Veganism is Not an Extreme Celebrity Diet

Celebrity endorsement is a persuasive power, and the celebrity endorsement of the vegan diet is no exception. From Natalie Portman to Alicia Silverstone, from Lea Michelle to Olivia Wilde, beautiful young actresses are walking billboards for veganism. When celebrities try any diet, there's always scores of tabloid readers who'll say: "I'll have what she's having."

US Weekly recently published an article about Jessica Simpson's "Extreme Vegan Diet." Simpson's foray into veganism is a great thing — for her, her fans, and the animals she won't be eating. But a vegan diet is not an extreme diet, and US Weekly should not label it as such. An extreme diet is one that is severely calorie restrictive or unhealthy. A vegan diet may not include animal products, but veganism is not unhealthy, nor calorie restrictive. It is not a crash diet, but a "healthful, nutritionally adequate" diet, as stated by the American Dietetic Association.

Although Jessica Simpson has not publicly stated that her new vegan diet is done out of a love for animals, she has said that it "has nothing to do with [her] weight." Unfortunately, US Weekly can't wrap its tiny tabloid brain around dieting for any other reason and wrote that Simpson "flaunted her famous curves" after announcing her "strict diet." Another gossip website wrote an article titled: "Jessica Simpson's Extreme Diet Results! Did She Drop Pounds?"

Simpson's past weight fluctuations are well-documented, as are the many diets she's tried in the past, including the South Beach diet, the 5-factor diet, and the Atkins diet. If anything, these high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets are the extreme diets, yet when Simpson followed them, US Weekly published an article titled "Jessica's New Bikini Body Secrets!" and included a meal plan. The American Heart Association warns against high-protein diets stating "Some of these diets restrict healthful foods that provide essential nutrients and don't provide the variety of foods needed to adequately meet nutritional needs. People who stay on these diets very long may not get enough vitamins and minerals and face other potential health risks."

It's no secret that Hollywood is weight obsessed, and extreme dieting goes beyond the low-carb craze. A 2008 Daily Mail article revealed some of Hollywood's most extreme dieting tactics, detailing the use of smoking, fasting, and laxative tea. Celebrities such as Beyonce and Christina Ricci have done the Master Cleanse, drinking only a lemonade concoction for days. Celebrity trainer David Kirsch reveals in the article: "I had a client who was getting ready for the Oscars and all she ate was one meal a day — of two boiled eggs! I was able to persuade her to add some almonds and a protein shake and some vitamin supplements." Another personal trainer admitted: "I had one girl who was living on Diet Coke and peanuts. She drank three to five Diet Cokes a day and ate a big bag of nuts. If she got hungry, she smoked."

Veganism should not be lumped in with these extreme and dangerous diets. There are forms of extreme vegan diets: fruitarianism, surviving on fruit alone, and breatharianism, surviving on air alone. But most vegans don't eat this way, and no vegan has to or should. Considering that Simpson tweets about eating tofu dipped in ketchup and loving Earth Balance, a buttery spread made of vegetable oils, it is unlikely that she is following an extreme version of veganism.

Vegans don't eat animals in an effort to end violence towards other living creatures. It is a powerful statement, but it is not an extreme one.

Photo Credit: xero79