Celeb Parents Who You May Not Realize Are Vegan

Lots of moms and dads in Hollywood are embracing the vegan diet.

Celeb Parents Who You May Not Realize Are Vegan

natalie portman — Actress Natalie Portman, left, and her husband Benjamin Millepied pose for photographers as they arrive ahead of the opening ceremony and the screening of La Tete Haute (Standing Tall), at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 13, 2015.

In the past few years, veganism has increased by 600 percent in the United States, according to a report by Food Revolution. While that is still only 6 percent of the entire population, it’s a vast increase, and it reflects the growth of the dietary trend worldwide.

Hollywood has always been the first to invent and champion lifestyle choices that lead to optimum health, beauty, fitness and well-being. So, it’s not surprising to find there are many moms and dads in Hollywood who have embraced a vegan diet for ethical reasons, but also to improve their fitness, lose weight, help with skin conditions, and prevent diseases and conditions linked to meat and dairy consumption. With the rise of veganism globally, some of your favorite stars are embracing this lifestyle while also raising a family.

From Alicia Silverstone to J.Lo, vegan parents are making the plant-based trend appealing to everyone — and in several cases, even their kids.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone wrote a guide to fertility, pregnancy and raising a family as a vegan in her book, “The Kind Mama.” The “Clueless” star is known for her animal and environmental activism, having also penned vegan recipe book, “The Kind Diet.” While she's proven controversial in doing so, she also speaks about raising her son, Bear, on a vegan diet.

She told "Food and Wine" magazine that she and Bear's father are trying to provide the best foundation for their son to be healthy. "If he were curious about eating meat, then I think he'd need to understand what it means to eat animals, where our meat comes from," she said. "When we don't know the real source of our food, we ignore the impacts of our choices."

Carrie Underwood

Crediting her vegan diet for her post-baby weight loss in 2014, country music star Carrie Underwood has shown that a plant-based diet can do wonders for beauty and fitness. A long-time vegan, Underwood has also been an advocate of challenging fitness regimes and has even designed her own activewear. She manages to fit in weight lifting and cardio training around raising her son, Isaiah.

Preferring to snack throughout the day rather than have big meals, she's a fan of homemade muffins, protein bars and cereal. "I've always got cereal on me, like Kashi, because it's healthy and my son likes it, too,” she told “SELF” magazine.

Jenna Dewan

Dancer, actress and reality TV host Jenna Dewan became a vegetarian at age 11 and went vegan in her early 30s. "After going vegan, I felt so much better. My skin cleared up, I had a ton more energy," she told “Natural Health” magazine.

She is mom to Ever, her daughter with Channing Tatum (who she recently divorced). Of her favorite foods, she has said, "I think my daughter must eat her weight in hummus — and lots of avocado. We love Mediterranean and Mexican food. We're a big fresh-vegetable family."

Natalie Portman

Actress and human rights activist Natalie Portman has long been vocal about her vegan lifestyle and has also spoken out on raising her family vegan. Mother to Aleph and Amalia with her choreographer husband, Benjamin Millepied, Portman told “Closer Weekly” that, because it is the way the whole family eats, it is natural for them. "You tend to make one thing that everyone eats for dinner. We tend to eat vegan and vegetarian food in the house. It becomes like the normal stuff that kids get used to."

While Portman is vegan, her husband isn't. She told “Closer Weekly” that her son asked why she didn't eat certain foods that were in the house. "I talked to him about it, and it's really changed. I think it's very natural for children to relate to the stuff … you watch cartoons and animals have feelings and talk to each other. You think of them as emotive creatures, not as dinner," she added.

Beyonce

Arguably one of the world's biggest music stars, Beyonce has headlined music festivals, entertained the Super Bowl and broken new ground with her bold videos and magazine editorials. She and husband, Jay-Z are parents to Blue Ivy and twins, Rumi and Sir. Jay-Z referred to their initial 22-day vegan commitment as "a spiritual and physical cleanse."

In March last year, Beyonce invited her 112 million Instagram fans to join her in choosing a vegan diet; however, she hasn’t publicly spoken about whether her children also follow it.

Bill Clinton

Initially, the 42nd U.S. president Bill Clinton chose a vegan diet to lose weight. After shedding 20 pounds when a cardiologist warned him his health was putting him at extraordinary risk of a heart attack, Clinton became a lifelong committed vegan.

Just prior to his daughter, Chelsea’s, wedding, he told “AARP The Magazine,” “I've stopped eating meat, cheese, milk, even fish. No dairy at all. I've lost more than 20 pounds so far, aiming for about 30 before Chelsea's wedding. And I have so much more energy now! I feel great."

It was his desire to see his daughter wed and raise her own family that inspired Clinton to maintain his vegan diet once he’d shed the weight that was putting his heart at risk. “I wanted to live to be a grandfather," said Clinton. "So, I decided to pick the diet that I thought would maximize my chances of long-term survival."

Clinton says his day begins with an almond milk smoothie with fresh berries, vegan protein powder and ice; followed by a lunch of salad and legumes, snacking on nuts and hummus with raw vegetables; and dinner usually consists of quinoa or a veggie burger.

Michelle Pfeiffer

The beautiful and eternally youthful actress, Michelle Pfeiffer, is a mother of two 20-somethings.

She told “Urbanette Magazine” she credits her radiant glow to being vegan. "You avoid a lot of toxins that could age your skin and your body. I really noticed a difference in my skin not too long after switching to fully vegan," she added.

She admits she was inspired to go vegan after watching an interview with Bill Clinton around the way animals are treated and the devastating environmental impact of farming.

Pamela Anderson

This one-time "Baywatch" babe has become a staunch advocate for animal rights. Fans likely remember her posing for PETA campaigns and anti-fur campaigns in her birthday suit. With two sons to rockstar Tommy Lee, it’s been Pamela’s mission to eat, dress and live according to vegan principles.

Anderson, who turns 52 this year, once hosted an international media coterie at a vegan restaurant in Tel Aviv where large signs read "Thou Shalt Not Kill … Animals." She was also the first recipient of the Linda McCartney Memorial Award for her animal rights campaigning, presented to her by Paul McCartney in 1999. And she has ensured her sons' modelling contracts stipulate no fur, reported "The Guardian." "They're both vegan too," she says of Brandon and Dylan, "but I never forced it on them."

Stella McCartney

Famous for her fashion and her leadership on environmental and humanitarian issues, Stella McCartney has established herself beyond being the famous daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney and proven herself an adept designer and businesswoman in her own right.

Stella not only eats a vegan diet, but refuses to use leather or animal-derived products in her fashion lines for adults and kids. She collaborated with Adidas to launch the first vegan Stan Smith sneakers last year.

Married to Alasdhair Willis, she has four children: Miller, Beckett, Bailey and Reiley. While McCartney has spoken of being a lifelong vegetarian, as was her mother, she has not spoken publicly about the diets of her husband and children.

Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard

Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell have said their choice to eat a vegan diet was more about health than ethics. "But it's compounded by the fact that I love animals and feel better not eating them," Bell told "Women’s Health."

In 2018, after six years of a vegan diet, Bell chose to go vegetarian rather than vegan as she felt it was more aligned with her health goals. She still loves to bake vegan sweets with her children, Lincoln and Delta, using organic coconut flour and applesauce. She and Dax also grow their own vegetables, including spinach, romaine lettuce and tomatoes.

Thandie Newton

Winner of PETA’s Sexiest Vegan Award in 2012, award-winning actor Woody Harrelson has been a committed vegan since his mid-20s after cutting out dairy to clear up his acne. And then he convinced fellow actor, Thandie Newton, to go vegan after they worked together in 2018. “I have been vegan since working with Woody for the last four months,” she told "Plant Based News."

She has also been vocal in demanding an end to the production of foie gras in the U.K., due to its notoriously cruel treatment of ducks and geese prior to slaughter. And when she’s not standing up for causes, Newton is a mother of three — Ripley, Nico and Booker Jombe — with her husband, Ol Parker, a writer, director and producer.

Jessica Chastain

A vegetarian for 15 years, Chastain decided to embrace a vegan diet in 2007. She told PETA that she'd never felt so healthy or lean. She said that because it's not always easy to access vegan meals on set, she brings her own vegan meals with her. Chastain's mother is also a vegan chef, who — thanks to her daughter's generosity — now has her own food truck.

Chastain and husband, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, are parents to baby Giulietta Passi Chastain. She has said of her dietary choices, that it’s only really an issue when eating with her husband’s family. She told TV host Jimmy Kimmel, “In the beginning, I’d say I’m vegan, which is the worst thing [in Italy]. I’d say, ‘I’m sorry I can’t eat that,’ and [my mother-in-law] would say, ‘No problem, we have fish!’”

Kate Mara

Both Kate Mara and her sister, Rooney, are vegan. “If I could only eat three things forever, they’d be truffle fries, brussels sprouts and pizza,” Kate told “Bon Appetit.”

Mara married her “Fantastic Four” co-star Jamie Bell in 2017 and became stepmother to Bell's son with ex-wife Evan Rachel Wood. She announced earlier this year that she is expecting their first child together.

Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth

Wait! Miley and Liam aren’t parents, you’re thinking. True! But there are rumors that Miley is pregnant, and certainly she and Liam are parents to dogs, mini pigs and also godparents to Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky’s children. Cyrus has been a committed vegan for many years, and it was her own devotion to animal rights and sustainable living that convinced her husband, Liam, to also become vegan in 2015.

“After all the information I gathered about the mistreatment of animals, I couldn't continue to eat meat,” Hemsworth said to “Men’s Journal.” “The more I was aware of, the harder and harder it was to do.”