Celebrities>Culture

Oprah Raves About Veganism: Here’s Why She Would Make a Great Vegan Herself

Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance speech at 2018’s Golden Globe awards has taken the world by storm, in the most uplifting way possible. With her articulate words on hot-topic issues that truly matter and the now-famous speech that represents so much compassion and kindness towards others – it seems only natural that this industry-changing, honest and inspiring celeb would be willing to align her values with actions.

In light of this, we’re here to talk about Oprah’s previous efforts as an empathetic eater, her advocacy for the vegan lifestyle and why Oprah would make one of the greatest vegans to date.

7 Reasons Why Oprah Would Make a Great Vegan

She Strongly Believes Animal Cruelty is Wrong

pig in pen

Oprah is well-supported by her strong values against animal cruelty. As animal agriculture is full of cruelty and death – replacing her favorite foods with vegan alternatives should be an easy move for Oprah. Whether you choose to educate yourself on the matter or not, the evidence is widespread and increasingly hard to turn a blind eye to. Books, documentaries, TV series, articles, news features and many high-profile names are speaking out and explaining their reason for choosing vegan – there’s no shortage of educational resources and information available. Oprah too has spoken about cruelty to animals and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, but she is not yet vegan herself.

Don’t worry Oprah, it’s never too late!

She’s Already Ditched Hamburgers

During 1996, the year the world freaked out over the mad cow disease outbreak, Oprah invited Howard Lyman, a cattle rancher turned vegan, onto her show to discuss how cow organs are turned into food for other cattle, called “rendering”. Oprah was so moved by the ex-ranchers account, this “stopped [her] cold from eating another hamburger”. Half a month after the episode aired, US beef sales dropped to their lowest in 10 years, a group of Texas cattle ranchers filed a lawsuit against Oprah for $10.3 million – the jury ruled in her favor. Undeterred, the talk show host then stated: “Free speech not only lives, it rocks, I’m still off hamburgers”. 
So Oprah, why stop at hamburgers? Giving up all other meat and animal products will be much less of a jump now, plus – your favorite foods can easily be swapped for a vegan alternative.

She’s Got a Huge Following and Platform

Can you imagine how many people would try veganism, inspired by her example? Oprah is simply a household name, and not just for Americans. All across the globe, Oprah and her whirlwind career have touched hearts, lives and entertained the world. With such as reputable, well-known name and hundreds of millions of collective social media followers – joining the vegan movement now would sure be gracing headlines everywhere. Considering the world is at such a pivotal time and has never been easier to eat plant-based foods – Oprah surely wouldn’t be the only one to make a lifestyle change.

Her and 100’s of Staffers Did a Successful 21-day Vegan Challenge

Oprah and her 378 staffers undertook a 21-day vegan challenge way back in 2008, their progress featured on her television show. During the challenge, Oprah hosted vegan author Kathy Freston and vegan chef Tal Ronnen onto her show. Freston showed Oprah how to incorporate an assortment of delicious new vegan foods into her diet. When the challenge ended, Oprah wrote in an essay about what she knows for sure after a “vegan cleanse”. Her essay states: “I learned a lot about how animals are treated and mistreated before they get to our tables. It is appalling and beneath our humanity to allow the torture of animals for the sake of our gluttony. We’ve neglected basic human decency on such a large scale, and it really does bleed over into every other aspect of life.” 
Oprah, you’ve done it before, are you willing to give the lifestyle another go?

She Urges Her Followers to Join Her Pledge to Eat Meatless Mondays

Oprah’s support for the “Meatless Monday” movement began in 2009, the concept is designed to reduce the quantity of meat consumers are eating and encourage people to see how easy vegetarian eating can be. It is estimated if everybody in America ate meatless at least one day per week, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million midsize sedans off the road. In 2016, after interviewing Wayne Pacelle from The Humane Society on her show “SuperSoul Sunday”, Oprah hopped on Twitter and said  “.@waynepacelle That I can do. Have ‘Meatless’ Mondays! Who will join me? #SuperSoulSunday”

Oprah, why not extend that pledge and commit to enjoying regular plant-based meals?

She Gives her Full Stamp of Approval to Celebrity Vegan Chef

There are arguably few stamps of approval in this world more powerful than Oprah’s, this woman knows quality and what people want. Tal Ronnen, a vegan chef and restaurant owner, received Oprah’s blessing as “the best vegan chef in America,” which of course, is no accolade to be taken lightly. Fellow talk show host Ellen Degeneres also approves of Ronnen, after cooking with him on her show – she employed him as the chef at her wedding to Portia de Rossi.

Oprah, you say you love vegan food already – so why not eat the plant-based foods you love every day?

She is Health-Conscious

Vegetables

Oprah’s weight-loss efforts have been well publicized over the years, including her famously wheeling a wagon with 67lbs of fat on it during an episode of her show – for the audience to see exactly how much she lost. However, a whole-foods plant-based diet is known for being optimal for human health – if Oprah wants to stop short-term dieting, maintain a healthy weight and nourish her body, vegan diets have no cholesterol and are generally lower in calories than diets heavy with animal products.

Oprah, the world wants you around for a long time – a vegan diet can help you stay healthy and prolong your lifespan.

 

 

Image Source: Flickr

Nadia Murray-Ragg