What do these celebrities have in common?
Ariana Grande, Bill Clinton, Carrie Underwood, Mike Tyson, Ellen DeGeneres, Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, and Miley Cyrus are all alike in a very big way. Can you guess what it is? Yes, they are all well-known celebrities and athletes, but they also all follow a vegan diet! They each have their own reasons that motivated them to make the change, varying from environmental, health and ethical reasons. Overall, they all agree that a vegan diet enabled their body to function the way it is supposed to and resulted in them seeing improvements in their physique and energy levels. Considering how much influence these celebrities have, it can be very motivating and interesting reading their vegan profiles, so let us get into it…
Ariana Grande
“I've eaten organically since I was little and always kept meat minimal but today marks my first day as a 100% Vegan!!!! Joyous day” was the tweet that officially announced Ariana Grande’s switch to becoming vegan in November of 2013. Although she ate meat sparingly before, in an interview with the Mirror she explained what prompted the choice: “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.”
She is very outspoken and uses her platform to educate fans about veganism and is definitely not afraid of speaking her mind about doing things like drinking milk. “In America, almost everybody thinks you need to have meat for protein. Protein, protein, protein! And what’s in dairy? Calcium, calcium, calcium. It’s those kinds of proteins that latch onto the insides of your blood- stream and make it easier for you to have a heart attack (VeganAmericanPrincess). Her dedication and true passion for her cause is admirable, and she has definitely inspired many fans to follow in her footsteps and make the world a better place.
Some of her favorite vegan snacks and meals include:
- All fruits and veggies
- Salads
- Vegan doughnuts (yes, that's a thing…go try some!)
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres is an American comedian, television host, actor, writer, and television producer, which I bet you probably already knew. She also had a vegan wedding with a vegan menu and cake. I bet you didn’t know that. She made the decision to become vegan after forcing herself to watch “Earthlings”, which is an American documentary film about humankind's total dependence on animals for economic purposes. After watching, she stated “50 billion animals a year are killed and I think we all fool ourselves that there is some kind of happy cow and that it’s a quick death, that they just hit him in the head and that they are out. They are all in pain, they are all treated badly. They are all diseased and they are all pumped with antibiotics. It’s a very disturbing reality. And it happens every minute of the day” (Veganuary).
She married Portia de Rossi and they adopted two cows named Holy and Madonna which they care for and make sure they live happy cow lives, letting them live free, natural lives. Although Ellen is no longer vegan, she still supports veganism and is still very much against animal cruelty.
Some of her favorite vegan snacks and meals include:
- Vegan Spring Roll’s (with a yummy crunch)
- Vegan Burgers (who does not love burgers?)
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (got to start the day off right)
Bill Clinton
“Really? Bill Clinton follows a vegan diet???”. Yup! Former President Bill Clinton said “[It] changed my life,” according to Politico. "I might not be around if I hadn’t become a vegan. It’s great." Was he always a vegan? Definitely not. However, in 2004 he had to undergo a quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery and when he had to go back to the hospital in 2010 for emergency surgery after experiencing chest pains, he decided enough is enough. “I just decided that I was the high-risk person, and I didn’t want to fool with this anymore,” Clinton said in an interview with AARP magazine. “And I wanted to live to be a grandfather.” Ever since his decision, he has regained his health and is now a proud grandfather of two! Since there is so much culinary expertise in the vegan diet, there is always a never-ending list of vegan dishes for Mr. Clinton to try, which not only satisfies his foodie cravings, but allows him to find new delicious and healthy vegan recipes to try at home!
Some of his favorite vegan snacks and meals include:
- Anything Italian, like Lasagna
- Chili Enchiladas
- Variety of fresh, green salads
Venus and Serena Williams
These two powerhouse tennis stars have both followed a vegan diet. It started off with Venus, who began her journey for health reasons. In 2011, she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Sjögren's syndrome. Going vegan ensured that she could maintain her performance on and off the court. What started off as a diet for her health alone turned into something she did because she fell in love with the idea of fueling her body in the best way possible and made her feel like she was doing the right thing for herself personally. When asked about how her autoimmune disease affected her playing, Venus said “I literally couldn’t play tennis anymore, so it really changed my life. Because it was starting to take away what I loved, I had to make some changes, I had to change my life. Thankfully, I was able to find something that helped me get back to doing what I loved” (Health).
Serena Williams is less strict about her vegan diet than her sister is, but her sister’s autoimmune disease was what first motivated her to try the vegan diet to support her sister. Serena goes on vegan diets on and off to cleanse her system and get ready for big matches. “You know, I think it’s just really good to clean out your system sometimes just to get rid of all the waste and things like that that are just in your system and let the earth from the plants really clean you out. So I’m a big believer in that” she stated to Hungry Forever. Overall, they both agree that a vegan diet cleanses their body and refreshes their system, allowing them to be the amazing tennis players that they both are.
Some of their favorite vegan snacks and meals include:
- oats, strawberries, tangerines, and almond butter for breakfast to start the day off
- Celery-root soup
- Fruit juices (for when the sweet tooth demands to be satisfied)
Mike Tyson
Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson is known for his impressive performance in the ring, but he is also a champion outside of it… a champion of veganism. He said that his vegan diet is what helped him lose 140 lbs and turn his health around. Mike Tyson’s health was on a swift decline, which is why he decided to become vegan. "Becoming a vegan gave me another opportunity to live a healthy life. I was so congested from all the drugs and bad cocaine, I could hardly breathe, [I had] high blood pressure, [was] almost dying [and had] arthritis. And once I became a vegan all that stuff diminished," he said to ABC News. He used to be very carnivorous. He loved pilling on all sorts of foods like meats, cheese and bread while training for fights. He believed that was the best way to fuel his body with proteins, which are needed to build all of that muscle. When he started noticing joint pain and arthritis, on top of his obesity, his wife forced him to start a vegan diet. He noticed that not only did it help his body tremendously, it helped his mental state “incredibly”. When talking about the positive benefits of his vegan diet on his mental state he said "I wish I was born this way. When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years" (mindbodygreen).
Some of his favorite vegan snacks include:
- Almonds
- Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Seeds
Miley Cyrus
After the death of her dog in 2014, Miley Cyrus committed to a vegan lifestyle. The loss of her best friend made her realize how precious every animal’s life is. She now uses her powerful social media platform to inform people about the benefits of veganism. Her Instagram, for example, is a vegan paradise where she shows her 80 million fans what veganism means to her. She even showed her commitment to a cruelty- free lifestyle by getting The Vegan Society’s symbol tattooed on her left underarm.
Some of her favorite vegan snacks include:
- Anything with bell peppers
- Green smoothies for breakfast
These are a few of the many celebrities and athletes that follow a vegan diet. I know you are probably thinking “well, they can all afford personal chefs that make these meals for them. I can’t afford to do that!”. What if I was to tell you that you ABSOLUTELY can. You do not need to pay thousands of dollars for a personal chef when you have Veestro! Veestro is here to be everyone’s personal chef so that you can enjoy the nutritious and delicious plant-based food that these celebrities indulge in for a fraction of the price. Even better? You can get these meals delivered straight to your door, so you don’t have to worry about hunting for organic ingredients in the store. Sounds amazing, right? ;)
Check out what’s on the menu at Veestro.
Read more about 10 tips for going plant-based.
