Thanksgiving Thoughts from a New Vegan

by Maggie
(Alexandria, VA)

Thanksgiving Thoughts from a New Vegan…




What do you mean “no turkey on Thanksgiving?” No stuffing from inside the bird? None of Momma’s mashed potatoes made with butter and milk? What will I eat? Can Thanksgiving really exist without turkey?




The answer is yes.




Last year, I decided to follow Cathleen’s lead a few months before Thanksgiving and remove animal products from my diet. I remember this daunting feeling that I was losing something I held near and dear to my heart.




Looking back over the past year, I must say that Thanksgiving dinner was by far the hardest thing for me to give up. But what made it so hard? Was it really the turkey that I was afraid to give up, or was I scared that Thanksgiving would lose its meaning without the “traditional” dinner?




And that’s when I realized that I was the one who had forgotten the real meaning of Thanksgiving – to be thankful for the people in your life. And, instead of worrying that I was “missing out” on an old tradition, I started a new one and asked each of my family members to share one thing they were thankful for.




And because of that new tradition, becoming a vegan before Thanksgiving was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.




Plus, I think our Tofurky dinner and mashed potatoes (made with vegan butter and soy milk) were MUCH better than the “traditional” meal the rest of our family ate. There are so many delicious and healthy alternatives and I can say now that I will never go back to turkey. This year it's not hard at all!




You can do it. Give it a try and always remember what Thanksgiving really means.