So apparently actress Hayden Panettiere of “Heroes” fame has ditched her vegetarian diet. I saw the article about it on a blog I’m happy to have discovered, called Ecorazzi.com. In case it isn’t immediately evident (it took me a minute) it’s a celebrity blog with an eco flair. I love it and you should check it out.
My first thought when I saw the headline was that Panettiere shouldn’t go off her vegetarian diet. My second thought was that I wished it wasn’t considered news. We don’t really need publicity against the vegetarian lifestyle, we need more publicity for it and celebrities, like it or not, are influential, especially to younger people.
According to the article, Panettiere decided to go off her vegetarian diet because “her body didn’t respond well to it.”
She goes on to explain,
I used to run an hour every day… (but) my body shut down. I was low-energy.”
I initially found this surprising, because my energy level went through the roof after a couple of months on a vegetarian diet. But then I remembered my first weeks of trial and error.
I ate an awful lot of pasta in the beginning, trying to fill up on spaghetti and noodles with heavy sauces to make up for what I though would the space left behind by steaks and chicken and other meat dishes. I also ate a lot of baked goods, such as muffins and bagels, in place of bacon and eggs.
I, too, felt somewhat sluggish, probably because I was eating a ton of carbs and not much protein. I was also eating more sugar than I did on my old diet, probably because I thought I had more leeway, having given up all the fat and calories I was getting from meat.
This is a really common pattern for vegetarians, beginners and otherwise.
The vegetarian diet can give you a ton of energy and help you to build a healthier, stronger body. As the Ecorazzi blog points out, there are a number of Olympians who are vegetarians. I also know dancers, runners and mothers of toddlers who do just fine on a vegetarian diet.
However, these vegetarians are paying close attention to the foods they eat, not just omitting meat. It’s essential for vegetarians to eat a balnced diet that includes plenty of protein and healthy carbs that come from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains.
I hope that Panettiere gives the vegetarian lifestyle another shot. I also hope that meat eaters who read about her change of heart don’t think, “See, vegetarians are weak and wan and unhealthy.”
Nothing could be further from the truth.
What do you think about Hayden Panettiere ditching her vegetarian diet? Please share your thoughts. We’d love to hear what you think.
- Jenny Sangler
The problem is her lack of knowledge. But instead of learning or, since she can afford it, hiring a chef like a lot of wealthy celebrities do, she decided to knock this lifestyle blaming her lack of energy on it rather than learn. I’ve seen a lot of people do this. I’m a vegan and I get it a lot from people about protein. Vegetarians, like Hayden eat dairy products, what’s so hard about getting your protein. A person of her size probably only needs 40-50 grams of protein. On a 2,000 calorie diet that’s like 200 calories of protein. One cup of cottage cheese for a vegetarian her size covers over half her daily requirement of protein. Unlike me, she doesn’t have to worry about “complete” proteins and mixing and matching foods. So my thoughts to anyone trying a vegetarian diet, educate yourself first. And then after educating yourself, please explain to me why you chose vegetarian over vegan – do you only care about half the world? You eat dairy, is it okay to torture and kill dairy animals. If you take the time to learn about vegetarianism, take the extra couple minutes to learn about veganism or strict vegetarianism as it used to be called.
Thanks for the very meaningful comment!
you make some very good points Grace but i think you should’ve recommended something other than dairy products like cottage cheese for protein, such as beans, nuts or even peanut butter. i have been a vegetarian for years and now that i follow PETA on facebook, i’m cutting out eggs and dairy products … i am using any foods i have that were made with eggs or dairy (such as ranch dressing) and then simply not replacing them. i used to love eggs until i found out the truth behind it …. that they kill millions of day old MALE baby chicks by putting them in fast grinders alive or simply discarding them, live, like garbage. it is so easy to not eat animals or their products when you realize the truth of their torturous lives and deaths.
Thanks for leaving a comment!
I’m well aware of what they do to baby chicks. You notice I said I was a VEGAN – not vegetarian. But if Hayden can’t stay on a vegetarian diet, why do you think she’ll opt for vegan. And I wasn’t mentioning any products, just gave an example that cottage cheese gives her half her protein, since she is so worried that she isn’t getting enough protein. The point I was making that obviously flew over your head was that at the very least a half cup of cottage cheese gives you half your protein. Its not like you have to eat a ton of food to get your protein. Vegetarians get enough protein with little or no trouble since they eat dairy products. It is very easy as a vegetarian to get the protein you need. Vegans are the ones who have to work at it to get complete proteins.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I think she wasn’t properly feeding herself before workouts. I too have experienced a lack of energy before a workout if I didn’t intake healthy whole plant proteins before hand and afterwards. It can be a challenge to intake enough protein if you aren’t properly educated in the vegetarian and vegan diets. Legumes, nuts and soy are good sources of protein. I intake a vegetable protein before and after a workout and that works great for me. I am a A+ blood type, perhaps that is a factor?
I agree! Thanks!