My past Thanksgivings were centered around a feast shared with loved ones, in which a turkey was the central part of the meal.  When I adopted a plant-based diet nearly 14 years ago, it changed how I view Thanksgiving and what this holiday means to me.  I still look forward to the shared meal with family.  But now I see the true meaning of Thanksgiving as a celebration of values such as compassion, appreciation, and gratitude.

Here are some ideas for enjoying a compassionate Thanksgiving:

• Rather than eating a turkey, “adopt” one.  Farm Sanctuary (which has shelters in New York State and California) offers the option of symbolically adopting a rescued turkey by making a small donation.  The funds provide food and care for turkeys who live at the shelter.  Farm Sanctuary sends a certificate that includes the picture and story of your adopted turkey. 
• Visit the Celebration for the Turkeys (also offered by Farm Sanctuary).  In past years, it has been an in-person celebration, where guests ate a vegan meal, and served a meal to the turkeys as well.  This year, the celebration was held virtually.   Check out a video of the festivities here.
• Enjoy an abundant feast from the plant kingdom.  For Thanksgiving meals shared with family, I like to create vegan versions of traditional favorites.  This year, my husband and I will be contributing roasted garlic mashed potatoes and parsnips; mushroom gravy; cornbread stuffing with mushrooms, nuts, and dried fruit; cranberry-orange relish; and chocolate pecan pie.  There are many great vegan Thanksgiving recipes available on-line.  Here are a few websites to check out:
  • https://nutritionstudies.org/whole-food-plant-based-thanksgiving-menu-ideas-plus-tips-tricks/
  • https://plantbasedonabudget.com/how-to-have-an-easy-vegan-thanksgiving/
  • https://www.farmsanctuary.org/news-stories/5-delicious-comforting-vegan-recipes-for-your-thanksgiving-table/
• Consider a meat alternative.  Gardein, Tofurky, and Field Roast offer plant-based holiday roasts you can enjoy.  I personally find that I am full and satisfied with all the great home-cooked dishes, so I don’t always include this.  But these options can provide a satisfying centerpiece to replace the turkey.
• Connect with your reasons for eating plant-based.  Some of us go plant-based for health, others for ethical or environmental reasons.  I was influenced by all of these considerations, but the reason I have stayed plant-based is due to compassion for all sentient beings.  According to a 2017 statistic, approximately 45 to 46 million turkeys are bred and killed each year in the US for Thanksgiving alone.  Commercially raised turkeys are bred to be much heavier than wild turkeys, live in confined conditions, and are slaughtered at only 12 to 19 weeks old.  Taking in these realities (and discovering the abundance of delicious, healthy plant-based options) made me realize that I no longer wanted or needed to participate in this. 
• Consider what Thanksgiving means to you.  Take time to explore your deeper meaning for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Many of us follow old traditions out of habit, rather than making a conscious decision about how we want to enjoy our holidays.  This may be a perfect year to reevaluate your holidays, what they mean to you, and how you want to celebrate them.  Maybe you will want to keep some old traditions, modify others, and create new ones.
• Practice gratitude.  I am reminding myself this Thanksgiving to appreciate all the blessings in my life, and to share that appreciation with others.  Even in the midst of what is a challenging time for so many, we all have reasons for gratitude.  And there are many health and psychological benefits of making a daily practice of acknowledging our blessings.
• Make kind and compassionate purchases.  One way of appreciating our blessings is to pass them on to others.  While we may be more limited in our social contacts (and our finances) this holiday season, we can still find meaningful ways to give back.  In addition to donating time or money to causes that we care about, we can extend compassion to sentient beings and to workers by researching fair trade, cruelty-free, and health-promoting choices for our food and gift purchases.  Our decision to extend compassion to others is a win-win situation, because ultimately it brings more health, fulfillment, and joy back to us.

WISHING YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES A HEALTHY, JOYFUL, AND COMPASSIONATE THANKSGIVING!

Angela Crawford, Ph.D. is a psychologist, transformational coach, and vegan lifestyle educator.

To learn more about my plant-based journey, check out this article.

For vegan resources, book suggestions, and websites, check out my resource page.