How to Prepare for your First Plant Based or Vegan Holiday Season

Thanksgiving 2018 was my first holiday on a plant based diet. I developed chronic illness and extreme allergies last year and had my first flareup August 1, 2018. Before I got sick, I was primarily a vegetarian for several months. Shortly after,  I opted to cut all animal products out of my diet because I ate A LOT of cheese which resulted in a high fat diet and I felt that a lot of my underlying health issues were due to inflammation. When a person eats too much fat it is difficult for our body to process and cleanse, therefore, I made the choice to change my ways. Although I was committed to eating healthier long term, at times I struggled in social settings.

The holidays, and any gathering with loved ones, often revolves around food. As a new vegan, the holiday season can be a stressful time because you are just learning how to navigate a new diet and lifestyle. Flexitarians often use scenarios like holiday meals or parties as a time to give in to eating animal products, but if you are truly committed to a plant based lifestyle I have curated a list of tips to help you get through your first holiday season a little easier.

Offer to Host

Last year, Mario and I decided to host our own intimate Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas lunch. We had my mom over for Thanksgiving and his parents over for Christmas. If you are worried about not having anything to eat at your family dinner or holiday party, I think this is a great option because you are in complete control of the setting. Mario and I both have food allergies and we love to cook so it was a natural choice for us. When we hosted my mom we made mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potato soup, and had a side of gluten free vegan bread. When Mario’s parents came over we made our favorite spicy bean soup which was a hit!

Eat Beforehand and Bring Extra Food

For those who do not feel hosting is an option, I recommend eating before you head to the holiday gathering and perhaps even preparing some extra food to bring for yourself and for others to try. This is a great way to satisfy your belly without feeling like you’re missing out and showing your loved ones that vegan food is delicious and accessible. For example, Mario and I will be spending Thanksgiving with his family this year and we decided to cook some staple options for us and others to enjoy. We are making a large pot of vegan mashed potatoes with coconut milk, sautéed green beans and mushrooms with garlic, cranberry sauce, and a pumpkin pie. We will likely purchase an allergy friendly vegan pumpkin pie that is available at Whole Foods. Each of these meal options are on theme for the holiday season and are pretty easy to make while still being flavorful. If you are unable to cook in advance, I recommend preparing yummy snacks to munch on for the duration of the event. 

Be Prepared to Explain Yourself, but Don’t Get Too Deep

If your whole family or all of your friends eat animal products and this is the first time you’ve made a change like this, your loved ones may have a lot of questions or concerns. They may ask why, wonder if you’re getting enough nutrition or protein, or even make fun of your choices. Their questions or comments can be very uncomfortable when you are the center of attention and everyone is waiting for a response. Therefore, I suggest to keep the answers simple. Personally, I don’t think a holiday celebration is right the time to get deep into justifying your reasoning for transforming your diet and lifestyle- especially if they are not receptive to it. There are so many reasons one may choose not to consume animal products: to better their health, for the well being of our planet, because they love animals, or a combination of these reasons. Regardless of why you chose to make the change, I would answer as simply as possible and leave it at that. I feel it's important to give honest answers, but keep the explanations short. It may take them a while to warm up to the idea and many people are genuinely curious, but just don’t understand because it’s such a foreign concept to them. Answering genuine curiosity with patience and kindness will open the door and hopefully later you can have deeper conversations about your new diet and lifestyle.

I hope you find these tips useful for your first holiday season on a plant based or vegan diet! I struggled to find ways to work around social settings in the beginning and implementing these three concepts have helped me a lot over the past year. Wishing you a cozy holiday season filled with lots of love and yummy food!