Almost vegan holiday .... Insanity or Addiction?

I have discovered there is a problem for me with certain situations. While at home cooking for myself I create the most amazing & delicious vegan, whole plant food meals and recipes; I have no desire for fish or cheese & certainly not meat. But go on a hike in the mountains with one friend, a committed carnivore & I want a steak afterwards! Have a meal with with colleagues at a restaurant & I want it all and far too much of it! Go to Jersey to visit family & despite their absolute support in my vegan whole plant food life style I want fish & cheese!

Do I really enjoy these animal based foods when I go ahead & eat them? - NO.
Do I know that they make me sick & feel unwell? - YES and I really do not have positive health reactions which you do not need to hear again!
Am I not committed to a whole plant food way of eating and a life-style that does no harm to any creature?  - YES I am committed!
Does it stop me from eating animal products at times? - NO

So what is wrong with me???

They say that doing something over again and expecting a different result is insanity! I think eating something that harms you, knowing it harms you & makes you feel bad & still eating it is insanity... thus I must be insane on some level.

Either that or it really is an unconscious drive to re-experience a positive experience that over-rides logic, self-talk & other experiences. In which case it is a form of addiction.

I am going for the latter. An addiction, whether physical, mental or emotional is really hard to beat but it is possible.

Also insanity seems a little harsh.

I think the addiction hypothesis is more likely, a case of unconscious flash back to associating these animal products with community, good times and comfort & we all need those things. So I need to build community, have good times and experience comfort without the association to animal based eating. I can do that! In fact I am doing that, so I just need to continue so that becomes the stronger impulse.

So just in case you are feeling bad because you didn't make it through Christmas, New Year & holidays with out a slip-up, let me encourage  you, it is ok. You can start again today, and again tomorrow, & again the next day. Each meal or snack we eat that is whole plant food-based is a success.

I really believe that we can have good intentions, try our best and still fall off the train. The key is not to go into negative thoughts of self-criticism, blame and failure. As a very old song says pick yourself up, dust yourself off & start all over again.

So here I am back on the tracks to regaining my health, discovering more ways to cook prepare & eat a whole plant food based diet. I am excited by this & already have created 3 new takes on favourite dishes..... next few blog will give you details.