You’re in Good Company with a Vegan Thanksgiving

With meat consumption falling by about 10 percent in the past eight years, it’s more popular than ever to plan a healthful plant-based Thanksgiving. Celebrities like Mayim Bialik and Ellen DeGeneres are sharing their plans for a vegan meal.  Last year, Turtle Island Foods celebrated the sale of their 3 millionth Tofurky. With skyrocketing diabetes and obesity rates, everyone knows it’s time for a change. So the surge in plant-based popularity isn’t a surprise. And more people are realizing that turkey is not a healthful food. Among other concerns, a single serving of turkey can have up to 80 mg of cholesterol, whereas a vegan diet is naturally cholesterol-free. Plant-based cookbooks like Forks Over Knives and Isa Does It are topping the Amazon Best Seller lists. The Physicians Committee has also prepared several Thanksgiving, Holiday, and Hanukkah menu plans. Even the New York Times is encouraging readers to have a heart-healthy holiday by highlighting over 600 vegetarian and vegan dishes in the 2013 Thanksgiving recipe database. Good health is definitely something to be thankful for, and a delicious plant-based Thanksgiving is the best early holiday gift you can give your loved ones this year.