Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing—oh my! Food is an integral part of American culture, and with the holidays fast approaching, the Thanksgiving feast is on everyone’s mind. What do we need to bring? Who’s making the gravy? And how many pies do we need?

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine. I love celebrating with my family and prepping together in the days leading up to it. Coming from a huge family feeds into my love for cooking and Thanksgiving because it always makes the holidays warm and full of love. 

However, I have been vegan for the past few years, which creates an irregular holiday for me because it typically revolves around turkey and dairy. Initially, I was scared that my choice to be vegan would throw off my favorite time of year and make celebrating difficult. I didn’t want to forgo my favorite foods and celebrations. 

I take pride in my dietary choices and do not feel pressured to conform to Thanksgiving standards, but I have had to adapt over the years. During my first holiday season as a vegan, I really struggled with what to eat and how to fit into the traditions that are so valued by my society. 

I had to politely decline almost every dish on the table. At this point, my catchphrase has become “is there milk in that?” I hated feeling like I was ruining the Thanksgiving spirit with my sparse plate and longing glances at the turkey. 

After that first year, I decided to take charge and enlist family members to help me. Since food is such an important part of this holiday, I spent hours looking into alternatives for all my favorite recipes. I have a gluten free aunt, so we make our own sides that accommodate both of us. My little sister is vegetarian, so I added another vegetable to suit our needs. As long as everyone gets their favorite dish, Thanksgiving typically goes well. 

Having to cook dishes for different dietary preferences made some of my family feel restricted, so I spent a lot of my time convincing them that vegan dishes expand your options, not limit them. Having more vegetables makes for a more balanced plate and cutting out enormous amounts of butter makes the meal less dangerous for high blood pressure relatives. 

I’ve discovered the best vegan butter to cook with, how to make my own desserts from scratch, and have found a fantastic cornbread mix that doesn’t use any eggs. All these things took time, but I’m pleased to say that every year I get better at my alternate food preparations.

Thanksgiving is such an American holiday that forcing it to fit into my vegan world feels a little bit strange. I often worry about how to uphold traditions while moving forward with my own personal choices. Luckily veganism doesn’t confine me—if anything, it has broadened my tastes and makes for great dinner table conversation. 

The pros and cons of not consuming animal products are endless, but for me, the most important thing to consider is the environment. Every year 45–46 million turkeys are slaughtered for American Thanksgiving dinners. On top of this, 8.2 million of those turkeys are actually wasted. 

Personally, this loss of life is not worth supporting the standard holiday meal. Slaughterhouses produce insane amounts of water and air pollution into our Earth every day, and Thanksgiving dinner largely increases these numbers.

I remember seeing a turkey at the zoo when I was younger and then going home to remember that I actually ate one on my favorite day of the year. It’s hard to see past that living, breathing bird to the roasted and stuffed thing my grandfather used to carve. 

While I had to deal with letting go of a bit of tradition, I still hold strong in my choice to celebrate vegan Thanksgivings. I can cook with my family and enjoy the holiday spirit of food and love while sparing the life of another animal. 

This also gives me the opportunity to create new traditions, and eventually introduce my children and my own family to a Thanksgiving dinner that revolves around warmth and care without perpetuating harmful ideas. 

Surprisingly, celebrating my beloved Thanksgiving as a vegan has proved to be easier than I thought it would be and hasn’t forced me to give up any of the holiday spirit that we all cherish.