Whether 22 days or two, veganism continues to make an impact
IDSC "Window Shopping" December Exclusive: Celebs pique the interest of African-American aspiring vegans and vegetarians
Doctors are treating patients with food as medicine — finally. Vegan burgers have trickled their way into grocery stores and fast food chains around the world. Vegetarian meals and fitness apparel are a hot topic on social media. And The Economist even declared 2019 the “year of the vegan.” But three years later, does this health trend still hold up? Thanks to increased exposure, wider retail chain selections and a few cool celebrities testing out the culture, it does indeed.
Recommended Read: “African-Americans could fare well with vegetarianism ~ Meatless Monday or everyday, here's why the health perks matter so much”
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I know some consumers are choosing to boycott Amazon for its DEI removal. However, after thinking about this thoroughly, I want to continue promoting cool products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and (specifically) Black-owned businesses who still feature their items on Amazon. As of the first date of Black History Month 2025, each new post will ALWAYS include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a Black-owned business. (I have visited the seller’s official site to verify that Amazon Black-owned logo.) I am (slowly) doing this with older, popular posts too. If you still choose to boycott, I 100% respect that decision.
Celebrities made veganism cool(er)
Power couple Beyonce and Jay Z took a little flack in 2014 for admitting they were not vegans. That didn’t stop them from trying out the 22-day excursion into veganism courtesy of 22 Days Nutrition. Partnering with her nutritionist/trainer Marco Borges, the songstress and rap legend Shawn Carter offered one set of free lifetime concert tickets just for signing up on the plant-based meal site The Greenprint Project. True to their word, there was a winner — Anjunelly, a full-time mother of two teens from Virginia.
Other celebrities also joined in to bring awareness to veganism: “Sister, Sister” actress and real-life twin Tia Mowry posed in a lettuce dress and won a PETA award for promoting veganism. Although she is not a vegan anymore, and her “Quick Fix” YouTube channel is largely meat-based and beauty tips, there are plenty of other African-American vegan channels from the likes of Tabitha Brown and Koya Webb.
Recommended Read: “The best time to try egg substitutes is now ~ Post-COVID, egg prices get higher and Dollar Tree stops selling them”
There were also celebrity pop-ups via PETA’s “We’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” and “Ink Not Mink,” featuring Angela Simmons, Chuck D, Common, Dennis Rodman, Mario and Waka Flocka.