If you embrace a raw vegan diet, you may find the holidays to be a bit challenging. Many of us gather with our loved ones and feast on traditional celebratory fare: baked casseroles, oven-roasted entrees, buttery potatoes, large meat dishes and endless sweets. While the aforementioned dishes are typically neither vegan nor raw, there are several ways to stick to stick to your guns when it comes to indulging and encourage your family members to do the same.
It’s important to remember that these get-togethers are just as much about connecting with family as they are about eating. Skirt around all the food hoopla with these three tips:
1. Spare the host
Most likely, the host’s hands are pretty full. While it’s a good idea to inform the host about your dietary needs, it’s even better to prepare a raw vegan dish or two that you can contribute. The host will thank you, your fellow guests will be impressed and, most importantly, it will ensure that you have something terrific to eat! Jo Stepaniak, MSEd, author and co-author of over two dozen books on compassionate living and vegan cuisine, points out that, “Sharing great vegan food with others is one of the most effective ways to elevate their consciousness about a healthier and more humane way of eating.”
If you’re not sure what to bring, here are a couple ideas:
- A large, colorful salad: Show off your salad tossing skills by combining crisp leafy greens with protein-rich hemp hearts, creamy vegan roasted garlic dressing and seasonal fruit and veggies like pomegranate seeds and rainbow carrots.
- Zoodles: Not only is a bowl of zoodles (zucchini noodles) physically appealing, but it’s an easy and inexpensive dish to create. All you need is a spiralizer to create the zoodles and a flavorful sauce. Try a raw vegan tandoori pasta recipe, which is sure to be a holiday hit. Double up the recipe for larger groups and bring extra chopped raw almonds and/or cashews to garnish.
- “Cheesecake”: Always a crowd pleaser, introduce your family to raw vegan cherry
cheesecake with almond crust and they’ll be begging you to make it for years to come! - Fudge: made with raw cacao powder and peppermint extract, these chocolate-peppermint fudge bars give dessert a whole new meaning.
2. Go with the flow
Rather than question your fellow diners on their time-honored dishes and food choices, you may find it is more productive to simply exemplify your values by what you choose to eat. By respecting others’ preferences, you are more likely to find them more open to learning about the numerous benefits of a plant-based diet.
3. Educate with food
It’s great if you’re into watching documentaries on nutrition, reading holistic health books and browsing vegan blogs. But if you try to regurgitate all the information you know to your close family and friends, you might find that they do not want to be lectured. Wait until someone asks you about an item you brought – it’s a golden opportunity to speak briefly about why you dig raw food (the vibrant flavors, easy on digestion, etc.) and how it makes you feel. Express how eating this way motivates you to exercise because you’re fueled with so much energy. You’ll be surprised at how inspiring a few well-placed comments can be.
For more recipes, check out our three-day high-raw vegan meal plan.