Former Arizona Cardinal, now Seattle Seahawk, Deuce Lutui lost 60 pounds after committing to a vegan diet. (LUI KIT WONG/staff photographer, The News Tribune)
This week we’re passing on a little love and inspiration from some of our famous vegan and vegetarian friends. We gaurantee you know who they are, but they weren’t always meatless. Here is a glimpse at each one of their stories:
Former 398-pound Arizona Cardinal, now 338-pound Seattle Seahawk, Deuce Lutui reportedly turned vegan after failing an NFL physical. According to Lutui’s agent, Ken Harris, “The commitment that he made to himself and his family revolved around not only being the best player, but being with them for many years to come …”
Mac Danzig is a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competitor has also maintains a vegan diet, but that wasn’t always the case. “In 2004, I got to the point where I was sick of eating chicken … I was about a month out from a fight and I decided I was going to cut out all meat. I was working with a trainer who was vegan and he helped me make the switch. I won that fight and went on a 12-fight winning streak.”
Former President Bill Clinton, switched to a vegan diet in 2010 after two major heart surgeries. Clinton’s new diet excludes all meat, dairy, and eggs, and almost all oil. Because of it, he’s lost 20 pounds. “All my blood tests are good, and my vital signs are good, and I feel good, and I also have, believe it or not, more energy,” Clinton told CNN.
The Oscar-winning Black Swan actress, Natalie Portman, went from vegan to vegetarian during her pregnancy. “I actually wanted eggs at the beginning and then they grossed me out after a while,” she said during an interview with Atlanta’s Q100 Bert Show. Portman also launched a vegan shoe line in 2008, read more here.
Kristen Wiig and Russell Brand crowned 2011 sexiest vegetarian celebrities by PETA. Brand, who has been a vegetarian since age 14, told PETA, “You shouldn’t eat animals, it’s mean to them.” In an interview with Women’s Health, the 37-year-old Wiig said she maintains a healthy lifestyle by running, doing yoga and “eating lots of tofu and soy.”
In a PETA advertisement, along side Paul McCartney’s photo ran his vegetarian story summarized into a few lines. “Many years ago, I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realized, ‘I am killing him — all for the passing pleasure it brings me.’ And something inside me clicked. I realized as I watched him fight for breath that his life was as important to him as mine is to me.”
Glee star, Leah Michele, is another noteworthy vegan. In an interview with NY Daily News she jokes,“People get confused, like, you know, I just eat grass. I’m half Italian. I can eat some b—-es under the table.”
Forest Whitaker described his decision to go vegetarian as one of the best choices of his PETA testimonial video (watch it here). Whitaker credits his meat-free diet for his weight loss following his Academy Award-winning role in The Last King of Scotland.
For Going Vegan With Ellen‘s list of vegan celebrities, click here.
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