13 Celebs Who Are Serious Vegans
Being truly vegan means totally giving up animal products and following a plant-based diet. Not many people can stick with that long-term, but those who do feel pretty strongly about why they follow this type of lifestyle. According to PETA, 2.5 percent of residents in the U.S. are vegans, and another five percent are vegetarians. Of course, many celebs are vegan as well, and they're pretty likely to publicly discuss their lifestyle and diet changes. They go vegan for a variety of reasons, ranging from health to personal beliefs, and of course environmental concerns. Here are 13 celebs who have been open about their vegan lifestyles.
13 Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood grew up on a farm, so her awareness about animals came early and she became a vegetarian at 13. She later became lactose-intolerant and chose to go vegan since she couldn't eat cheese and milk anyway. She does consider herself a "practical vegan" which means she doesn't let it drive her crazy when she can't control her food when dining out or something.
12 Alanis Morissette
The Jagged Little Pill singer considers herself to be an 80 percent vegan, which means that she sticks with it as much as possible but if her body needs something else, she'll go for it. She made the change in 2009 after reading Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Furhman and ended up losing 20 pounds within a couple months and gained a ton of energy. When asked about why she did it, she has said, “Longevity. I realized I want to live till I'm 120. There's a lifestyle that I am now happily creating that can, as best as is possible, prevent most forms of cancer and other diseases.”
11 Bill Clinton
The former president chose to go vegan in 2010 after a few health scares. In 2004, Bill went under quadruple bypass surgery and later had a stent surgery as well. When he became vegan, he also lost 20 pounds, and now he totally advocates the lifestyle choice. He's said he's a huge fan of beans, fruits, and veggies, and that he loves how much more energy he has. Hmm, we're sensing a theme here.
10 Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson decided to become a vegan for health reasons in 2010, and he ended up dropping a whopping 100 pounds. It sounds like he was really putting his body through it, but he made quite a turnaround. He's said that he had high blood pressure, arthritis, and congestion thanks to his drug use. That all went away once he adopted a healthier way of eating and living.
9 Thom Yorke
The Radiohead star is an ethical vegan, which started out as vegetarianism for a few different reasons. He didn't feel great whenever he ate meat, and then he also has said that he was dating a girl that he wanted to impress, so he said he was vegetarian. Like everyone else on this list, he felt so amazing that he stuck with it.
8 Russell Brand
Russell Brand switched from vegetarianism to veganism in 2011 after watching the doc Forks Over Knives after Ellen DeGeneres suggested it. After a couple of years, he reverted back to vegetarianism, and then has attempted to get back on a strict vegan diet with the help of his friends on the Internet. He sometimes posts videos on the topic and takes questions. Russell has been a vegetarian since the age of 14 and has been recognized by PETA for doing so.
7 Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman has been a vegan since 2009, and it was the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer that convinced her to give up animal products for good. She did incorporate cheese and dairy into her diet while she was pregnant, but after giving birth, she went back to being fully vegan. Natalie even had her wedding catered with all vegan food. Her reasoning? Environmental concerns and sustainability.
6 Tobey Maguire
The actor went vegan in 2009, although he occasionally tweaks his diet in order to change his body for film roles. Tobey embraces veganism so fully that once he received a Mercedes as a gift and sent it back since it had leather seats. Now that is dedication. Tobey was actually responsible for helping Natalie Portman make the change. They co-starred in the film Brothers where Tobey brought along his own vegan chef.
5 Casey Affleck
A vegan since 1995, the actor hasn't shared many reasons why, but he seems to be upset about the treatment of animals and what it does to the environment. He's married to Summer Phoenix (Joaquin's sister) and Joaquin is another famous vegan on the list.
4 Ellen DeGeneres
The funny talk show star decided to go vegan after reading about animal rights as well as healthy diets. She switched to veganism in 2008 and even has her own vegan blog called Going Vegan With Ellen. When Ellen and Portia di Rossi got married in 2008, they had an all vegan menu, and Portia is a vegan as well. Supposedly the two even have planned to open their own vegan restaurant. Ellen has put her decision in very succinct terms: “I do it because I love animals. And I saw the reality and I just couldn't ignore it anymore."
3 Woody Harrelson
When the actor was 24 and just starting his career, he was on a bus and a girl suggested his runny nose and acne were due to lactose-intolernace. When he cut out dairy, his symptoms cleared up immediately. He co-owns a vegan restaurant called Sage and even has a working organic farm in Maui. He's pretty conscious about environmental things and he drives eco-friendly cars and even avoids cell phones to avoid potential problems from the electromagnetic waves.
2 Alicia Silverstone
The Clueless star is a huge veganism advocate, and made the change almost 18 years ago at the young age of 21. She watched an inspiring doc on the topic and reportedly saw some extreme changes in her body that included wiping out puffy eyes, asthma, insomnia, acne, and constipation. Alicia wrote a book in 2009 called The Kind Diet about living vegan, and she also has a lifestyle blog where she shares food tips as well as healthy living in general.
1 Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix decided to stop eating eating animals at the young age of three after a fishing excursion. He spreads a lot of awareness about the topic, which he thinks is key.