Thanksgiving Was An Exercise in Mindful Eating

So, Thanksgiving has come and gone.  It was delicious!

I did not have a bite of turkey, which was really odd.  I have had turkey at every single Thanksgiving meal since I can recall.  The word was out that I had "gone vegan," so a quinoa/vegetable medly appeared on the buffet table with me in mind.  So thoughtful!

My Thanksgiving meal consisted of the quinoa thing, freshly made cranberry sauce with hardly a lick of sugar so it was as bright in tartness as in color, a vivid green bean tomato medly, a micro green salad, baguette, and a golden half yam/half butternut squash puree seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  It was a delicous meal.  And, as odd as it was, I didn't eat even a bite of turkey. I didn't even miss it.  Really!  I'm just shocked by that statement, but it's true.

Here's what happened next in the meal - you know, the dessert category.  Well, one of my family members creates the most exquisite pastry/desserts.  Delicious!  Remarkable!  And, just oozing with butter and sugar.  So, I normally pass on the dessert or take a one bite taste.  This time, I looked at that array of treats and just had to say the word butter to myself and I didn't want even one bite.  A vegan doesn't eat butter, right?  Right.

I realize that, for some of us, structure and "rules" help us manage our lives successfully.  I've talked in my Weight Watchers meetings about how we don't have a choice about stopping at a red light - it is a no choice option.  By making guidelines, or rules, about what we need to keep our focus on challenges like weight loss, we give ourselves that moment to think first and act second.

While considering dessert, I thought 1) butter, then 2) PointsPlus values, then 3) "is it worth it?"  The answer was no.  This series of questions allowed me to think through my impulses, my goals, and my choice.

So that was Thanksgiving Thursday.  Sunday, I was near a Whole Foods Market and hadn't packed a lunch for my long day out of the house.  Whole Foods - now that sounds like it would have some choices for me...

I went to the expansive salad bar and packed myself a lunch made of, get this, sauteed kale with chia seeds and garlic, brown rice, and tofu.  What?  I sat down to my delectable lunch and could not believe that this was my meal.  I chose kale, brown rice and tofu when there were about a gazillion other choices at the salad bar.  WOW~!

I think I've really turned some kind of corner here.

So, the more I go thru this vegan experiment, the more I realize that creating the structure of vegan food choices means that I give myself time to think about each choice longer than ever, thus creating a behavior of saying yes and no in a whole new way.  It's mindfulness.  It's thoughtfulness.  And, it's without self-judgement. 

Life is a series of choices.  I'm liking mine.