If you ever need a little inspiration for your vegetarian lifestyle, there are plenty of famous vegetarian celebrities to admire who've embarked on similar journeys. You might be surprised at the number of famous vegetarian celebrities (one website lists quite a few in alphabetical order here). We've outlined some of our favorite famous vegetarian celebrities for you below:
RUSSELL BRAND
After watching the documentary hit "Forks Over Knives," Russell Brand announced he was making the transition to veganism. The actor/comedian has reportedly been vegetarian since age fourteen but has fully embraced the vegan lifestyle since 2011.
ELLIE GOULDING
Aspiring vegan singer Ellie Goulding recently shared her love of the plant-based diet as part of a healthier lifestyle change also incorporating a "killer fitness routine," green juicing, and upping her intake of grains like quinoa and nuts.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
Country music may not be overflowing with vegetarians (yet) but there's one thing the genre's fans will surely agree on-their love of the immensely talented and stunning Carrie Underwood. Underwood is not only a singer, but also a lifelong animal lover and credits her time on an Oklahoma farm with her initial conversion to vegetarianism. She describes the experience here.
MARTINA NAVRATILOVA
World-renowned tennis great Martina Navratilova credits her impressive and lengthy tennis career (stretched to age fifty while most professional tennis players retire in their early to mid-thirties) to her strictly plant-based diet. Navratilova won numerous international tennis championships and is well-known for her vegetarianism, animal rights and LGBTQ rights advocacy.
WU-TANG CLAN MEMBERS
Several members of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan including MASTA KILLA, RZA, and GZA have all given their video confirmation of the vegan lifestyle. Most emphasize health benefits as well as concern for the suffering of animals raised on factory farms as their key reasons for making the change.
ALANIS MORRISSETTE
The pop singer recently lost twenty pounds since going vegan and reports having remarkably increased energy. Since transitioning, she reports, "I feel like a 12-year-old!... I have no more aches and pains, and my allergies are gone, too." Ms. Morrissette shares a favorite vegan soup recipe here.
INDIA ARIE
Neo-soul artist India Arie embraces a lifestyle of meditation, yoga and being conscious of what she's putting into her body.
ZENDAYA COLEMAN
Zendaya is vegetarian, citing her love of animals as the main reason for her dietary choice here. She also reported to US Weekly that she is "a vegetarian who doesn't like vegetables too much - which makes it challenging!"
RUSSELL SIMMONS
Hip hop music entrepreneur Russell Simmons is also a renowned humanitarian and spiritual animal lover who went fully vegan in the year 2000. He reported in a recent interview with Vegetarian Times that he uses morning meditation and yoga as part of his daily routine and explained, "My motivation for eliminating animal products from my diet was [the Hindu and Buddhist practice] ahimsa, or nonviolence. If you really want to live a happy life, cut the animal products from your diet."
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY
63-year-old Christie Brinkley has been a busy top supermodel for decades-and yet still looks to be at least a generation younger than her true age. Brinkley recently shared that she credits her vegetarian diet, which she began fifty years ago, as well as her own vegan skincare products, for her ageless beauty. Her weakness? Brinkley admits she's got one. She's addicted to vegan ice cream-namely the So Delicious kind.
ELLEN DEGENERES
After watching the documentary Earthlings, comedian and television star Ellen Degeneres reported going vegan, as she shared in an interview with Katie Couric. Degeneres explained, "I do it because I love animals and I saw the reality, and I just couldn't ignore it anymore."
JOAQUIN PHOENIX
On a similar note, the narrator of Earthlings, actor Joaquin Phoenix, is also a lifetime vegetarian. He recently shared in an interview that his diet consists of, "Tofu and lots of it. I like anything homemade, and if it's organic, all the better. I also love tabouli salad. I don't even really go for the fake meat stuff. I like veggies, straight up. I also wear synthetic stuff, especially shoes. I remember when all I could wear were my Converse canvas All-stars, and now it seems like most shoes are synthetic."
MIKE TYSON
"Iron Mike" Tyson, former champion boxer and lifelong bird lover, went vegan in 2009 for numerous health reasons. Recognizing the need to change his life, Tyson reported to Oprah in a recent interview that he has found renewed health and increased quality family time since making the transition.
If these famous vegetarian celebrities aren't enough, there are a few more interesting historically-relevant famous vegetarians to consider as well-from Gandhi, Tolstoy and Pythagoras to Plato, Leonardo di Vinci and Albert Einstein. Enjoy this slideshow to see all the names.
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