Natalie Portman Shares Her Vegan Diet and How to Live in France Without Cheese

Academy Award winning actress Natalie Portman — a long-time vegetarian who has now gone vegan. Recently, she debuted “Eating Animals” – a documentary film based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s book of the same name, which she narrated and produced.

Aware of the personal benefits of a vegan diet, during a recent interview with InStyle Natalie was asked how she keeps her skin so ‘luminous’, to which the actress credited her vegan diet. Portman says, “Diet is a big part of it. I’m vegan, and I drink a lot of water. If I have dairy, I break out immediately.”

After living in Paris for a couple of years, Natalie Portman, her 5-year-old son, and husband Benjamin Millepied, are now living in Los Angeles. Paris is renowned as the city of rich foods, however these generally rely heavily on dairy and other animal products. When asked how she coped without cheese in France – Natalie responded: “All the baked goods are made with butter, so I don’t have croissants either, which is a challenge.” But has she faulted her vegan lifestyle as a result? From what we can tell, a resounding no.

Portman adds that being vegan in Paris is totally possible “if you know where to look” adding that the city has improved in terms of vegan options a lot over the past few years.

In a recent Harper’s Bazaar article all about what this vegan actress does in 24 hours, it was no surprise the story included a lot of mentions about how her cruelty-free lifestyle influences everyday life. Upon her morning routine, Portman said “I’m vegan, so I generally have a very clean diet; I usually have oatmeal or avocado toast in the morning. I take vitamins too—vitamin D, and I’m still on prenatal vitamins. I get B12 shots once a month because it’s the one thing you don’t get from a vegan diet.”

Once a week, Portman will “treat herself” to a beer in the evening or glass of wine. She says “Most nights we eat all together at home. My ideal dinner includes pasta. We usually have Italian or Japanese food. There’s a lot of Postmates going on in our house right now. Both my husband and I cook a lot, but since having the baby I don’t think either of us has very much. I make a lot of couscous and Middle Eastern food, and my husband does everything. He’s a wonderful cook.” Sounds wonderful!

Kind-hearted actress also gave a first-hand experience shout out to ice cream brand Van Leeuwen who produce a delicious range of vegan-friendly ice creams. It’s safe to say that Natalie is a fan! “Recently, in a fit of postpartum hunger, I ordered 10 cartons of Van Leeuwen vegan ice cream. It’s my guilty pleasure.” Proceeding to add, “So now I have all of the flavors. Banana Salted Caramel is delicious, and Mint Chip is excellent. They’re in my freezer, so I can have a scoop before bed.”