I love Thanksgiving. The most obvious reason is because I think it’s meaningful to step outside of our day to day routines to reflect on what we’re thankful for. For many people, Thanksgiving is a time to reunite with family and share a special meal, being thankful for each other’s company. Ever since I started living a vegan lifestyle, I’ve noticed my gratitude at this time of year being extended in many different ways.

Here are a few big reasons why I’m thankful for my vegan lifestyle:

I Feel Healthier And Happier

My vegan diet has improved my health in many ways, including improving my skin and reducing the need for makeup and products filled with chemicals, better digestion, and even an improved libido! But most of all… I’m happier than I ever was before my vegan lifestyle because I’m doing my part to be more sustainable and kind to animals and the planet.

Speaking Up For Animals

Myself, like most other vegans, adopted this lifestyle because we wanted to stop eating animals. While some do it for health reasons, they are still doing their part to speak up for animals who can’t speak up for themselves. I love animals and am grateful that my lifestyle now helps them and inspires others to stop eating them.

Doing My Part For Sustainability

Vegan diets are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than any other dietary lifestyle choice. The meat industry uses astronomical amounts of valuable resources like water and crops that we should be reserving for human consumption.  

Friendship From Vegan Communities

Vegan communities, especially online, have helped me so much. When I first became a vegan, I researched for days on how to be healthy and what the best recipes out there were like. There are so many wonderful Facebook groups, bloggers, and Redditors that I follow for inspiration and friendship everyday.

So Many More Vegan Options Available

I’m always amazed at the huge selection of vegan options in grocery stores lately. Even five years ago, it was difficult to find almond milk at my local grocery store! Not only can I now find multiple brands of almond milk, but they stock vegan whipping cream, ice cream, fauxmage, Daiya frozen pizza – okay, I might have a problem with my cravings for vegan cheeze products, but we all have our vices – but still. It’s way better. Even the produce section at my store has expanded and I can always find at least three different kinds of kale. Before kale became mainstream it was tough finding it at all!

Improved Skills In The Kitchen

Even with the great convenience foods I’m thankful for listed above, I still cook waaay more than eat those types of foods. It’s great to have the option, but at the end of the day, cooking at home is so much more healthy. My cooking skills have gotten so much better since I started cooking almost every meal for myself and even my family members who are not vegan ask me to cook for them. I’m thankful my vegan diet has helped me develop these skills.

Saving Money

Being vegan has actually saved me so much money. I eat out much less, and tend to purchase vegetables in bulk and in season from farmer’s markets. I’m thankful that my vegan diet has allowed me to save so much money while actually eating much healthier. Eating healthy also saves money on healthcare because I definitely don’t get sick as much as I did when I ate meat.

More Mindful About Food

Before I eat, I usually ask myself several questions: where did this come from? How did it get onto my plate? Did somebody have to suffer for me to eat this food? Before I was vegan I never thought about the journey of my food from the farm, to the distributors, to my plate. Now I do, and I’m so thankful and glad because it’s helped me be more aware and make more ethical decisions about the food I eat.

Better Immune System

My plant based diet has helped so much with my immune system and reduces my risk of developing chronic diseases like Type II diabetes. I rarely catch the flu now and do attribute my increased health to my lifestyle. I’m thankful for my increased immunity!

Gratitude For Farmers

Most of all, I’m thankful that there are people out there who dedicate their life to farming. I have better access to fresh, healthy produce than ever. I am thankful that farmers are producing organic and heirloom vegetables. Eating seasonal fresh produce has made me absolutely love vegetables. They make my plant based diet possible! Big thanks to them.

I hope you enjoyed this list. If you’re interested in hearing more reasons why a plant based diet will improve your life, join our community on Facebook where we share inspirational content and start conversations about living a plant based vegan lifestyle. Let us know what you’re thankful for this season.

If you’re still on the fence about veganism, check out these resources for some more inspiration:

• 20 Reasons Why Becoming Vegan Will Make You Awesome
• Why Studies Are Showing That 2018 Is Going To Be The Biggest Year YET For Plant-Based Diets
• Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook

And once you’re ready to make the transition, we’ve also got you covered — download this FREE step-by-step guide to keep handy as you begin your journey to a 100% plant-based/vegan lifestyle: