Why Anne Hathaway Doesn’t Eat a Vegan Diet Anymore
The answer might surprise you.
Despite veganism being more popular than ever now in Hollywood (hello Beyonce, Drake, Kristen Bell, and, yes, even Meghan Markle, to name just a few) there’s one celeb who’s no longer choosing forks over knives.
Anne Hathaway recently revealed in Tatler magazine that she’s no longer a vegan.
According to the story, the actress, who switched to a vegan diet years ago so that she could slim down for her roles in “Les Miserables” and “Dark Knight Rises” was out at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Iceland with her “Interstellar” co-star, Matt Damon, where she was offered salmon to eat.
“So then I was the only chick and I’m the vegan and everyone’s just going with the flow,” she told the magazine. “So I asked [she puts on a small embarrassed voice]: ‘Is your fish local?’ And they said: ‘Do you see that fjord?’ So I had a piece of salmon and my brain felt like a computer rebooting.”
This is the second time Hathaway has shared a version of this story. A few years ago she told Harper’s Bazaar that while she was eating a vegan diet, “I just didn’t feel good or healthy…not strong.”
While everyone’s dietary needs, as well as experiences, are personal and unique, it’s important to point out that eating a vegan diet doesn’t make you less healthy or strong.
Never mind the increasing number of athletes who are now training on a plant-based diet, or even the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger is now (mostly) vegan and feeling “fantastic.” But there are a number of studies which have reported that when followed correctly, vegan diets tend to contain more fibre, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium and vitamins A, C and E.
And, yes, you can certainly build muscle while eating vegan. In a recent interview with Organic Authority, Michael Henri Lalonde, a plant-based physiotherapist and online health coach, broke down the essential bodily requirement for protein. According to Lalonde, our bodies require 0.36g of protein for every pound that you weigh. When active, says Lalonde, the body requires double that amount to repair and build new muscle tissue.
“Anywhere between 0.5-0.72g for every pound that you weigh is ideal. When bodybuilding, the optimal range increases to 0.8-1.2g for every pound,” he says.
The good news is that almost all plant-based foods have protein in it, said Lalonde, therefore eating a vegan with a lot of variety will provide a sufficient accumulation of all the essential amino acids or proteins your body needs to bulk up. Which answers that whole “where do you get your protein?” question that most vegans and veggies tend to get.
So maybe it’s fair to assess that Hathaway wasn’t consuming enough protein or even calories while on her plant-based diet. And maybe she just really, really loves eating salmon, which is one of the best sources for omega-3 fatty acids.
To each their own. But one can definitely “reboot” on a vegan diet.
Related on Organic Authority
Beyoncé and JAY-Z Advocate Vegan Diet In New Book
Switching to a Plant-Based Diet Saved Kevin Smith’s Life
What Vegan Alicia Silverstone Eats on the Regular
