When you see your health improving you get more and more interested,” Kapoor says. “If you make only minor changes, the results also will be minor, and if you’re a skeptic you won’t connect the two and fall back [into old habits]. Try making some drastic changes for at least three weeks and you will be sold. Your friends will comment and pay you compliments. All changes will be for the positive and you’ll feel great.”

With plenty of free time at his disposal, he dedicated himself to studying nutrition and wellness, spending up to eight hours a day learning about the subject, as well as attending multiple conferences.

Kapoor believes that many people mistakenly accept that aging must be accompanied by diseases associated with “old age.” Quite the contrary, says Kapoor, “One should not have any diseases; the human body was designed to live a healthy life until it dies.”

Kapoor’s passion eventually led him to create discussion groups, starting with his 45-year class reunion. As interest grew, he expanded and created multiple groups to include people from IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, eventually expanding to a global audience.

In 2021, Kapoor founded the Plant Based Wellness Foundation, a nonprofit foundation focused on improving public health, in India, and LMK Health, the foundation’s teaching arm, in the United States.

Today, the organization boasts more than 103,000 members, with roughly 7,000 new members joining every month. The foundation operates 40 international virtual centers, offering retreats and courses on nutrition and wellness to people in 45 countries. Kapoor teaches courses on nutrition and frequently travels to India, Dubai and Singapore to conduct retreats. His objective is to help people restore their health by debunking myths about diet and nutrition.

When asked his advice for those who struggle to find meaning and purpose in their later lives, Kapoor suggests introspection.

“You need to find what you are good at and see if you can share that strength and teach it to others,” he says. By engaging with other people and sharing one’s knowledge, anyone can make a significant impact, ultimately contributing to one’s own sense of purpose.

As for Kapoor, his goal is to reach one percent of the world’s population and help them become more aware of the dietary and lifestyle practices that can contribute to a longer, healthier life.

Kapoor’s personal journey is a powerful reminder that later years can be a time of growth, learning and giving back to others.

For more information about the Plant Based Wellness Foundation and LMK Health, visit www.lmkhealth.com.