When news broke in November that Al Gore had recently switched to a vegan diet, many wondered about his motivation. As the Washington Post wrote in its article on the subject, “People generally go vegan for environmental, health, and ethical reasons.”
Gore did not share his reasons, but there are many other celebrities who have become vegan for one of these reasons, and in recent years more and more famous people have declared that they have become vegan.
Veganism for health reasons
Jay-Z and Beyoncé quickly overshadowed the news of Gore’s transition by announcing their plan to eat vegan for 22 days as a “spiritual and physical cleanse.” The decision came after months of plant-based breakfast, which the hip-hop celebrity said “turned out to be easier than he expected.” There may be a deeper solution behind this, as Jay-Z talked about how it takes 21 days to establish a new habit (the couple chose 22 days because that number has a special meaning to them).
Dr. Neil Barnard supports this theory, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s 21-Day Starter Vegan Program.
During the cleaning, Beyoncé sparked a controversy for wearing clothes that represented what she can’t eat, like a cow print top, pepperoni pizza clothes, etc. Time will tell what it was: ignorance, humor, or coverage of other aspects of vegan life besides food.
The answer the couple gave to SHAPE magazine about wearing leather during those 22 days shows that they are focusing on health:
“We talk about it, we want people to know that there is a great way to share this challenge with us, we focus on the things that really matter: health, well-being and kindness to ourselves.”
Veganism for environmental reasons
Most of those discussing Gore’s decision agreed that he was driven by concern for the environment. His “Living Planet Earth” concerts promote veganism, perhaps he decided to do what he preaches himself.
Director James Cameron enthusiastically joined him in this. In November, Cameron, in his speech at the National Geographic Awards, asked everyone to join him, stating: “I am writing to you as conscientious people, environmental volunteers to save the land and oceans. By changing your diet, you will change the whole relationship between man and nature.”
Ecorazzi highlights Cameron’s love for the rainforest, saying that he “probably knows that one of the biggest influences on the destruction of these valuable islands of land is animal husbandry.”
Whatever your reasons for going vegan, you can find inspiration and ideas from celebrity news. Gore doesn’t talk much about it, and you probably won’t share Cameron’s idea of turning a 2500-acre private farm from a dairy into a grain farm, but you can see your next meal on Beyoncé’s Instagram.