Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor adopted a plant-based diet to improve his heart health.
In an interview with the YouTube show Rock Feed posted, the 46-year-old musician and his wife Alica, founder of the rock dance troupe Cherry Bombs, discussed how the coronavirus quarantine has impacted their lives. Corey explained that life went from flying to tour dates, balancing family life, working on personal projects, and their health.
He revealed that they were working on opening a plant-based taco truck. Alicia initially teased the project on Twitter last March. “We were in the middle of booking a trip to Atlanta to do a taste test for a food truck that we’re starting,” the 46-year-old vocalist said.
‘Immediate’ Health Benefits
According to Corey, the plan was to have a primarily plant-based food truck (it will offer dairy options, he confirmed) at Slipknot concerts. “The main focus was flavor, not just content,” Corey continued. “People talk about vegan and they can become very pretentious. For us, it’s just about, ‘Look, we’re fat-[censored], man, we just wanna eat! We want some [censored] food!’ This was a way for us to combine that with a healthier lifestyle.”
Alicia then explained that they both cut meat out of their diets last summer: “A lot of people don’t know this, but we went plant-based in August, September-ish, and we saw the benefits immediately.”
“My cholesterol dropped like, 80 points,” Corey said, adding that he was “on the verge” of needing cholesterol medication. “It was bad, I was even trying to eat better and yet my cholesterol wasn’t going anywhere.”
He added that as soon as he cut out animal products, his heart health improved.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith saw similar improvements after adopting a plant-based diet. The “Jay and Silent Bob” trilogy creator went vegan after suffering a major heart attack just over two years ago.
Plant-Based Diets and Cholesterol
Studies have linked low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often called “bad” cholesterol, to a variety of heart health issues, including heart and blood vessel disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, a diet high in trans fat raises LDL levels and lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol levels.
Trans fats come from a number of sources. These include fried foods (such as fast food) and some meat and dairy products. Saturated fat, found in meat products such as beef, lamb, poultry, and pork and some dairy products can also raise LDL cholesterol.
The American Heart Association recommends a diet rich in whole grains, nuts and legumes, and a wide variety of fruit and vegetables for healthy cholesterol levels. A 2005 study published in the journal The Annals of Internal Medicine found that a primarily plant-based diet lowers cholesterol more effectively than a standard low-fat diet.
