Cam Newton was excited to see his children and excited for the food when asked about Thanksgiving during his weekly appearance on the Greg Hill Morning Show on WEEI Monday morning.

Newtons family, who lives in Georgia hasnt relocated to Massachusetts, to avoid trying to navigate a new place during the COVID-19 pandemic while hes on a one-year contract. So being together for a holiday was an added treat for him.

My children and family will be coming up here so Im excited about that, Newton said.

Newton, who has been oft-asked about being a vegan, likes debunking misconceptions about the diet that doesnt include animal products (meat and dairy). He previously joked that being vegan doesnt mean going outside getting some grass and putting ranch on it.

He said his Thanksgiving table doesnt stray as far from the traditional as one might think.

There will be some alternative meals, he said. Everything that you probably have for your Thanksgiving I can still probably have outside of like turkey. ... You got stuffing. Youve got collard greens. My family is kind of Geechie when it comes to having rice with everything. My family does a nice red rice with sausage. You can transfer that with either Beyond or Impossible Meat (instead of sausage), mac and cheese, found a way to do that too.

Geechie is referring to Gullah Geechie, a West African culture, whose cooking, which is becoming trendy, includes many rice dishes.

Newton, who is a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said while Beyond or Impossible sausage substitutes and vegan cheese are good enough to include in traditional dishes, nobody has figured out how to make a faux Butterball taste good enough.

The vegan industry, theyve tried it but its not the same thing, Newton said.

After hosting his family with no bird on Thursday, Newton and the Patriots will host the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday at 1 p.m.

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Cam Newton explains his vegan, turkey-less Thanksgiving feast - MassLive.com