Alicia Silverstone, an American actress of Jewish heritage, best known for her roles in Clueless and Batman & Robin, has expressed in the podcast ‘Armchair Expert’ that ‘everything changed’ about her health after switching to veganism in 1998.
When Silverstone went vegan, health was not exactly her goal. She initially chose veganism out of compassion for animals, stating “I did this because I love animals. Choosing this way of eating, you save so many animals”. However, during the process, she unexpectedly noticed major health developments. This included nails that became stronger and skin that started to glow. She reiterated that having a healthy, plant-based diet was the secret to her radiant skin, rather than cosmetic procedures or expensive skincare products. Indeed studies have shown that removing dairy from patients’ diets improves their acne; this relationship is especially strong with dairy and lower fat milks. Apart from personal health, Silverstone claimed that going vegan awakened her to the significant ramifications of the food system; “Animal agriculture is unnecessary, and it is hurting the world!” She explained that “nine million people die of hunger every year. And it is not because there is not enough food right now on the plant for everyone to eat. It is because we feed the food that could go directly into their mouths to animals. By doing that, you are wasting all these precious resources”. For those looking to positively impact their health Silverstone has published ‘The Kind Diet’ 2009 and ‘The Kind Mama 2014’, in which she wrote “Being vegan made me realise I can say and do what I believe is right. That’s powerful”.