— Nike Schwartz

So my first thing to say is, if there's anybody here today that has some suggestions that you would like to add to the conversation, feel free to type in, uh, a response. Um, there are, I find, and I have been plant-based for 15 years. I find that there are two kinds of people, people who jump in the deep end. And I'm one of those people or people who hold onto the railing and tiptoe in to what it is that they wanna learn about being plant-based. I think I've seen many, many people who complicate the process much more than it needs to be complicated. And, uh, hitting your favorite grocery store, stocking up on some grains, doing some batch cooking, um, making beautiful food. And I, I have shared this before, I was plant-based for about five years, and I had never in my life eaten tofu because I didn't like how it looked. I didn't like its texture. It just, it just wasn't for me. And then lo and behold, there's the Rouxbe roasted, uh, tofu assignment. And, um, when I made that recipe, marinating it in, uh, some low sodium tamari with some liquid smoke or smoked paprika and marinating it and then roasting it. And when it came out, I remember in my assignment I made a bun me sandwich, and, uh, I thought it was the most delicious thing that I ate. So I think having an open mind, finding a recipe that you like and adding new foods to your diet and be gentle with yourself, be gentle with yourself because for some people, this is such a 180 from the life that you were living, that learning new things sometimes does take time. But keep coming back to our live events here on Rouxbe because all of the instructors have, uh, a different story to tell.