Which is exactly what happened when Bollywood star Aamir Khan announced that he was taking his diet to the next level and going vegan. Inspired to make the shift for health reasons after his wife, Kiran Rao, showed him a video of common ailments that can be avoided by dietary changes, Khan, who wasn’t even vegetarian, went cold Tofurky and dropped animal products all in one go.
His decision has been met with surprise in
the media, with many articles expressing wonder at the fact that being
vegan means actually, you know, being vegan.
Once a serious meat eater, the press can’t believe that along with
eschewing meat Khan is also removing dairy products such as ghee and
paneer. While he has admitted that he misses yogurt, he feels that vegans have the upper hand on health over those who include animal products on their plates.
The media has also expressed concern that
Khan’s choice to go plant-based will guide his son toward the diet,
even though he has stated that it is ultimately up to his son to decide
what he eats. This has also led some to question whether or not Khan was
going to try and coerce his fans to adopt it as well!
While no plans have been announced for Khan
to embed subliminal messages into his films or compel moviegoers to
look deeply into his eyes as he hypnotizes them into choosing veganism yet, it appears that his immediate plans are just to try and be healthy and not fill his body with animal products.
Repeat after me…I love kale…I love kale
That’s not to say the response has been all
shock and trepidation. His choice has garnered a positive response as
well, with producers of Master Chef 4 approaching him
to judge the finale of their all vegetarian season this year. Positive,
negative or in-between, Khan’s dietary decisions have opened a dialogue
in the country about plant-based diets and what they mean. Any way you
dice that, the exposure is a great thing.
For someone as high profile as Khan to make
the transition to plant-based eating, it’s inevitable that a lot of
attention will be paid to his choice. Celebrities change up their diets
all the time, sometimes sticking with the choice for the long haul and sometimes not so much
(though, considering that Aamir Khan has the nickname of “Mr.
Perfectionist,” we have high hopes). There is one certainty, however,
and it’s that veganism gets lots of exposure when a high profile
individual adopts it.
Whether or not you consider yourself a
celebophile, it’s always a good thing when a person who people look upon
favorably chooses a vegan diet. People naturally like to emulate those
who they admire, and with the type of following that many celebrities
have, that influence can be a positive thing – if the person in
question is making “good” choices. Plant-based diets have been
recommended by health professionals for their benefit to human health as well as by the UN
for its low environmental impact. If seeing a guy that you dug in “Dil
Chahta Hai” is what inspires you to give it a try, that’s awesome.