Alicia Silverstone Confesses: I Cheat on Vegan Diet!
Credit: Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Even a proud vegan like Alicia Silverestone gives in to temptation once in a while.
The actress and author of The Kind Diet confessed that sometimes she slips up -- and dairy is her downfall.
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"If I was at a party and there was a tray of cheese sitting there and I had had drinks, then I might have a bite," Silverstone confessed to UsMagazine.com at an EcoTools event in NYC on Wednesday.
Silverstone doesn't let her momentary lapse get to her, though. "It's human," she said. "It's a really good reminder that sometimes you need to have what you remember is this good thing. Because then you have it, and you're like, 'Actually that wasn't better than the recipes in my book,'" Silverstone told Us.
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"Being flexible that way makes more people comfortable," she said. "If I'm rigid about it and I'm perfect, then no one is going to be able to be like me because I'll be this icey, rigid thing."
Silverstone credits the vegan diet with better health. "I haven't been to a doctor in 13 years," she told Us. "I don't have to worry about calories, I don't have to worry about how I look because I know that what I do makes me look my best."
Tell Us What You Think
6If you've read her book, you know how she feels about the cruelty of dairy farming. She is a human being, and reaching a ton of people who might never consider a vegan lifestyle by talking about flexibility. Alicia is a committed activist and lives a very kind life. Get over it.
I totally see your point, and I think it is valid, though I can also see how she may be trying to make people who are thinking about moving towards veganism feel like they aren't a failure if they "mess up" every now and again. That, as she says, those "mess ups" serve to show that she's not missing out on anything by being vegan. I don't know...I can see what she is saying, although I do very much see your point.
Erin, we constantly struggle with people judging us, telling us not to be strict about our diet & "just have a little meat, or dairy." No, I don't want to eat animal flesh or cow's milk. Plus, for me, I have a digestive disorder so if I even eat the tiniest bit, I get violently sick because I no longer have the enzymes of animals in my body. I might never be a vegan celebrity or help the cause like Alicia. HOWEVER, she is supposed to be our role model. We never thought she was perfect, but she's going around, talking about how to be flexible with eating animals. Have you read her book? She spends a whole large chapter on animal cruelty and how eating animals and animal products are nasty. I am just very disappointed that when she first came on the scene, she really wanted everyone to see how easy, affordable and yummy veganism is, and now she's making a mess of what I have to fight for every day with people.
You two are being silly. Being a vegan isn't a contest over who is the most pure and strict vegan. She is a human being and she is saying that every now and again she ISN'T perfect, but that her momentary lapses remind her that by being vegan, she ISN'T missing out on anything. She has done more to spread veganism than you guys ever will, so be nice and don't judge. Just relax, folks.
I am really upset too Bethany. I thought that Alicia was vegan because she is opposed to animal cruelty. "Cheating" by eating dairy is something a vegan who truly cares would never do because it would feel so very wrong. I agree, veganism is not some rigid, strict diet, it's a lifestyle that comes from the heart, it's about doing the right thing. This whole story sends out such a damaging message, I am so disappointed! It's bad enough having non-vegans poke fun and criticize, but a so called vegan saying that being "flexible" makes people more comfortable, well, words fail me. It certainly won't make the dairy cows and their poor calves feel more comfortable.
I am actually really upset about this. She is (was?) my role model for a healthier lifestyle and one that can help me get better with my IBS. Her Superhero diet is quite rigid and takes a lot of obscure products I can't get without a big city. Veganism is NOT rigid in and of itself. It's a lifestyle that helps the world and does take some practice, but is better. To have her slip up and say "it's ok to eat dairy" when she touts how animals are harmed really hurts.