First it was Jay Z and Beyonce who shocked the music world by going vegan for a spell, and now Jennifer Lopez has inspired many more to shun meat.
Like the hip hop power duo, the Latina diva turned to a vegan diet not because of compassion for animals, but for more practical reasons–she made the decision after she noticed that after 40, she just couldn’t shift 10 stubborn pounds. She ran a marathon, works out regularly with Tracey Anderson, but still, that fat wouldn’t budge. Until she stopped eating meat, that is.
Going vegan just makes sense for health–it lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and when done properly (i.e. without reliance on white breads, sweets and other vegan ‘junk’ foods), a vegan diet feeds you more nutrients and anti-oxidants. Sure, there are some caveats–vegans often do need vitamin b12 supplements, as this is normally found in meat, cod, and cheese, as well as iron, which is in egg yolk and meats–but these nutrients can be easily replaced by supplements. Vegans generally live an average of 13 years longer than non vegans, and suffer less from cancer and heart disease, the two top killers in the developed world.
