Vegetarianism involves avoiding animal products, with reasons including religion, health, ethics, and the environment. Famous historical figures, scientists, artists, and athletes have been vegetarians, with some also advocating for animal rights. Some famous people are “mostly vegetarians,” eating meat occasionally for health reasons.
Vegetarianism means avoiding animal products such as meat, fish and chicken. May or may not include other animal derivatives; some vegetarians consume dairy products and eggs while others do not. Vegetarianism is an adopted practice for many different reasons. Religion and health are the two most common reasons people turn to vegetarianism; however, many notable historical figures have been vegetarians for ethical or environmental reasons.
Pythagoras is one of the first documented vegetarians. In the 6th century BC, he cited ethical reasons as reasons for becoming a vegetarian. He is often quoted as saying, “As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of the lower living beings, he will never know health or peace.” Many famous scientists were also vegetarians, including Charles Darwin, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton and Benjamin Franklin. All of them were also ardent defenders of animal rights. In fact, everyone has written extensively on the importance of being a vegetarian.
Many artists today are also vegetarians. Fiona Apple has been a vegetarian for over a decade, while Christina Applegate and Pamela Anderson became vegetarians after joining forces with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation. In fact, many vegetarian actors and actresses have been associated with animal welfare agencies in some way. Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda have been involved in a number of animal charities, while Doris Day runs the Doris Day Animal League. Brigitte Bardot, the French sex symbol, produced a series of documentaries in the 1980s, with one episode entirely dedicated to the topic of being vegetarian.
Many famous people describe themselves as “mostly vegetarians,” which means they eat meat only occasionally. This is the case of Orlando Bloom, a vegetarian but returned to eating meat during the filming of Lord of the Rings. The same goes for Drew Barrymore, David Duchovny and Demi Moore. People who are occasional vegetarians usually follow the diet for health rather than ethical reasons.
Despite popular belief, many world-class athletes are also vegetarians. This includes bodybuilder Andreas Cahling, Olympic wrestling medalist Chris Campbell, WBC world middleweight champion Keith Holmes and tennis champion Billie Jean King.
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