Report Shows “Mass Appeal” in Plant-Based Products Driven by Celebrities

A new report by market research company Million Insights could explain one of the driving forces behind the steady climb in interest in vegan products and diets in recent years. Turns out, veganism is growing in part thanks to the celebrities who already have adopted the lifestyle, and regularly share their experiences, tips and tricks with their followers and fans.

The report states that, "Increasing consumption of vegan foods among celebrities has created a mass appeal and consumers are increasingly adopting it." Celebrities use social media, entertainment and entrepreneurial efforts to drive awareness throughout their fan bases, in the news, and on their personal platforms. While they all use different channels and tactics to disseminate their message, together, vegan and plant-based celebrities reach millions of consumers every day, and have helped cause a shift in culture. Even Jay-Z is helping to boost the plant-based food industry by investing in vegan cookie brand Partake.

This year, actor and activist Joaquin Phoenix used his Oscar acceptance speech to ask viewers to ditch meat, a message that reached tens of millions of watchers at home. Actress and eco-warrior Maggie Q has launched an activewear line that uses 100% recycled materials and often advocates for a plant-based diet on her Instagram account, which boasts half a million followers.

In an interview with Mirror, popstar Ariana Grande shared a little bit about her fully vegan diet with her fans, saying, "I love animals more than I love most people, not kidding. But I am a firm believer in eating a full plant-based, whole food diet that can expand your life length and make you an all-around happier person.”

Billie Eilish, one of the biggest names in music at the moment, gave away free tickets to her concert to fans who educated themselves about climate change and signed petitions to benefit environmental efforts. She regularly talks about how going vegan is one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint: An IGTV video that the singer posted starring herself and Woody Harrelson called "Our House is On Fire" has amassed over 15 million views. In it, she urges viewers to help save the environment by "doing what you can to live a greener lifestyle like cutting out meat and dairy in your diet."

Ariana Grande, Maggie Q, Billie Eilish and Joaquin Phoenix are just a few of the celebrities who support a plant-based diet. Check out this list of 21 stars who are vegan to get a better idea of all of the advocates of an animal product-free lifestyle in Hollywood.

The report also highlights that everyday citizens have also had a big part in driving growth in this industry: "Countries such as the United States, Canada, China, Ireland and U.K have a considerable number of vegan populations that in turn aiding in the growth of the market." Even while at home, you can help by spreading the message to your family friends, sharing the positive impacts of your diet on social media, buying from your favorite cruelty-free food and wellness brands, and patronizing local vegan restaurants. And while we might not all have millions of followers on Instagram or media opportunities as platforms, I think we can all agree that if we inspire even one person to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy, that's a huge success.

Sir James Paul McCartney is no stranger to a meat-free life as he's been vegetarian for 45 years. He initially went vegetarian in 1975 with his first wife Linda McCartney and began his advocacy for animal rights.

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.

Miley adopted a gluten-free diet back in 2012 for health reasons and two years later, committed to a vegan diet she still lives by today.

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.