Influence of Mom & Dad, oh and Joaquin Phoenix

I don't tend to search out celebrities as leaders of the animal rights community. I was looking today out of curiosity, who is famous and vegan. Surprisingly enough, there are quite a few including Carrie Ann Moss from the Matrix movies, Daryl Hannah, Woody Harrelson and my favorite of the group Joaquin Phoenix. Mr. Phoenix has been vegan since childhood. He apparently just finished a documentary on human dependency on animals for food, clothing and more. A summary of his movie EARTHLINGS, which is out on DVD as of November of this year:

"Earthlings is a documentary about factory farming and mankind's dependence on animals for food, clothing, entertainment and use in experimentation, but also shows how moral those relations are.
With an in-depth study into pet stores, puppy mills and animals shelters, as well as factory farms, the leather and fur trades, sports and entertainment industries, and finally the medical and scientific profession, Earthlings uses hidden cameras and footage to chronicle the day-to-day practices of some of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit."

Joaquin refuses to wear costumes made of animals. He wore faux leather items in the Gladiator.

Since Joaquin was raised by his amazing parents as a vegan child, he exercised his refusal to partake in promoting animal products at an early age. Remember his hot brother River (who sadly died of a drug overdose in 1993) who wept at the sight of his girlfriend Martha Plimpton chowing down on soft shell crab at a restaurant?!
The Phoenix children appeared in various commercials in the beginning of their careers as actors, but NOT for products promoting meat, milk or ANY animal product of any kind.

As a child, I grew up eating meat with my family. We ate pork chops, meatloaf, chicken legs and one of my favorite sandwiches was liverwurst on Roman Meal wheat bread with ketchup. I used to eat those lovely colored marshmallows by the half bag...mmm, hooves and by-products. Another tradition was a glass of milk with every meal until I went to college. I made up for the milk with every meal by a new latte habit.

These days, my parents are vegetarians and I am proud to be vegan. Its a huge relief to know during the holidays we don't have to eat a bird or pig as a tradition. I intend to raise my baby as vegan as possible! I have learned so much over the years about maximizing nutrition and taste when it comes to vegan food. The bay area ROCKS for vegan food, supplies and restaurants. All I can do is set an example for my child to follow and possibly my child will lead others as a result.

GO VEGAN! Have something to be proud of at EVERY MEAL! You will never know until you try, just how easy and rewarding this lifestyle is. Simply: embrace change and you will prosper.