The start of 2022 is more than just a chance to look forward to a brighter year, for many, it’s time to make some changes and stick to some resolutions.
Whether a complete lifestyle change or just partaking in Veganuary, a month-long commitment to give up animal products, ditching meat, and reducing our intake is something many want to try.
Being vegan might’ve seemed extreme in the past, but nowadays, it’s never been easier.
There’s McDonald’s vegan options, there’s plenty of products and snacks that are vegan and there’s even a whole host of celebrities from whom to draw inspiration.
Which stars made the switch to veganism?
Billie Eilish
The No Time To Die singer was raised vegetarian before going vegan and is now a vocal advocate for the lifestyle, even releasing her own vegan chocolate bar.
Responding to fans on Tumblr, she explained was vegan because she loves animals and wants them to be left alone. Supporting veganism, she pleaded: ‘Leave animals alone. Damn.’
Stevie Wonder
Living legend Stevie Wonder, who has won a staggering 25 Grammy Awards, made the decision to go vegan in 2016 for both health and environmental reasons.
Discussing the benefits of his vegan diet, Wonder said: ‘I’ve been a vegan for two years, so that’s helped my already good-looking self. I think that eating healthy is important.’
Wonder even joined James Corden on The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2017 to sing a pro-vegan jingle.
Lewis Hamilton
Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has been vegan since 2017.
Hamilton is said to have adopted a plant-based diet to aid with his athletic performance and help the environment.
Keen to make the fast-food industry a kinder, greener place, Hamilton has even opened a chain of plant-based burger restaurants, Neat Burger.
Elliot Page
Actor Elliot Page, best known for his role in iconic teen comedy Juno, is another celebrity vegan.
In fact, Page was dubbed the ‘World’s Sexiest Vegan’ byPETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in 2014.
Lizzo
Lizzo first revealed she has gone vegan in a TikTok video.
In the video, Lizzo said: ‘As a new vegan I’m enjoying exploring flavours from plants & plant-based proteins! Every journey is personal & deserves to be celebrated.’
The Grammy winner continues to post TikTok videos showcasing some of her favourite vegan snacks and dishes.
Pamela Anderson
Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is a long-time animal rights activist, fronting popular ads like PETA’s ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ campaign.
Anderson has been vegan for over 30 years, making her, arguably, one of the early trendsetters for the diet.
She has appeared in multiple campaigns and even opened a vegan pop-up restaurant in France.
Leona Lewis
Raised a vegetarian, the Bleeding Love singer went fully vegan in 2012.
The X Factor champ even had a fully vegan wedding when she tied the knot with husband Dennis Jaunch in 2019, according to her chef, Marco Failla.
Marco told Hello! Magazine that the wedding menu was vegan, saying: ‘Of course everything was vegan and without artificial flavours.’
Tobey Maguire
Spiderman star Tobey Maguire has been a vegetarian since 1992 and a vegan since 2009.
He told Parade magazine: ‘I’ve never had any desire to eat meat. In fact, when I was a kid I would have a really difficult time eating meat at all.’
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman credits Tobey Maguire as her inspiration for going vegan in 2008.
She is quoted as saying: ‘I was around Tobey Maguire in rehearsals and he’s vegan and I was eating this energy bar, which was really nice. I’m honest about caring about animals. You know, eggs and milk products, there’s a lot of animal discomfort in that, too.’
Throughout the first coronavirus lockdown, Portman was busy sharing vegan cooking videos on social media.
Speaking to Jimmy Fallon she explained that she enjoyed showing how varied a vegan diet can be.
‘I like showing that there are really delicious, varied, easy things that you can do at home that your kids will eat that are plant-based,’ she told the late-night talk show host.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joker star Joaquin Phoenix has been a vegan since he was a child, and in 2019 he appeared in a PETA billboard on Time Square encouraging people to go vegan.
On the subject, Phoenix said: ‘When we look at the world through another animal’s eyes, we have to realise that, inside, we’re all the same – and so we all deserve to live free from suffering.’
Ellen Pompeo
Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo told People that she and her whole family are vegan, saying: ‘I think we’re at a critical point for our planet and in the United States this health issue is out of control, the obesity, the diabetes everything … Sickness is a huge business, I know that really, really well.
‘The message of veganism is not one that they want to get out but not only will it help us, it helps the planet.’
Bill Clinton
During a 2017 talk for that year’s Presidential Leadership Scholars program series, the former president was asked if it was difficult adopting a vegan diet, to which Clinton replied: ‘Not when you have [had a] quadruple heart bypass and you want to live to be a grandfather’.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay, the filmmaker who brought us Selma and When They See Us, was named one of PETA’s most beautiful vegan celebrities in 2018.
In 2017, she tweeted: ‘Like many food trends that seem new, black veganism has historical roots.’
She also quoted a New York Times article in the tweet, writing: ‘For a lot of black people, it’s also about social justice and food access. The food we’ve been eating has been killing us.’
Jessica Chastain
It Chapter 2 actor Jessica Chastain told W magazine in 2017 that she went vegan because she was ‘really low on energy’.
She added: ‘Being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me.’
Jenna Dewan
Jenna became a vegan when she was 10 after she watched a documentary on slaughterhouses.
She told Women’s Health in 2018: ‘The next day I said “I’m never eating meat again”. It just stuck. I feel good about it morally and physically.’
Beyonce
While Queen Bey isn’t a full-time vegan, she often eats plant-based meals and she prepped for her 2018 Coachella show by going vegan in the run-up.
She and her husband Jay-Z also went vegan for 22 days in 2013, with her trainer Marco Borges telling People in 2015: ‘They loved it. They walked away with a greater understanding of the powerful benefits of plant-based nutrition.
‘They were getting people saying, “Your skin has this glow.” And who doesn’t like being told they look awesome?’
Madelaine Petsch
The Riverdale star has been vegan since birth – she was raised in a vegan household eating fresh produce grown in her family’s garden.
‘I was lucky to grow up with two incredibly environmentally-aware parents, who ingrained these thoughts in me,’ Petsch told Elle.
She regularly posts vegan recipes on her YouTube channel.
Daisy Ridley
Veganism has even reached galaxies far, far away – Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley is a vocal advocate for the diet.
She has spoken about being vegan in plenty of interviews and on this year’s Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, Daisy cooked with 100% vegan ingredients.
She created vegan banoffee-inspired millionaire’s shortbread, a chocolate and raspberry tart and a rather unconventional toilet-shaped cake.
Bimini Bon Boulash
‘I’m vegan!’ – those were the first words spoken by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Bimini upon entering the workroom.
The non-binary icon described themselves as ‘East London’s plant-based princess. I’m like, the most famous vegan in East London because I don’t stop going on about it.’
MORE : Flexitarian: What is a semi-vegetarian diet and is it good for the planet?
MORE : Plant-based and vegan treats, snacks and sweets for you and your pets
Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Share your views in the comments below.
Sign up to our guide to what’s on in London, trusted reviews, brilliant offers and competitions. London’s best bits in your inbox
Share this with