Food for thought

PALMER — Traditional Thanksgiving meals typically involve the usual suspects, turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, casseroles and deserts.

One club’s members in Alaska is trying to expand the possibilities of a usual Thanksgiving meal into something they believe is healthier.

Today, the Alaskan Vegetarian Society (AVS) is holding its seventh annual vegan Thanksgiving meal at the United Protestant Church in Palmer from 2 to 4 p.m.

“We wanted to provide a healthy and compassionate option for people to celebrate a Thanksgiving that is very traditional with potatoes, cranberries and stuffing. Ours just contains no animal products,” said club president and event co-founder Delisa Renideo.

The Alaskan Vegetarian Society’s mission is “to create a compassionate and sustainable world by inspiring and supporting reverence for all life and the adoption of a plant-based diet,“ according to its website.

And according to Renideo, the society has been attracting new members every year.

“We probably have about 50 members, but about 200 or 300 regulars that are vegetarian or vegan and attend our functions and potlucks,” she said.

The potlucks have been a regular function for AVS for years.

“This will be our seventh year that we have held this potluck and we already have 50 to 60 people on the list and the spots are going fast. You pay at the door and the cost is $3 if you bring a dish and $8 if you do not,” she said.

Renideo has been a vegetarian for 10 years, but as of two years ago she became a vegan.

“Yeah, I had been working on the transformation for some time and then I read a book that outlined some of the benefits of a vegan lifestyle and it just made sense to switch,” she said.

For those unfamiliar with the differences of a vegan diet versus a vegetarian diet, vegans eliminate any animal products from their diets. So, no cheese, animal fat, gelatin or even beeswax are allowed in a vegan diet.

Switching from being a vegetarian to vegan was one that easy for Renideo, but can be difficult for many people, she believes.

“It can be difficult to change eating habits that you have established your entire life,” said Renideo. “But once you see and realize the benefits, it is something you realize you should do.”

Renideo believes the health benefits of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle can include a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Renideo also says that eating a healthy selection of food can help reverse poor health conditions as well.

“Eating foods that have whole grains, eating legumes and a variety of fruits and vegetables have all shown to have positive impacts on an individual’s health,” she said.

And the Vegan Society website agrees, stating that “the starting principle for health is to eat a wide variety of plant foods, including plenty of strongly colored vegetables and fruits. … Vegetables and fruits provide plenty of many vital vitamins and minerals along with a host of other beneficial plant chemicals.”

The benefits of vegan or vegetarian diet may also extend beyond physical health, Renideo said.

“Knowing that you can help reduce greenhouse gases through reducing the amount of animal production can give you peace of mind,” she said.

In addition, Renideo believes that the reduction of grain consumption can help world hunger.

“The amount of grain that it takes to feed a animal for slaughter greatly outweighs the amount of grain to feed an individual,” she said. Therefore, allowing more food to be used and consumed by humans, then used to feed animals that humans eat, she said.

Whatever diet you choose to follow, Thanksgiving can allow you plenty of options to choose from. If you are interested in attending the AVS’s next vegan Thanksgiving meal, you should contact Delisa Renideo at 373-1526.

Contact Lanier Hutcheson at lanier.hutcheson@frontiersman.com or 352-2265.