Veganuary is an annual challenge that takes place during the month of January.
Participants will spend a month eating a plant-based diet and learning about veganism.
If you want to learn more about veganism or want to try the diet yourself, you can be inspired by celebrities who have talked about veganism.
Read about five vegan celebrities who have opened up about their plant-based lifestyle.
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson, who starred in movies like “Cheers” and “Triangle of Sadness,” has been vegan for over 30 years. Although his vegan journey did not begin with activist intentions, the actor has since become an advocate for the vegan lifestyle.
Harrelson began his vegan journey at the age of 24 when he gave up dairy in an effort to get rid of allergies and acne. Currently, Harrelson sticks to a mostly raw, plant-based diet. She says she feels more energetic when she avoids cooked foods.
Harrelson is credited with inspiring other celebrities to try veganism, including Sadie Sink and Thandie Newton. Harrelson also invests in vegan brands such as Abbot’s Butcher and has teamed up with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to protest animal abuse.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix, known for playing Johnny Cash and the Joker, has been vegan since he was 3 years old.
He recalls being on a boat and witnessing a fish being caught and cleaned. He stated that the violent incident motivated his entire family to become vegan.
Phoenix used his position in Hollywood to advocate for veganism. He has led protests, worked on vegan documentaries and saved a mother cow and her baby from a slaughterhouse.
When he won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2020, he used his acceptance speech as a platform to highlight the cruelty of the dairy industry.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson became a vegetarian as a teenager and went vegan in her mid-20s.
Anderson has been involved in many controversial vegan campaigns throughout her career. Her “Give Fur the Cold Shoulder” ad in collaboration with PETA appeared as a billboard in Times Square in 1997. The ad featured her posing in a bikini with body parts marked, similar to how butchers mark cuts of meat.
Anderson’s openness resulted in positive change. She asked Prada to stop using fur in its collections, and the fashion house complied within a year.
Anderson also executive produced the Netflix documentary “The Game Changes,” which highlights the success of vegan athletes and posts about animal agriculture and environmental disasters on social media.
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain has been vegan since 2007, when she took over a two-week vegan meal delivery program from a friend. She found she had much more energy after she started eating a plant-based diet.
Although not initially motivated by activism, she still strives to make cruelty-free decisions, especially in her fashion looks and products.
She has also adopted all her pets and is a pet adoption advocate.
Alicia Silverstone
Few Hollywood celebrities have been as vocal about veganism as Alicia Silverstone. She has been a vegetarian since the age of 8 and switched to veganism in 1998.
Her decision to become a vegan was inspired by her love of animals, but she also appreciated their health benefits. She reported that after becoming vegan, she became healthier and noticed improvements in her skin and hair. Silverstone also believes that veganism is the most effective method to combat climate change.
Additionally, the actress felt so strongly about veganism that she started a vegan lifestyle blog, “The Kind Life,” and published a cookbook based on her diet called Kind diet. After having a child, she published Kind moma guide to vegan parenting.
Get inspired and try vegan
The most outspoken vegan celebrities choose to go vegan for a variety of reasons, whether it’s to help promote animal welfare and the environment, or to lead a healthier life.
According to the Government of Alberta, vegans tend to:
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They weigh less than non-vegans
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They are less likely to die of heart disease
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Have lower cholesterol
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They have a lower incidence of prostate cancer, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and colon cancer
If you want to learn more about veganism, Veganuary is a great time to give up animal products and see how it works for you.
As veganism becomes more popular, there are a number of resources and products to help you transition to a more plant-based lifestyle.
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