When it comes to what we put in our bodies, there are many different lifestyles that one can pick. One of the most popular dietary lifestyles is that of veganism. Being a vegan means trading in animal proteins for a plant-based protein.
Unlike vegetarians, vegans will not consume any animal product or by-product, such as eggs or dairy products. Surprisingly, veganism is a concept that is popular amongst Hollywood royalty.
You will find famous vegans among movie stars or athletes, musicians or scientists. Who are they, you may ask? Below we explore a few of the most famous vegans you probably didn’t know weren’t enjoying steak dinners when out to eat at those posh restaurants they frequent!
Hollywood Actors
Famous vegan actors tend to come from all walks of life and can be found in every age bracket in Hollywood. There are so many vegan actors that could be mentioned here, but we are just going to focus on four.
Ellen Degeneres is probably one of the most recognized women in Hollywood. She got her start working as a stand-up comic and slowly worked her way through the ranks, staring in her own prime time sitcom, which was cancelled after she came out as a lesbian, and eventually going on to host a very successful talk show.
Ellen has long been an animal rights activist and became a vegan in 2008 for ethical reasons. However, outspoken vegan activists have put the television host under fire for things they believe are not true vegan actions, such as Ellen’s work with Covergirl makeup.
As with Degeneres, James Cromwell, famed British actor, has also taken on the vegan lifestyle for ethical issues. He is most known for his roles in movies such as The Green Mile and Babe. While filming the movie Babe, he decided that he would become an ethical vegan. He also became involved with PETA and petitioned to rescue pigs from 4-H programs. Cromwell seemingly has used his popularity, activism, and diet to fight for animal rights.
Woody Harrelson is another famous vegan who concentrates not only on not eating anything with animal products or by-products, but also on eating raw vegetables. In 2012, he was named “PETA’s Sexiest Vegan.” Harrelson decided to become a vegan to help fight his intolerance for lactose. He continued the lifestyle because of how good he felt when not eating meat.
Ellen Paige rose to fame for her role in Juno and has since become an outspoken advocate of veganism. Although it is unclear when Paige became a vegan, it is clear that she is very passionate about it. She uses social media to talk about veganism.
The Music Industry
Miley Cyrus started her career as a Disney channel actress with the Hannah Montana show. She since has moved into having a full-time music career. Although at times, she can be seen as controversial in her mannerisms and behaviors, when it comes to her diet, she is very strict. She has used her vegan platform to promote fashion in a way that is PETA worthy. She states that fashion doesn’t have to involve animal cruelty.
Morrissey has spent over 30 years as a vegan and has declared himself and others like him to be superior because of this diet choice. As with the other famous vegans mentioned in this article, he is an extremely vocal supporter of animal rights.
Rockstar Joan Jett has made a huge impact in the world of music and especially in paving the way for other female rockers. Her impact doesn’t stop there. She has been dubbed vegetarian and vegan, but she is famous for saying that although millions of animals will continue to die on a daily basis, she hopes that she can help reduce that amount by her dietary choices.
Probably most shockingly is the discovery of Stevie Wonder’s veganism. Wonder decided that he needed to go vegan to help with improving the environment, especially in making the world a greener place and sustainable for future generations.
Athletes
As we all know, athletes hold a very active, very healthy lifestyle for the most part. It is hard to imagine that an athlete would want to give up the benefits of meat-based proteins, especially when they need the extra energy to sustain endurance when competing. However, there is a surprisingly large number of athletes that have turned to veganism.
Heather Mills, a downhill skier from Britain, has really come into herself as a vegan advocate since her accident in 1993 and time spent in Hippocrates Health Institute. Heather was in an accident with a police motorcycle that resulted in the amputation of her leg, seemingly ending her athletic career, however it gave her time to focus on her vegan based company, VBites. She has since moved on to become a medal-winning Alpine Ski racer.
Colin Kaepernick. Is there anything else to say beyond those two words? Kaepernick has raised a few eyeballs and caused a few waves in the media over the past couple of years, especially recently with his becoming the face of Nike after the kneeling incident that cost him his NFL career. However you feel about him, Kaepernick takes a stand and sticks with his decision. He founded an organization to fight oppression and one of his focuses is on veganism.
Tom Brady should probably not be added to this list since he is only vegan during warmer months, but he is one of the biggest NFL athletes out there and therefore his lifestyle should be recognized. Brady is not like most of the vegans on this list because he doesn’t practice the vegan lifestyle through all the year. His reasons for being vegan are all related to his performance, not because he is an animal rights activist; however, anyone who can go months on end while still performing on a high level in the National Football League should be considered more vegan than solely plant-based, no matter what vegan activists say.
Have you ever heard of Sjogren’s Syndrome? If not, it is an autoimmune disease with a variety of undesirable symptoms, such as dry mouth and joint pain. It is also a disease suffered by tennis superstar, Venus Williams. Williams took her diagnosis as a wake-up call and began the vegan lifestyle. Because of her change in diet, she was able to continue her tennis career.
Other Famous Vegans
When we think of famous people, we concentrate on the most obvious kind of celebrity, such as what I have mentioned above. However, there are several other kinds of famous people that are also vegans. Portia de la Rosa, model and philanthropist, is a vegan. It isn’t a hard lifestyle for her since she is married to Ellen Degeneres, mentioned above.
Casey Kasem, radio show host of the Top 40 countdown was a vegan until his death in 2014. James Cameron, director of the movie Titanic, as well as many other blockbusters, is also a vegan. Finally, Al Gore, former vice president of the United States and environmentalist who focuses on global warming and its effects is a vegan.