This post is a little late but better late than never right!

Unfortunately, over reading week, my sustainable eating goal was set back a step or two. I wish I could say I stuck to the vegetarian lifestyle more than I did, but several factors definitely offset my journey!

The first of these factors was that I wasn’t doing my own grocery shopping or cooking. Back in Penticton, I was eating meals with my family and relying on the groceries my mom bought anytime I made my own food. This limited the variety of non-meat food options since no one in my family is vegan or vegetarian. I also had the luxury of my mom’s delicious homemade cooking which, more often than not, contains some sort of chicken, beef or pork component. This leads me into the next challenge I faced at home, it’s hard to turn down foods you love when they are placed right in front of you – even when you know they go against your goal. Fresh bacon and eggs for breakfast… chicken fettuccine alfredo for lunch… burgers with cheese and onion for dinner… Way too hard to say no!

While this week was not exactly on track with the rest of my progress, it did teach me that this sort of lifestyle isn’t as easy as it had previously seemed. There are always going to be temptations and obstacles to navigate, but it is important to remind myself why I made this goal for myself, as well as that my journey won’t be perfect because I am still learning about this lifestyle and what works for me.