Thanksgiving is what some might call the most comfortable and relaxing holiday. One, because of the time you spend with family and two, because of the food we get to eat. From the mac and cheese to the sweet potato pie, there’s a lot to be excited about. That is… if you eat meat and dairy. I stopped eating meat about 3 years ago. The only time I feel slightly uncomfortable about not eating meat is at family gatherings like cookouts and Thanksgiving.
When I first went vegetarian the thing I worried about the most was not being able to avoid temptations at Thanksgiving. For new vegetarians or vegans, this can be the hardest part. Of course we don’t want to give in, but sometimes that happens. Don’t beat yourself up if you give in, just get back on track the next day. What helps me is remembering why I started my new lifestyle in the first place.
For more seasoned vegans and vegetarians, the hardest part isn’t the temptation; but rather the comments from family about you not eating the food. It can be a bit awkward sometimes. Many times not eating the food can be a sign of disrespect. My advice would be if someone asks why you’re not eating everything, you can politely say you don’t eat meat or dairy products anymore. If they ask you why, you can give them some reasons, but I wouldn’t suggest talking about the brutality of the meat industry, not because it’s not true, but out of courtesy for people who are eating. I would suggest saying that it’s an ethical and health choice that you’re choosing to not eat animal products. After that conversation, it is up to your family to decide how they want to react to you making an ethical choice. If they keep bugging you about it, just ignore them. Many times the idea of not eating meat or dairy is so foreign to people that they don’t know how to react to someone who chooses not to eat it.
Sometimes the hardest part about being a vegan or vegetarian is feeling like you can’t enjoy Thanksgiving the way you used to. One of my discoveries since not eating meat is the idea that I do not have to reinvent my relationship with food. Not eating meat or dairy products doesn’t mean you can’t have a memorable time that you spend with your family and friends.
Something that I still struggle with when it comes to the holidays and food is not getting offended when someone doesn’t understand my lifestyle. I am slowly realizing that although I can be an advocate for veganism and vegetarianism, I do not have to try and convince someone to take on my diet. If someone is interested I will share the information I have learned over the years and encourage them, but if family and friends don’t want to understand, it’s not my job to make sure they do.
Overall, Thanksgiving has gotten a lot easier to deal with. I’ve become more comfortable in my diet and I’ve figured out that I can still be happy and full without consuming animal products.