Thanksgiving can be stressful and even awkward for many vegetarians. For new vegetarians it may be the temptation of meat, for others it may just be common manners and wanting to avoid being rude to dinner hosts. Whatever the reason, here are five tips to help you stick to your diet during the holidays.

Keep a Positive Mindset

Thanksgiving is known to be every meat lovers favorite holiday. But there’s no need to fear our carnivore cousins this time of year. The key to surviving the holidays as a vegetarian is keeping your mindset and standing your ground. Remember your motive during the holiday season. Positive thoughts can help to boost your mood, spirit and tend to generate good times which lead to happy holidays.

Prepare in Advance

You must prepare yourself mentally and physically. Stick to your beliefs mentally, stand up for what you believe in and what you live by. But you might have to prepare yourself physically too. Be polite and inform your dinner hosts of your diet in advance. This way they can prepare a Thanksgiving meal that satisfies all of their guests. I suggest that you also go out of your way to bring your own dish, such as pumpkin ravioli or pumpkin pot pie.

Load Up

Even as a child I never cared for the turkey on Thanksgiving. It’s always been about the potatoes, macaroni, and stuffing. There’s so many amazing side dishes that come into play during the holiday season. Why let meat get to your head when you can load up on the good stuff? Let yourself enjoy as many sides and desserts as you desire. After keeping up with your vegetarian diet you deserve it.

Compromise

Meat is nearly impossible to avoid on Thanksgiving. Don’t let the smell of roasted turkey and pork get under your skin. Fellow guest will indulge in plates of potential heart disease and us vegetarians just have to deal with it. As disturbing or wrong as it may seem, it’s best to be polite and mind our business at the dinner table. Only concern yourself with what’s on your own plate. There’s no need to advertise your diet and recruit new vegetarians while they’re chowing down on a turkey leg.

Focus on What Really Matters

When it comes down to it your vegetarian lifestyle shouldn’t ruin the holiday. Focus on what really matters. Enjoy this time of year with family and friends. If your family is anything like mine, prepare yourself for the teasing and jokes and don’t take it to heart. If you can’t bond over the main course, try bonding over pie.