Diet trends are everywhere in the celebrity scene — some stars will try any fad, no matter how insane. But others have embraced their diet as a lifestyle, and have gone vegan, which is defined as a “way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose.” Here are 17 stars you never knew were vegan.
Ariana Grande
Fox
Vegan status: Since November 2013
Grande told the Mirror, “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.”
Joaquin Phoenix
David Buchan/Getty
Vegan status: Since he was three
When Joaquin was just three years old, he was on a fishing trip with his father and three siblings when he saw the fish struggle and squirm once caught. He and his siblings quit animal products immediately. According to Phoenix, “We said, ‘Why didn’t you tell us that’s where meat came from?’ And [my mother] didn’t know what to say. I feel like I have this memory of seeing her crying.”
Peter Dinklage
Justin Sullivan/Getty
Vegan status: Since ~2014, was vegetarian for 15 years before.
“By buying meat, eggs, and dairy products, you’re paying for cruelty,” Dinklage stated in a PETA advertisement.
Liam Hemsworth
Jason Merritt/Getty
Vegan status: since 2015
“My own health, and after all the information I gathered about the mistreatment of animals, I couldn’t continue to eat meat. The more I was aware of, the harder and harder it was to do,” Hemsworth told Men’s Fitness. “I feel nothing but positive, mentally and physically. I love it. I feel like it also has a kind of a domino effect on the rest of my life.”
Miley Cyrus
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Vegan status: Since 2014
Cyrus went vegan once she realized that her pet fish and pig were intelligent, she told Jimmy Fallon. She’s extremely active about veganism and animal rights on her Instagram account.
Ellen Page
Getty Images / Ian Gavan
Vegan status: Longtime vegan
“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?” Page tweeted.
Travis Barker
Vegan status: Since 2008
After surviving a horrific plane crash in 2008, followed by a doctor’s appointment in which he found out he had eight ulcers from smoking, the Blink-182 drummer went vegan. “I feel great after every meal and I know that no animals are getting hurt in the process. That’s a win/win,” he explained.
Sia
Getty Images/Frederick M. Brown
Vegan status: Since ~2014
Sia likes to maintain her privacy, but in a tweet from 2014 she revealed her diet change in response to a vegan restaurant owner inviting her to stop by again: “I will! I’m fully vegan now!”
Jenna Dewan Tatum
Vegan status: Since around 2013, was vegetarian for 22 years before.
“After going vegan, I felt so much better. My skin cleared up, I had a ton more energy, and I just felt clearer in the head,” she told Natural Health.
Russel Simmons
Vegan status: Since the ’90s
“Well, it started with my yoga practice, and, you know, the practice of non-harming, ‘ahimsa,’ so I became a vegan because [of] compassion [for] the animals,” he told The Today Show. “The first thing I did was lose 20 pounds and I haven’t put that back on. Do I feel better than I felt 15, 17 years ago? Yeah I think so. I think I’m in pretty good shape.”
Mike Tyson
Vegan status: since 2012
“Becoming a vegan, it gave me another opportunity to live a healthy life. And I was just horrible — so congested from all the drugs and bad cocaine I could hardly breathe, high blood pressure, almost died,” he told Oprah. “Once I became a vegan, all that stuff diminished.”
Ellen DeGeneres
Evan Agostini/Getty
Vegan status: Since 2008
“I can’t imagine that if you’re putting something in your body that’s filled with fear or anxiety or pain, that, that isn’t somehow going to be inside of you,” Ellen said in an episode of her show.
Ellen’s partner, Portia de Rossi, is also vegan.
Woody Harrelson
Getty Images/Pascal Le Segretain
Vegan status: 10+ years
“Really, my message is simple. It’s a message of compassion. In this world that is spinning madly out of control, we have to realize that we’re all related. We have to try to live harmoniously,” he said.
Emily Deschanel
Vegan status: Since 1992
“Saying no to meat makes me feel stronger inside; I feel aligned with my morals and ethics. I still have to defend myself because people don’t understand it. As a pregnant woman especially, people will say to me, ‘You must eat meat and dairy.’ You really have to tap into your self-esteem whenever people try to convince you you’re making the wrong choice,” she explained in an interview.
Jason Mraz
Vegan status: Since 2011
In his blog, Mraz wrote that he is “feeling stronger, fitter, healthier and more productive. I ride longer distances on my bike, can do more pull-ups than ever, and my brain seems to have a larger capacity for new projects, problem solving, songwriting, and fielding random questions. My health and strength make me a better performer, and all that combined gives me more confidence to go out in the world and shine my light. It also makes me a lot better in bed. Just sayin…”
Tobey Maguire
Gett/Vittorio Zunino Celotto
Vegan status: Since 2010, vegetarian for 18 years before
Maguire takes veganism very seriously. While filming “The Great Gatsby” he asked Bazmark Films to return a Mercedes they had loaned him and replace the leather with vinyl, a cruelty-free material.
Carrie Underwood
Ethan Miller
Vegan status: Since around 2011, was vegetarian for seven years before.
Underwood was vegetarian for a while, and then transitioned away from dairy when she realized she “had a lactose intolerant thing,” she told Oprah.
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