My Second Vegan Thanksgiving... This video says it all.

I made it!  I cannot believe this is my second year as a Vegan celebrating Thanksgiving!  Many wonderful meat free dishes were on the menu this year and everyone truly enjoyed the experience.
In my opinion Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without creamy "cheesy" vegan mac and cheese..... who could resist .... the star of the show...

#winning!

Special thanks to our youngest daughter playing videographer!

My First Vegan Thanksgiving

I survived! I should have a tee shirt made! Even though I am completely committed to my new plant based life style, I was worried I might have a minor setback, after all I was going to be surrounded for the first time in months, by all the food I once loved and enjoyed all in one place all at the same time. Talk about sensory overload!

A Type A Vegan: Since making the transition I have limited myself to eating at home or taking my home cooked food with me, if I do eat out, I select the restaurants in advance making certain they have vegan options and since I am a creature of habit, I have spots that I frequent often. 

The Turkey’s are coming, the turkeys are coming! As some minor anxiety loomed, I did a little research, during my discussions with people that were like me, former meat eaters, now Vegan or Vegetarian, some admitted they failed the first time they were stuck in a meat - a - thon. Others said all that meat did not tempt them at all. For me it was a mixture of success and challenge. Let’s start with the positive; being only about 8 months into this process I must say I was pretty proud of myself. I was not tempted at all to taste or eat the meats that surrounded me, in fact a funny and unexpected thing happened to me, I became a little nauseous from the smell of the cooking meat and had to step out for a while. The former meat eating Christine would have been salivating!  

Now the confession: I did have a desire to "chew" something meat like (if that makes any sense) so my husband was ready, he made some baked fish and shrimp just in case I did want something else. When I first made the transition to a plant based lifestyle, I kept fish around as a part of my diet, then, when I was ready, I cut the umbilical cord. It was comforting to know it was there for me if I needed to turn to it. And, I found that I did so, I had a small serving of fish and a few shrimp on my Thanksgiving plate. The remainder of my plate consisted of wild rice and many assorted yummy veggie options. 

There's something different: Ah the post Thanksgiving bloat! I must say, I did not miss that Thanksgiving bloat that often results after the big eat and, I was still awake long after everyone else fell into the deep, deep tryptophan induced slumber. :) 

Success! I successfully avoided all the sugar loaded desserts and drinks, instead opting for my own stash of vegan baked goods and treats and sticking to water as my drink of choice. I also made sure I got my work out in and I juiced the morning and afternoon before dinner was served, so I was full and ate less. I don't drink alcohol so that was a non issue for me. Because all of the people I was surrounded by were well aware of my new lifestyle and why I adopted it, they are very supportive. In fact there was quite a bit of concern for my comfort (were there enough "Christine friendly" options no veggies cooked with meats etc.) and I appreciated that. Ultimately, I was very proud of the way I handled my first Thanksgiving as a Vegan. Bring on Christmas dinner, I am so ready! :)

How about you? Are you a new or seasoned Vegan/Vegetarian? How did you handle your very first Thanksgiving? What advice would you give me the next time I am tempted to reach for the fish as a pacifier? Leave your response in the comments; I would love to hear from you.

Read More http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2012/11/thanksgiving-for-special-diets.html#ixzz2DGkD7hjp

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