Hey friends,
today I want to talk about something that is gaining more popularity by the day. I myself chose this path 3 years ago as you might know but let's see why they are choosing it. We see headlines like the following more often than ever and since people like them are playing quite a huge role in the social world of today, influencing particularly young people, it is even more important how they present themselves.
What is happening?
Since the last few years we see more and more celebrities choosing a plant-based diet and promoting it via their social media, interviews or other occasions and they seem to be thriving. It is not a secret that stars like Chris Hemsworth, Venus Williams and Beyoncé have to deliver their best performance each and every day to stay in the position they are in right now. Whether we look at Chris who has to be in incredible shape for the Marvel movie series, Venus Williams and her incredible tennis career or Beyoncé who travels the world performing in various countries. They need be fit not only physically but mentally too. So why are they choosing this path? Regarding all the information that has been brought up in recent years, there are three major areas of benefits of choosing this diet.
#1 For Health Reasons
“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.” - Mike Tyson
In a recent Us Weekly cover story, J.Lo admitted, “It’s a job – you’ve got to buckle down. People are used to seeing me be kind of thickish, but when I started eating [vegan], right away I dropped like 8 to 10 pounds.”
As already stated above, celebrities need to be extremely fit, physically and mentally. Losing weight or bulking up for the upcoming movie, performing on stage in front of thousands of people, being able to stay focused on the court for multiple hours, everything is down to one's diet - the nutrients you provide your body with to function properly. But what makes eating plants superior to eating animal products?
Dietary Fiber - fiber is only found in plant foods and is a necessity for the proper functioning of our digestion and gut health. Fiber helps us to be satisfied and fulfilled after a meal, which helps us to not overeat and therefore gaining them extra pounds. Therefore, it is easier to control your weight or even lose weight without overthinking the portion sizes of your meal. In addition, it helps to control blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and increases bowel movement. A high-fiber-diet can also help with reducing the risk of cancer and has a positive effect on your immune system.
Water - We all know that water is vital for good health. Compared to animal products, almost all plant foods have a good amount of water to them, especially fruits. Additionally, they not even contain water but the water is already filtered by nature and enriched with vitamins and minerals that come from the ground. Being hydrated is particularly important for maintenance of brain function which makes sense regarding our brain is made up of around 75% water. Studies have shown that low amounts of water consumption lead to increased sleepiness and fatigue, lower levels of activity and alertness and increased confusion. As a result, water is essential to be productive and conquer your day.
Alkalinity - Another power of plants is their alkalizing effect on our body. In contrast to the acid forming animal foods, especially green vegetables are very alkaline. When our body is in an acidic state, it needs to take minerals like calcium to buffer that acidity. The easiest and fastest available source for our body to do that is actually by taking calcium out of our bones which then leads to bone loss and decreased bones density. Too much acid is also responsible for inflammation and skin irritations, which you definitely not want to have when performing in a movie or as a bikini model.
Calorie Density & Nutrient Density - plant foods like fruits and vegetables are generally low in calories and high in nutrients. Therefore, eating predominantly whole foods do not only help you with the keeping of them extra pounds but provide you with all the essential vitamins and minerals.
As you can see in this graphic, calorie density plays a huge role in creating the "fullness effect" leading to satisfaction after the right amount of food without eating too many calories.
Along with the four benefits mentioned above, there a lot more benefits to eating a whole foods plant-based diet but that would be something for another article and these are one of the most important ones when it comes to general health. Let me know what you guys are interested in and curious about and I will talk about that in further detail.
#2 For Environmental Reasons
„Al Gore went public with his veganism in November 2013 to help his cause of helping the planet.“
Whether we talk about celebrities or more ordinary people, we all live on the same planet and it should be in our own interest to try our best to protect it and we see quite a few celebrities standing up for our environment. Participating in or financially support documentaries like „Cowspiracy“ that investigates the relationship between the food we are eating and its effect on our environment. Studies have shown that,
About 51% of CO2-Emissions are produced by the animal agriculture industry which is more than double the amount of the CO2-Emissions from all the transportation vehicles combined.
It takes approximately 16000 liters of water to produce 1kg of beef, whereas producing 1kg of wheat just requires around 190literss of water.
Raising animals for food uses 30 percent of the earth’s land mass - which is nearly equal to the size of Asia and seven football fields are bulldozed every minute to create more room for farmed animals.
And whilst about one billion people are malnourished or even starving to death, we feed so much food that could be eaten by ourselves to raise beef or chicken.
#3 For The Animals
Besides the health and environmental benefits of eating plant-based, a lot of celebrities are choosing this lifestyle because of the love for their four-legged friends. One of the best examples for that would be Miley Cirus. A post from Livekindly,
Her tattoo, which says, “Vegan for life” with a sunflower-shaped like the popular vegan V, is a bold statement to the world that veganism is more than a trend. It’s something that matters a lot to people. It saves animals.
clearly points out her love and compassion towards other living beings.
Natalie Portman even went on to blog about it on The Huffington Post. “The human cost of factory farming — both the compromised welfare of slaughterhouse workers and, even more, the environmental effects of the mass production of animals — is staggering,” she wrote.
Similar to Natalie Portman, comedian and talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres switched to a vegan diet in 2008 after reading several books on animal rights and diets. “I do it because I love animals,” DeGeneres told Katie Couric. “And I saw the reality and I just couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
I guess, after all, celebrities are normal people who want to do good, have compassion and value their health and the health of their loved ones. And so far, everybody claimed to thrive on switching to a plant-based diet. Having more energy, having steady mood and feeling happier in general.
Resources for the scientific evidence
Acidity:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/alkaline-diets-animal-protein-and-calcium-loss/
Water:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-dehydration-affect-our-mood/
Fiber:
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/fiber/
Miley Cirus statement
https://www.livekindly.co/hannah-montana-animal-rights-activist-miley-cyrus-vegan-story/
Celebrity quotes:
http://stylecaster.com/beauty/why-are-there-so-many-vegan-celebrities/