Vegetarian Star

This is part two of the interview with Latin TV personality Marco Antonio Regil. Above Marco can be seen hosting the Spanish version of American game show Family Feud, 100 Latinos Dijeron.

In 2004, you took part in the White House’s Cinco de Mayo celebration. How was that experience? Do you think former president Bill Clinton’s openness to the media about how adopting a vegan diet helped his heart conditions has made an impact on how America views the vegan lifestyle?
Visiting the White House was such a great honor! I was there hosting the 5 de Mayo celebration, produced by Emilio Estefan and sharing the stage with wonderful singers and musicians. This was before becoming a U.S. citizen and I remember how happy I was there.

I think Bill Clinton is a great example to everyone. There’s more and more people joining and breaking the myth of man having to eat meat in order to be manly or strong. I mean, check out Arian Foster, who is the best running back in the NFL. He plays with the Houston Texans and eats a 99% vegan diet. There are body builders, CEO’s, Olympic athletes and, of course, celebrities going vegan. The goal is to be vegan for the animals and the planet (which were my original motivations), but also to be a very healthy vegan. These days, you can find all kinds of comfort foods in their plant based versions – – which could be good news or bad news, depending on how you look at it. It’s wonderful because we can have a vegan doughnut or soyriso (vegan chorizo), but it’s not something I would recommend eating every day!

Tofu, Tempeh or Seitan? Do you prefer one more than the other and why?

Tempeh by far and only if it’s truly organic. I avoid GMOs at all costs. I never eat Seitan because it’s gluten-based. In the past, I’ve felt horrible after eating it. I don’t go for the imitations of meats, even though they were very useful transition tools. I highly recommend going heavy on fruits. You can learn to create delicious smoothies with watermelon and berries or bananas with dates and plant-based milks like almond, hemp or coconut! I love kale salads, cucumbers, tomatoes, mangos and so many other natural non-processed plant-based options. The more natural, the better for me!

Are there any animal welfare issues you are particularly passionate about?
Yes! Since I am part of the entertainment industry, it upsets me to see animals that were created to be free in the wild, kidnapped and separated from their families and freedom and forced to perform with cruel techniques that break their spirits. There are baby animals in circuses, aquariums and appearing in television commercials, spending their lives working to entertain humans and making their “owners” rich. I really think it’s time to understand that animals are living beings that, just like us, deserve to be free in their natural environment and not chained, in cages or in tanks. Instead, they should be enjoying the jungles and oceans. It’s good for them and it’s good for us. We have a wonderful opportunity to become more compassionate and loving with them and among ourselves.

How are you using your celebrity platform to promote veganism?
I’m doing it now by talking to you about this, using social media, giving conferences when possible like the Ted Talk that I recently gave in Mexico City. Most importantly, I try to live by Gandhi’s inspirational quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.” People become very curious about my lifestyle and when they open the door, believe me, I go for it! Otherwise, I’m very respectful to what others do and I stay away from the “Vegan Police” attitude, since I believe that real change comes from within and that everyone has the right to go through their own process, just like I did. It’s not about peace with animals. It’s about peace with EVERYONE!

In case you missed it, here’s part 1.

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