— Sylvia Edwards

Well, this is, uh, this is a good question, and I think one that probably a lot of people have asked at one point or another. And, um, yeah, you know, one, you know, one thing that I think about, first of all, uh, when it comes to, you know, doing anything, um, you know, whether it's going for a walk in the morning doing some pushups, uh, in the afternoon, eating whole food plant-based, whatever it is, uh, and that is that, uh, the endeavor is 90% mental, and the remaining 10% is just what we do. It's taking that first step in the morning, it's, uh, reaching for this and not that, uh, in the refrigerator. And, um, you know, if the, uh, if the concern here, you know, is to, to the total avoidance, uh, of animal-based foods, then, you know, I think we need to sit down with ourselves and, uh, have that heart-to-heart discussion with ourselves. And, you know, think about what it is that, uh, we want to do. And, um, uh, you know, next steps would be to, uh, shape the environment in which we wanna be. And I understand at this, uh, at the same time that many of us, uh, live with other people that are on a different type of a diet. And, um, uh, therefore, there may be some things in our environment that, um, that we'd prefer not to eat. You know, the, in other words, the, the, uh, animal-based, uh, ingredients or food items. And, and so this is where, you know, we fall back on that earlier discussion we had with ourself and, um, you know, where we mustered up that resolve, uh, to, to be a different person, not just to try to eat in a different way, but it's a, it's an identity shift. It's a, a self-perception change, uh, that I think is, is really needed at a, at a deeper level. If this is what you wanna do, and this, you know, think about anything else you might want to do. Um, you know, if you wanna become a good basketball player, you need to resolve to practice playing basketball every day, or piano or something else. Uh, it can't be twice a week. And then you be, you know, then with expectations that you, you do this thing very well. Um, and so there needs to be an identity shift and, and a routine, uh, that's created. And, um, you know, the, the other part of this is, um, and, and I may not be speaking directly to you, Sylvia, when I say this, but, uh, certainly for, for some, some of us, uh, maybe you, you don't need to do the a hundred percent, uh, plant-based lifestyle. You know, maybe it's mostly plants, you know, call it 90%, 95%, and maybe on occasion, you know, you reach for a little something that you have enjoyed in the past that is derived from, uh, animal ingredients, animal animal foods. Um, and so, you know, think about that as well. Think about that approach, and if that, uh, is something that you can live with, um, you know, in, in which case you can be a little bit easier on yourself rather than harsh. And, um, uh, you know, this, uh, brings me to this idea of, um, you know, finding the joy, uh, around food and, of course, cooking and, uh, to maintain, uh, uh, a positive outlook. You know, the, the good vibes that, um, uh, again, the joy around eating and mealtime. Uh, you know, one thing that, um, uh, uh, I'll I'll say hurts. Uh, you know, when I, when I hear people and talk to people, uh, that really struggle with trying to, to do something that maybe they really don't wanna do, uh, is the negative emotions that creep into mealtime and, uh, and food, you know, which should be nourishing and positive, uh, for, for all of us. And, uh, we need to find that balance, you know, and, and balance means different things for different people. Um, but, uh, you know, those are a few thoughts that come to mind, Sylvia. And hopefully, uh, you'll find something in there that is meaningful to you, that, and, uh, that you might check out, that you might try out, you know, whether it's that, uh, that talk with yourself regarding being a hundred percent plant-based, or maybe it's, uh, that talk with yourself about allowing 5% of non plant, uh, ingredients to come into your life, uh, so that, uh, you do maintain that joy around food, cooking, and meal times.