My Morning Routine looks each week at how a successful member of the community starts their day — and then throws in a couple of random business questions because we simply can’t help ourselves. This week’s interview is with Victoria Diachkova, founder of Sincerely V. Edited excerpts from our conversation:

Who are you? Victoria Diachkova, a Russian (as my name clearly suggests) living in Egypt since 2003. I moved here when I married my husband, Helmy, an Egyptian-American, so we’re a very diverse family, mixing in the best sides of all three cultures. We have two boys: Taymour, 12, and Adam, 9, who make sure to keep me busy.

What do you do / what’s your day job? I’m a plant-based nutritionist and lifestyle blogger, recipe and menu developer, consultant, and health coach. In addition to running my blog, Sincerely V, and recipe development, I consult on plant-based menu development for hospitality and F&B businesses in Cairo.

What’s your morning routine? I wake up at 6 am with the kids. I drink my glass of celery juice (a relatively new addition to my morning routine) while getting them out the door. After sending them off to school, I have my coffee with homemade almond milk and a green apple. (You’re probably rolling your eyes by now: Celery juice, homemade almond milk, apple — who has time for that? I promise it’s all worth it.) I usually post something on my social media accounts, check my email, read Enterprise, and confirm my plans for the day, which are usually set well in advance. I consider my exercise routine a priority, so I do work out every morning. Then, I have my big breakfast and start my day, either with meetings and errands, or working at home.

What’s the best thing you’ve watched / read lately? I’m a bookworm by nature. “The Food Revolution” by John Robbins is a phenomenal eye opener on the impact our food choices have on our health and the environment. I also recommend “Proteinaholic” by Garth Davis on our obsession with protein and its consequences, and “The Longevity Diet” by leading longevity scientist Valter Longo on optimal nutrition for a long, healthy, and active life. I also love to listen to podcasts; my favorite is Rich Roll.

What’s the origin story of Sincerely V? I started Sincerely V on social media a little over a year ago when I was studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), which led me to take multiple other courses specifically on plant-based nutrition. I became very passionate about the topic and grew frustrated that it is not common knowledge that our meat-, chicken-, and cheese-heavy diets are the leading factors of growing rates of chronic diseases and obesity. Egypt is among the top 20 countries with the highest rates of obesity, coming in at 30% of the population. I started sharing nutritional information, tips, and recipes to back up what I preach. My photography skills help me a lot with delivering the message: Vegetables can be more than just fries or a sad pile of bland, overcooked sauté, and salads go beyond iceberg lettuce with Caesar dressing.

What do people not understand about your business? Nutrition as a science is relatively new. There is a lot of confusion, misleading information, fad diets, and dietary theories. But most of it is just that — fad diets that don’t work and theories that have no scientific backing. People hear different things from multiple, usually unreliable sources, get frustrated, and then accept a mantra like “everything in moderation” to make themselves feel better about their bad habits. Moderation means different things for different people, so that doesn’t work. I do not prescribe diets, detoxes or plans for weight loss. These are all byproducts of a plant based lifestyle, which is the least restrictive and most inexpensive and sustainable way of eating. Clean, wholesome, sustainable food shouldn’t be a luxury, specialty, or niche. I’m in the business of making it a mainstream. My goal is to introduce plant based menus throughout Cairo — at restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and schools. I want to provide options for people who are not necessarily entirely vegan or plant based, but are looking to give their body a break from a diet overly saturated with animal products.

I just launched my first 100% plant based menu in Cairo at Frank & Co in Maadi. The restaurant’s own menu couldn’t be further from plant based: It heavily features meat, chicken, and cheese. However, the restaurant’s founder Frank Heinen, who has a long career in F&B, saw the potential in and benefits of introducing a plant based menu in addition to the original and it’s paying off. We’ve been getting absolutely phenomenal feedback from vegetarians and omnivores alike. I’m extremely excited about that because I know that it’s just the beginning of our food scene transformation in Cairo.

How is the “business of food” changing? Food trends are changing dramatically. As people learn the benefits of consuming most of their calories from plants, there is a big dietary shift toward vegetarian food. This is not another trend or fad diet; it’s been around for generations and is here to stay. Restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals and airlines are introducing plant based menus around the world. Food manufacturing in Egypt is getting there too; there are more and more clean brands appearing on our grocery shelves.

What one internal or external force will create the most change in your industry? Creating demand for clean, sustainable, health promoting food through education. Providing information about food sources, demanding transparency in food manufacturing and educating ourselves and our kids about real, wholesome, sustainable food choices. Not to sound overly dramatic, but it’s not personal anymore; we need to consider our environment. Global food production, specifically animal agriculture, is the single largest driver of environmental destruction, water depletion and climate instability. By eating lower on the food chain, you will be giving both your body and our planet a break. Once demand for these so-called “specialty foods” picks up, the food industry will make them affordable and accessible to everyone.

What do you do in your free time? I read up on nutrition, watch conferences on YouTube, and listen to podcasts. I still read fiction before bed, though, to give my brain a break. When I really need to disconnect, I travel. We travel frequently as a family, but I also often travel alone, which I enjoy very much and consider as a form of therapy. I like to add a little adventure to my solo trips with activities like skydiving, bungee jumping and long hikes.

How do you stay organized? I’m not the most organized person, but I do like order — both digital and physical. I like labeling and decluttering both my kitchen and office. My routine takes quite a bit of planning, so I try to schedule my week in advance. I live 40 minutes from Maadi, where I spend most of my days before picking the kids up from school and spending the rest of the day with them. Then it’s homework, dinner, and everyone is in bed by 9 pm. This routine works for our family and we only break it when we travel.