The Daily Gamecock

Thanksgiving for vegans: A time of celebration or mourning?

For most, Thanksgiving is a cherished time spent with family in the celebration of good food and company. But for those who chose to abstain from consuming turkey and other traditional dishes, the holiday can often induce anxiety and stress.

Sophia Storlazzi, president and founder of Care-olina Animal Advocates, is the only vegan in her family. While her family was not completely supportive initially, she said throughout the past three years they have come to "appreciate" her plant-based eating, and her family is considerate when it comes to piecing together their Thanksgiving meal.

Storlazzi said she initially went vegan because she did not want to eat animals and take away their lives.

“I realized that I wasn’t going to be happy unless I was vegan because I didn’t want to cause suffering to so many animals when you can live a nearly cruelty-free life if you eat vegan,” Storlazzi said.

Leah DeFreitas, vice president of Care-olina Animal Advocates, is going on five years of eating vegan. She said the initial appeal of adopting a vegan diet was to treat her body better and to live healthier. She was drawn to the colorful lifestyle and wanted to rekindle a love for food.

Thanksgiving is one of the places where vegans "could feel the most isolated," DeFreitas said. She said families often do not react to the new diet change in a desirable way, which leaves vegans feeling discouraged and lacking support.

DeFreitas said Thanksgiving is an opportunity for vegans to show their families how passionate they are about their lifestyle. Once educated on veganism, “Your passion is getting higher and higher and then you're angry about all the systems that you’ve learned," according to DeFreitas.

She said the anger is like a metaphorical fire that starts to grow, but it can be harnessed to become something productive. To DeFreitas, that means helping the reputation of veganism become "normalized" in her small circle.

“You really want to show that this lifestyle is coming from a place of love, and that’s for the animals and the environment and so many other things,” DeFreitas said.

Like Storlazzi, DeFreitas is the only vegan in her family. Since becoming vegan, her mother has become largely plant-based, and it has become an important part of her household.

There are "little tweaks" that can be made to preserve the traditions behind one’s food while also making it vegan, DeFreitas said. For example, switching dairy butter to vegan butter is simple and there is no noticeable difference between the two, she said.

Many dishes can be made vegan simply by omitting additional animal products. For example, collard greens can be vegan when the bacon is removed. To make vegan mashed potatoes, Storlazzi uses soy milk, margarine and seasonings.In desserts, there are also vegan substitutes for eggs, such as chia seeds, flax seeds, bananas and applesauce.

For those who are less inclined to do their own cooking, there are vegan options at grocery stores and markets.

“I think that a vegan Thanksgiving is one of the most compassionate and celebratory things that you could do to celebrate family and harmony,” DeFreitas said.

Storlazi said adopting a vegan diet has many health benefits as well. Vegans have decreased risks of chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Many people notice their skin gets clearer, experience weight loss and overall feel “cleaner” and "energized."

“We're at the point now where our culture can shift, and it is shifting,” Storlazzi said.

Today, she said there are many people who are plant-based or interested in it. Storlazzi said she wishes to "empower students to feel like they can make these choices."

“Is [an animal’s] life worth more than sitting on our table for us to eat them?" Storlazzi asked. "That’s a major question that I want people to think about."


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