With increased awareness of the environmental impacts of animal agriculture and more conversations around animal welfare and the ethicality of eating animal flesh and animal products, it’s little wonder that vegan food, plant-based diets and cruelty-free living are becoming the norm.
In this post, we’ve rounded up influential celebrities and other famous people who have embraced plant-based lifestyles and who are using their fame for good; calling for a kinder, more compassionate approach to our lifestyles. From the food we eat to the materials we wear, here is what the stars have to say about going plant-based…
1. Natalie Portman, Actress
“When I read the book [Jonathan Safran Foer’s ‘Eating Animals‘], that was what made me become a vegan. I think until then, I had thought, ‘Oh, with eggs and dairy, you’re not killing animals. It’s just their natural byproducts.’ But when I started learning about the conditions—and the environmental effect of all these animals and the impact on humans of having large groups of sick animals together, it really made me want to change immediately.” —Vanity Fair, June 2018
2. Alicia Silverstone, Vegan Cookbook Author “The Kind Diet” and Actress
“There has always been scientific and medically backed research supporting this way of life, but over the past decade, it’s been brought to the forefront by books like The Kind Diet and documentaries like Forks Over Knives. I feel like it is becoming more common in our culture too, with fun and trendy plant-based restaurants popping up all over the [United States] and even in airports. The great thing about some of these restaurants is that most of the people who choose to eat there aren’t even vegan, they just know it tastes delicious and leaves them feeling good.” —Food & Wine, June 2017
3. Ariana Grande, Singer
“I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding. But I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-around happier person. It is tricky dining out, but I just stick to what I know — veggies, fruit and salad — then when I get home I’ll have something else.” —Mirror, December 2014
'I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding. But I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-around happier person.' - Ariana GrandeClick To Tweet4. Miley Cyrus, Actress and Singer
“Living a completely vegan lifestyle, whether it’s what I eat or wear I am very certain that veganism is taking over and stoked to see so many brands jumpin on this revolution! You do not need to torture or kill animals to sell fabulous products!” —Shared on Instagram 2017 after receiving the PETA Best Voice For Animals award
'You do not need to torture or kill animals to sell fabulous products!' - Miley CyrusClick To Tweet
5. Moby, Musician
“My veganism has been reinforced by learning about health and climate change and the environment. I found that eating meat and dairy and eggs are to a very large extent responsible for people developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer. I found out that commercial animal production was responsible for 18 percent of climate change (more than every car, bus, truck, boat, and plane combined). I found out that producing a pound of soybeans requires 200 gallons of water but that producing a pound of beef requires 1,800 gallons of water. I found out that a leading cause of tropical deforestation is cutting down trees to create grazing land for livestock. And I found out that most of zoonotic diseases (SARS, mad cow disease, bird flu, etc.) are the result of animal agriculture. And as a clincher: I also found out that eating a high fat, animal product-based diet can be a leading cause of impotence (as if I didn’t need more reasons to be a vegan).” —Rolling Stone, March 2014
6. Will.I.Am, Singer
“You don’t need the meat, you don’t need to have decaying flesh in your body. The more I think about it I was like, ‘Ew.’ I was just, I had death in me. Decayed flesh and crazy chemicals I can’t pronounce. You wouldn’t put that shit in your car.” —The Thrive Global Podcast with Arianna Huffington, August 2018
7. Woody Harrelson, Actor
“I eat vegan, but I eat mostly raw. If I have a cooked meal, I feel my energy drop. So when I first started shifting my diet, it wasn’t as much a moral or an ethical pursuit but an energetic pursuit.” —InStyle, May 2018
8. Kate Mara, Actress
“To me, it’s so obvious: there’s a life behind the eyes. That’s one of the reasons I’m a vegan, but I guess some people aren’t aware of that, or they haven’t been exposed to the fact that animals have a lot more going on than just being raised to be our food.” —The Georgia Straight, June 2017
'..There’s a life behind the eyes. That’s one of the reasons I’m a vegan, but I guess some people aren’t aware of that, or they haven’t been exposed to the fact that animals have a lot more going on than just being raised to be our food.' - Kate MaraClick To Tweet9. Russell Simmons, Music Producer, Fashion Mogul and Author of “Success Through Stillness“
“I began my journey to a vegan lifestyle back in the mid ’90s. My friend, the great photographer Glen E. Friedman, had been pestering me to watch Diet for a New America for years. We were staying together on St. Barts one year, and I finally gave in and watched it. When I saw all the middle-aged men dropping dead after eating a hamburger, I saw my future. When I saw how the animals were being abused, and how factory farming was destroying the environment, I felt sick to my stomach. When the film was over, I looked at Glen and said, “I ain’t eating this @#$%&! anymore.” — Fork Over Knives, January 2016
10. Rooney Mara, Actress and Fashion Entrepreneur
“In the beginning, when I first was like, ‘I don’t want to eat or hurt animals, so why am I wearing them?’ I stopped buying leather. I’ve never bought fur before. At a certain point, I was like, ‘I can’t even wear the leather I have. I don’t want it in my closet or on my body. It makes me feel uncomfortable.” —W Magazine, August 2018
11. Ellen Page, Actress
“Why are vegans made fun of while the inhumane factory farming process regards animals and the natural world merely as commodities to be exploited for profit?” —Shared on Facebook, March 2011
12. Liam Hemsworth, Actor
“Woody Harrelson was actually one of the original reasons I became vegan, because he’s been vegan for, I don’t know, 30 years or something. So, with the facts I was gathering, and then just how I was physically feeling, I felt like I had to do something different, so I adopted this vegan-diet lifestyle.” —CNN, July 2016
13. Pamela Anderson, Actress and Animal Rights Activist
“Yes, vegans want to stop animal suffering,
but not just that.
Many people who are are reluctant to consider veganism are actually
natural vegans, but they do not know it.
They do not realize that veganism is part of a larger way of life.
Part of a larger movement to reform not just the way we treat animals,
but the way we treat the world we live on and each other.
Vegans understand that the meat industry is one part of a bigger
system – the fake food industry.”
—”Fight Fake Food, Not Fake News” blog post, April 2017
14. Joaquin Phoenix, Actor
“Really it was seeing these fish being killed when I was on a boat as a kid. They were catching fish, and I guess to stun them they were throwing them against the side of the boat. I just had a profound strong reaction. It felt like a real injustice. It wasn’t just me, it was my siblings, all of my siblings, except for the youngest, Summer, she wasn’t born. My mom was pregnant with her. I don’t know how to explain it. I think it made me distrustful, and angry, and frightened of humans, humanity. I just thought it was such a gross abuse of power in a way. I think that during that moment we knew that we were not going to eat meat anymore. We said to our parents, “Why didn’t you tell us?” It’s amazing. I remember my mom’s face, I remember her crying. She didn’t know how to answer. It became very obvious we weren’t going to eat meat anymore…Then my brother, a few months later, said: ‘We shouldn’t be using dairy either. It’s not killing them, but …’ Then we became vegan and my sister Summer was born vegan.” —Collider, April 2018
15. Portia De Rossi
“I’ve always seen myself as an animal lover, but honestly, my affection didn’t extend to all animals. I categorized them: Dogs were smart, loyal, and loving, so they were more valuable than, say, goats or pigs. I think that’s why I never thought twice about eating meat. Steak and burgers weren’t an everyday meal, but I definitely accepted meat as a necessary part of life. That all changed five years ago when Ellen [DeGeneres] and I moved to a farm in California… I always thought going vegan would be difficult, but I genuinely don’t crave meat or cheese. And I feel happier, like I’m contributing to making the world a less violent place.” —O Magazine, December 2012
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