World Vegan Day: 5 famous people who quit meat to go vegan

2016 photo of Bill Clinton. (Image by Hayden Schiff via Wikimedia Commons CC 2.0)

World Vegan Day is celebrated annually on November 1 promote the lifestyle and spread awareness on veganism. Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and byproducts like meat, eggs, milk, cheese etc. The definition of veganism is not limited to diet alone – strict vegans also avoid animal products like leather. World Vegan Day was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, who was then the Chair of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom. It has since grown into a worldwide phenomenon where many vegans, including celebrities, promote this lifestyle.

Here is a look at 5 famous people who quit meat and adopted veganism:

Bill Clinton

Former US President Bill Clinton has been primarily vegan for over a decade. According to Business Insider, Clinton made the decision to cut meat and dairy from his diet after undergoing an emergency heart surgery in 2010.

Gulu Lalvani

British businessman Gulu Lalvani, the founder of Binatone, also switched to a vegan diet in 2010. The telecom mogul reportedly made the decision to go vegan after watching the documentary Eating by Mike Anderson, and has since become an ardent proponent of the lifestyle.

Natalie Portman

American actor Natalie Portman adopted veganism in 2011 and has become an influential supporter of animal rights. She had been a vegetarian since the age of nine and had launched her own line of vegan footwear in 2009. “Mothers are separated from children to create milk. Animals are sick and in crowded, prison-like conditions to make dairy and eggs. It doesn’t take a lot to draw the line from how we treat animals to how we treat humans,” she once reportedly said, according to PETA.

Joi Ito

Japanese entrepreneur Joi Ito decided to undergo a six week vegan detox in 2006. “I'm fairly convinced that this diet is really good for me and that it is much more feasible than I anticipated. I am going to continue being a fairly strict vegan, but allow myself to have meat or fish based flavors and possibly small pieces of meat or fish when it is unavoidably integral to an otherwise vegan meal,” he wrote in his blog post.

John Mackey

John Mackey is the founder of Whole Foods Group and a longtime vegan. He switched to a plant-based diet in 2003, reportedly after meeting a woman protesting at his company’s annual shareholder meeting.