Is Ben Stiller Vegan? Here’s What He Has Revealed About His Diet

Ben Stiller is a private guy so when he talked about his diet (back in 2012) and his prostate cancer (in 2014) fans were concerned, then relieved to learn that he was cancer-free, and in the years since, it appears the Severance director has made it his business to live a healthy, fit, active life.

Back in 2012, Ben Stiller revealed to Conan O'Brien that he follows a mostly vegan diet. He also wrote two years later on his blog that thanks to an early screening test for prostate cancer, he had been diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. and treated successfully.

“I got diagnosed with prostate cancer Friday, June 13th, 2014. On September 17th of that year, I got a test back telling me I was cancer free. The three months in between were a crazy roller coaster ride with which about 180,000 men a year in America can identify.”

The reason he went public about treatment was to encourage men to get screened earlier than the now-recommended age of 50, and to not be shy about talking to their doctors about prostate cancer, which is often free of symptoms until it progresses.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men in the United States after skin cancer, and one of the deadliest if it goes undetected. In their lifetime, 1 in 7 men in the US will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and since most men don't like to talk about this personal topic, the medical community is urging men to talk to their doctors about whether and when they should be tested for the disease. Stiller believes early screening saved his life.

“This is a complicated issue, and an evolving one,” Stiller writes. “But in this imperfect world, I believe the best way to determine a course of action for the most treatable, yet deadly cancer, is to detect it early.”

Stiller believes that if he had waited until he was 50 to get a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, as the American Cancer Society recommends, "I would not have known I had a growing tumor until two years after I got treated,” Stiller wrote. “If he had followed the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guideline, I would have never gotten tested at all, and not have known I had cancer until it was way too late to treat successfully.”

Stiller also doesn't love to talk about his diet, but by all indications, being "mostly vegan" with a little fish is another way the actor/director stays healthy, combined with a fitness regimen that keeps him trim, fit, and able to run like a track star in his movies.

Of course, the characterization of eating “mostly vegan” leaves room for fish and occasionally dairy or other animal products, but Stiller appears to have doubled down on eating healthy in the years since his cancer diagnosis. Now, he incorporates as many plant-based meals into his diet as possible, but still enjoys the occasional serving of fish. Over the years, the Zoolander star has hinted that he enjoys vegan food as much – if not more – as he did a decade ago.

Admiring Stiller's fitness in his running sequence in The Watch, Conan asked if he had any secrets for staying fit. Stiller noted that he started eating vegan, along with his wife and sometime co-star Christine Taylor. She has also talked about their plant-based journey.

“It really has changed our energy level,” she revealed to People Magazine in 2012. “Sometimes you don’t realize it until someone says it to you, like, ‘your skin looks amazing.'”

Stiller and his daughter were recently spotted eating at the new, popular plant-based restaurant, PlantPub – a partnership between vegan chefs Mary Dumont and Matthew Kenney, and plant-based entrepreneur Pat McCauley and Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni.

Stiller and John Travolta brought their daughters to Plant Pub, to celebrate an early birthday. PlantPub markets itself with the slogan: Eat Plants, Drink Beer. The restaurant has two locations, the first in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the other opening at Fenway Park this week.

The vegan restaurant serves plant-based variations of classic pub food including bungalow chicken caesar wraps, Impossible burgers, and more. Ella Stiller called the restaurant a “vegan heaven.”

"It was really exciting having him here and so cool that he was just as approachable and nice as he could have been," PlantPub co-owner Pat McAuley tells People Magazine.

Before the Stillers’ birthday celebration, McAuley and co-owner Mary Dumont teamed up with chef Kenney to open their second location across from Fenway Park – the home of the Boston Red Sox. Now, PlantPub is a hotspot for both vegans and celebrities. Joining the Stillers’ appreciation for vegan eats, other celebrities including Zendaya have been spotted patronizing the plant-based eatery.

Research shows that eating plant-based significantly lowers the risk of ever developing prostate cancer.

One study found that men who were vegetarians showed a 31 percent lower risk of ever developing prostate cancer, whereas pescatarians had a 20 percent lower risk. Other studies show that avoiding dairy – commonly associated with unhealthy hormone contents – can lower the risk of prostate cancer by up to 60 percent. Experts show that replacing meat and dairy products with pinto beans, avocados, and other plant-based foods can significantly improve health and lower cancer risks.

Stiller spends more time these days working for the plight of refugees around the world so fans who follow him will hear more about the needs of others than his own personal life.

For more stories on cultural icons who have gone plant-based check out The Beet's Lifestyle and Culture section.

Wondering if your favorite celebrity follows a vegan diet? Check out The Beet's list of plant-based celebrities including Paul McCartney, Sandra Oh, and more. 

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If you find yourself constantly singing along to the song The Greatest, then you're already a Sia fan. Sia tweeted that she is "fully vegan now" back in 2014 and stays true to her word

Way back at the start of Grey's Anatomy, Sandra Oh took the cast out for a plant-based lunch at Truly Vegan in Hollywood. In her effort to inspire contemporaries to eat vegan, the TV star is known to invite her friends for vegan meals that are delicious. She adopted the vegan lifestyle years ago and continues to quietly live a cruelty-free life.

Giselle revealed that when she was at the peak of her modeling career, her diet consisted of "cigarettes, wine, and mocha Frappuccinos," according to an interview in People Magazine. Now 39 and the mother of two children, Gisele eats a "mostly" plant-based diet to nourish her body and stay fueled.

Alec Baldwin has made a bigger commitment to plant-based eating since he was first told by doctors that he was pre-diabetic and needed to change his diet. That was decades ago. But, over the last few years, he's been vocal about the benefits not only to his health but also the impact plant-based eating has on the environment.

We all remember Pamela Anderson as the curvaceous blonde in the hit series Baywatch as she played Casey Jean in the red one-piece swimsuit that brought her world-class fame. She is a life-long active animal rights advocate and teamed up with PETA to join the Animal Protection Organization.

"We shouldn't eat as much meat guys," Kristen Stewart told GQ in an interview in January. The Twilight star has made a full 180 from vampire to vegan. When she appeared on the game show "Hot Ones" she chose to skip the wings and instead compete by eating increasing spicier sauce on vegan cauliflower wings.

This award-winning actor eats a high-protein diet consisting of only plants. Leto, who has been plant-based for 20 years, says it keeps him "shredded" in an interview. Now, 48, Leto looks half his age.

Jaden Smith switched up his diet from vegan to vegetarian, meaning that he doesn't eat meat but does eat dairy from time to time. In a recent article by Plant Based News, Smith admits he skipped meals and was not getting the proper nutrition when he was vegan, but this hasn't stopped him from espousing the plant-based life.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has never admitted to being fully vegan, but sources say, she eats a plant-based diet most days during the week. She is teaching Prince Harry vegan cooking and in a Plant-Based News article, Markle explained how she hopes to raise baby Archie on a mostly vegan diet.

As a professional athlete, fueling the body is a key factor to Willaim's successes. In a Bon Appetite article, she explained that she adopted a plant-based diet back in 2012, she was eating a lot "healthier" for her sister, Venus, who eats a strict vegan diet for health reasons.

The popular grocery store, Whole Foods Market sells vegan products and nonvegan products which arises black lash from ethical vegans as CEO John Mackey follows a strict vegan diet. The successful businessman grew up in Houston Texas and told Business Insider that he would traditionally eat processed foods for dinner while watching TV with his family. Now, Mackey steers clear from the processed isle and eats a clean vegan diet and feels amazing at the age of 65.

Jason Mraz, singer of the popular song, I'm Yours, committed to a vegan diet to support his friend diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Mraz says he eats mostly raw food and told magazine sources his favorite vegan dish is "Chocomole, a mixture of avocados, dates, cacao, agave nectar, and coconut oil."

Long time vegan, Leona Lewis grew up in a vegan household and continues to eat a plant-based diet. Lewis first adopted the diet at 12 when she learned about the health risks of eating animal products but told Women's Health Magazine she occasionally eats an omelet. She also mentioned her 2:30 lunch is normally a kale salad topped with dried cranberries and she loves a veggie stir-fry for dinner.

Hannah Teter changed her diet after watching the documentary, Earthlings when she discovered how "horrible" factory farming is. After a strict vegetarian diet, Teter liked the way she performed as an athlete and believes that her diet helped her win gold at the 2006 games.

You may recognize Maggie Q as the star of the Nikita series, but in the plant-based world, she's well-known for her heroic activism. Maggie Q has followed a strict vegan diet for 19 years, making her a true veteran of the lifestyle. She made the plant-based diet transition because she felt sluggish and had low energy, she has said. The famous actress keeps in shape by eating veggies and plant-based protein and working out with a passion.

Winner of the first Masterchef vegan cook-off with Gordon Ramsay, Madelaine Petsch was raised vegetarian and went completely vegan at age 14. She claims that she started this diet before it was "trendy" and shot a campaign for PETA last year wearing a dress made of bok choy. Petsch says her vegan diet allows her to feel "healthier" and not "lethargic."

After doing a little sleuthing on her social media platforms we think Millie Bobbi Brown qualifies as plant-based. Whether or not she is actually skipping all meat and dairy, one thing is for sure: She eats mostly salads, vegetables and grains and lives a predominantly plant-based lifestyle full of healthy foods.

The grammy-nominated sisters went vegan for a week with their mom but liked it so much they decided to stick with it. For one thing, it helps keep their "voices in shape" by eating a vegan diet and they emphasize the fact that dairy helps to limit extra mucus build-up, according to a PETA interview.

Best known for her role as Lizzie Mcguire in the long-running series, Hilary Duff is a recent vegan advocate and entrepreneur. She recently launched the vegan and cruelty-free eyeshadow palette, "Day Dreamer" and changed her diet to plant-based last fall.