Stage 2: Support
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Checking In on Feelings
How are you feeling? Angry? Betrayed? Duped? Are you feeling like this information should be headline news? Do you want to change the foods you eat but don’t think you can? Making the decision to change can be exciting. It is one filled with hope and optimism. It can also feel overwhelming.
The Plant Forward Way
When navigating this plant forward dietary evolution, anchoring to these concepts may help.
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Ditch Labels. You don't need the weight of stereotypes. Do what feels right. You don't owe others explanations. It's ok to try new things.
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Progress Not Perfection. Baby steps are awesome. Celebrate them. As Dory would say, Just Keep Swimming.
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You Are Enough. You do not need to be a chef, spend more time & money, or purchase gadgets. Your positive attitude is enough.
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Forget What You Thought You Knew. For every animal-based product or recipe there is a plant based version. Plants are versatile.
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Your Friends & Family Can Be Cool. Lead by example. Be kind. Operate from a place of love. Most importantly, feed them yummy food!
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Limiting Beliefs
In your journey, you may face limiting beliefs (such as the ones below). I faced them right from the beginning. I began to ask myself whether there was any data to support these limiting beliefs. I began to view the changes that I was making as a clinical study, my clinical study (n=1). I decided to make small changes and do research in parallel. It turns out, the science did not support my limiting beliefs and there were easy ways to overcome them.
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I won’t get enough protein
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I won’t get enough iron and calcium
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It will be impossible to eat out
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Soy is not good for you
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My Learnings
As I got farther along in my journey, I broke down my limiting beliefs publicly to share what I learned and how I overcame them: