Alicia Silverstone Cheats–On Vegan Diet
Written by Vegetarian Star on November 11th, 2010 in Actresses, Food & Drink.
Oh, say it isn’t so!
Alicia Silverstone, vegan queen, cookbook author, blogger and activist, has admitted to occasionally cheating on her vegan diet by having cheese here and there.
At an EcoTools party, she told US Magazine, “If I was at a party and there was a tray of cheese sitting there and I had had drinks, then I might have a bite.”
“It’s human. It’s a really good reminder that sometimes you need to have what you remember is this good thing. Because then you have it, and you’re like, ‘Actually that wasn’t better than the recipes in my book.”
“Being flexible that way makes more people comfortable. If I’m rigid about it and I’m perfect, then no one is going to be able to be like me because I’ll be this icey, rigid thing.”
Do you think Silverstone’s confession will help more people stay on the veg track, as they realize vegans sometimes give into temptation? Or is her revelation a setback to the movement that will allow people to make excuses too often and blame it on the alcohol or morning hangover.
As a rule, vegans aren’t too thrilled with this behavior. Instead of reminding herself her recipes in The Kind Diet cookbook are more delicious, should Silverstone view videos of dairy calves in factory farms and keep a stash of Daiya or Chicago Soy Dairy vegan cheese nearby to refresh her memory?
Photo: PR Photos
Possibly Related Posts:
- Chrissy Teigen Failed Vegan Experiment
- Mia Evans Is A “Masterchef Junior” Vegetarian Star
- Holly Madison Enjoys Vegan Smoothie From M Cafe In Beverly Hills
- Controversy Over Pro-Vegeterian Curriculum In Schools
- Ellie Goulding Creates Protein Bar “Everlasting Joy” With GoMacro
November 11th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Actually, as a vegan, I really appreciate that she’s secure enough to admit this. She mentioned this on Oprah and I found it quite refreshing. Alicia Silverstone does tremendous work for animal rights and environmentalism. If I avoided every product that had “trace amounts” of butter or eggs, I might go crazy before I would be able to help people understand why veganism is so important.
November 11th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Well said, Melissa. I think Alicia’s admission was brave – and helpful. Often people think they can’t be vegan because it is near impossible to avoid all animal products, so they don’t try at all. What’s important is doing all you can for the sake of animals and the environment.
November 11th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I don’t know, I personally love that Alicia Silverstone is real, and can admit that every once in awhile she gives in to her temptations. I think her truthfulness is really helpful for people just starting on the path of becoming a vegetarian or vegan.
November 12th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. Sometimes it just happens. Like at Burger King, some days you just had enough vegetables, but you just want that Veggie Burger. But it does contain dairy and eggs too I think. Honestly, sometimes we need to cheat a little.
November 14th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Alicia’s words are completely counterproductive. All it does is reinforce the notion that veganism is hard and that it’s OK not to take it too seriously. If she can justify this to herself then fine, but she shouldn’t then call herself a vegan and dilute the message that other animal rights activists are fighting to deliver. I’m very annoyed that all these people are coming out and calling themselves vegan because it’s the trendy thing to do but then find it’s too hard for them and want to change it’s meaning to suit them. I think flexitarian would be a more appropriate term to call herself as it allows people flexibility.
I love your suggestion – if she does need reminding she should go look at the poor dairy cows that had to suffer to produce that cheese.
November 14th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Organicivy, you are totally correct. I can’t believe so many people are diluting the word vegan. All these people that claim they are vegan and cheat here and there are not vegans. Stop calling yourself a vegan!
November 15th, 2010 at 8:03 am
I’m a vegan and I ate a Cheez Doodle a couple of weeks ago. And like John above, I love that veggie burger at Burger King. But I guess that means I’m not a vegan anymore! I might as well stop calling myself that and just start eating cheeseburgers and drinking milk and give up because I’m totally undisciplined.
I think that it’s attitudes like this that make veganism so off-putting to people considering the lifestyle. No one wants to fail or fall of the bike and I think that a “supreme” vegan like Alicia Silverstone revealing that she makes the occassional concession is really encouraging to those people. She didn’t say that for us (vegans)–she said that for all the people who picked up her book and we’re sure that they could never give up eggs, milk and meat.
When I first became a vegan, I read this excellent editorial on PETA’s website about “personal purity.” Personal purity, as they said, does nothing to advance the movement. It’s a self-serving quest. I’m not trying to spend the rest of my life competiting for the title of I’ve-ingested-the-least-amount-of-butter-over-the-course-of-X-number-of-years. That serves no purpose.
I couldn’t care less about what people call themselves. I encourage kindness to animals in ANY capacity because I am hopeful that it can lead to more. But as someone who has helped dozens of people try vegetarian diets, Meatless Monday and learn more at veganism, I seriously resent those kinds of comments.
And not only that, but that kind of language is devisive. I think at the end of the day, we all want the same things.
December 1st, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Melissa I totally agree with you, I think this is the link you were talking about 🙂
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/media/links/p3419/argument.pdf
April 19th, 2012 at 10:24 am
Totally appreciate the comments above! It reminds me of Tal Ronnen’s comment that he runs into people who say things like “I could never be vegan because I couldn’t give up bacon” and he suggests, “Well, be a vegan who eats bacon.” It’s an extreme statement, but the point is to encourage others to consider and potentially embrace a more compassionate lifestyle, and nobody gets a medal for being perfect. As a vegan teenager, veganism was a passion and following it absolutely helped me take scrutiny and skepticism in stride. But as an adult in my 30’s, I’ve changed my tune a bit, understanding that we’re all human. It’s like any diet – if you slip up or fall of the wagon a bit, you don’t just throw in the towel all together. And while I don’t really care about the title “vegan,” it is important that the people in my life know what this label means, so they respect and understand the choices that I make, as they impact them as well.