Celebrities have so much influence in the world today, from the clothes they wear, how they act, and even how they eat.
Every step they take is under the microscope. Tabloids always ridicule the stars for their negative antics such as who is breaking up with who, whose party lifestyle is the craziest, or the constant competition of which celebrity is wearing what dress better.
Tabloids choose to present celebrities sometimes under the negative spotlight; however, a lot of celebrity stars use their power status to positively influence humanity as well. There are several celebrities that have a vegetarian diet for health reasons and animals rights. Who are these vegetarian celebrities?
There are many benefits to the vegetarian diet, including weight loss, less consumption of highly processed and unhealthy foods, and getting more nutritional value from your food. Celebrities know how beneficial a vegan or vegetarian diet can be, not only for animals, but also for a better quality of life. Every celebrity diet may not be a vegan or a vegetarian diet, but there are a lot of them out there.
Here are five famous vegetarian celebrities who look and feel great:
Kristen Bell
Celebrity power couple Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are both vegans. The couple was recently named PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2013. After the couple had their first child in March, Bell shifted from vegan to a vegetarian diet to have enough calories to breastfeed her daughter, Lincoln.
“I had a hard time disassociating the animals I cuddled with—dogs and cats, for example—from the animals on my plate, and I never really cared for the taste of meat. I always loved my Brussels sprouts!” the 33-year-old said on PETA’s web site. Bell is known for her roles in the high school detective TV series Veronica Mars and comedy movie titles such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and When in Rome.
Ellen DeGeneres
The 55-year-old Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi are well-known vegan supporters. DeGeneres heavily believes in a vegan and vegetarian diet with her vegan education website Ellen’s Healthy Living (formerly named Going Vegan With Ellen).
The site advocates veganism, a vegetarian diet, and compassion for animals. She also owns a vegan tapas bar Bokado in Los Angeles, California.
DeGeneres is a 13-time Emmy winner and the host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On her show, she has spoken with Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle about the society’s animal protection legislation endeavors. DeGeneres was the Woman of the Year for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in 2009.
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone has been vegan since 1998 and in 2004, she was named PETA’s Sexiest Female Vegetarian. The 37-year-old actress has lived up to her sexy title, appearing nude in a PETA vegetarianism public service announcement and print ad in 2007.
In 2009, Silverstone released a vegan nutrition guidebook The Kind Diet, which was a New York Times bestseller. There will also be a pair of follow up titles, The Kind Mama and The Kind Diet Cookbook. She also has a web site called The Kind Life. “Being vegan truly is the secret to my life’s joy and peace,” said Silverstone, who is also an advocate for the environment and animal rights. She has set up a Los Angeles-based sanctuary for rescued pets. She is known for movies like Clueless and Batman & Robin.
Tobey Maguire
Even Spider-Man is vegan! Actor Tobey Maguire, 38, is well known for his role as Spider-man and Peter Parker in the Spider-Man movie trilogy (2002-2007). Although he battles the Octopus character in the second movie, Maguire doesn’t eat any forms of meat.
He became vegan in 2009 and has been a vegetarian since 1992. “I’ve never had any desire to eat meat,” says Maguire. “In fact, when I was a kid I would have a really difficult time eating meat at all.”
You know this vegetarian celebrity from his roles in The Cider House Rules, Seabiscuit, and The Great Gatsby.
Joaquin Phoenix
Thirty-nine-year-old Joaquin Phoenix is known to have been practicing the vegan diet since the age of three. The actor is a well-known vegan and social activist and appeared in a PETA veganism short promotional film in 2013. Phoenix did narration for the 2005 documentary Earthings, which investigates animal abuse in pet mills, factory farms, industry, and research.
For his contribution to the film, Phoenix was awarded the Humanitarian Award at the San Diego Film Festival. Phoenix lives by example. “Animal rights is a part of my everyday life. When you live by example, you create a certain level of awareness. Friends of mine, people I have never discussed animals rights or vegetarianism with, are adopting vegetarian habits because they see me,” says Phoenix, who is known for his film roles in Gladiator, Walk the Line, The Master, and most recently Her.
This list of five only cracks the surface of those who are on a vegetarian celebrity diet, including Alyssa Milano, Ashley Judd, Leona Lewis, Casey Affleck, Jared Leto, and Bill Clinton.
Could there be something to a vegetarian diet? Are you up for trying a vegan or vegetarian diet?
Sources:
“Ellen DGeneres,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia web site; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_DeGeneres, last modified Jan. 4, 2014.
“PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2013,” PETA web site; http://features.peta.org/sexiest-vegetarian-celebrities/#Winners, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
“Alicia Silverstone,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia web site; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Silverstone, last modified Dec. 26, 2013.
“A Message from Alicia,” PETA.org web site; http://features.peta.org/AliciaSilverstoneVeganPSA/, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
Pashman, H., “The 25 Sexiest Vegan and Vegetarian Celebrities,” Shape.com web site, Jan. 13, 2013; http://www.shape.com/celebrities/celebrity-photos/25-sexiest-vegan-and-vegetarian-celebrities/slide/3, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
“Vegetarian Start Kit,” Remember God web site; http://www.remembergod.org/pdf/veg297.pdf, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
Blanchard, M., “Joaquin Phoenix tells Story of Becoming Vegan at Age Three,” Ecorazzi Good Gossip web site, Dec. 2, 2013; http://www.ecorazzi.com/2013/12/02/joaquin-phoenix-tells-story-of-becoming-vegan-at-age-three/, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
“Joaquin Phoenix,” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia web site; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaquin_Phoenix, last modified Jan. 4, 2014.
Eglash, J., “Kristen Bell hypes ‘huge muffin top’ and explains shift from vegan to vegetarian,” Examiner.com web site, Oct. 3, 2013; http://www.examiner.com/article/kristen-bell-hypes-huge-muffin-top-and-explains-shift-from-vegan-to-vegetarian, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
“PETA Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities 2013: Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard Share Feel-Good Honors,” HuffPost Green web site, June 27, 2013; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/27/peta-sexiest-vegetarian-2013-kristen-bell-dax-shephard_n_3511411.html, last accessed Jan. 6, 2014.
