Thanks for tuning into the GreenHero Podcast with your host, Rikard Björkdahl! We’re sitting down with Therese Elgquist, Swedish cookbook creator, three-time cookbook author, and TV chef. Her plant-based journey started when she realized her love of food and pickiness intersected at her creative spirit. It happened suddenly—she woke up one day and just felt that she wanted all the vegetables in the world. And what she found in the plant-based world was opportunity. The ingredients and aspects of every dish could be shaped and formed into completely different dishes. Then, when she made the transition to communications in the plant-based space, she realized how many opportunities there really were. Just like there are chefs who specialize in beef recipes, fish recipes, and others. Why not plant-based? She found her niche early and ran with it.  The cultural shift has been monumental, with dozens of brands for different plant-based products—quite the shift from only a few years ago. Large companies have realized this movement is real and they have to keep up. Now, they know how to communicate the products and avoid outdated terms.  This shift to plant-based is global but certainly varies by culture. Northern Europe, they discuss, has fewer cultural ties to its foods than southern countries like Spain and France. In many places, words like “plant-based” don’t even exist, and the meaning of “vegan” gets convoluted in other practices. There are other challenges, like the barrier between access to tools to cook plant-based foods and access to the ingredients, but regardless, in Sweden where Therese is from, folks seem to be proud when they eat less meat.  The solution, Thess mentions, could lie in how plant-based food is presented. It doesn’t have to be an every-meal-7-days-a-week change. Even for Thess, the change came by eliminating meat every so often. It can be about liking good food and wanting to cook delicious dishes. Even changing an ingredient or two can bring a whole new experience to the plate.  Things You’ll Learn -Transitioning to Plant-based doesn’t have to be an every-meal-7-days-a-week change. -This shift to plant-based is global but certainly varies by culture. -It doesn’t have to be about the transition itself. It can be about liking good food and wanting to cook delicious dishes.  Links @plantbasedbythess on Instagram https://plantbasedbythess.com/