{"id":3614,"date":"2021-03-31T17:07:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T17:07:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/?post_type=people&p=3614"},"modified":"2021-04-01T17:26:26","modified_gmt":"2021-04-01T17:26:26","slug":"beyonce","status":"publish","type":"people","link":"https:\/\/www.veganfriendly.org.uk\/people\/beyonce\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Beyonc\u00e9 Vegan?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Beyonc\u00e9\"
Beyonc\u00e9 (DFree \/ Bigstockphoto.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Beyonc\u00e9 is one of the most famous pop stars in the world, first having enjoyed success with Destiny\u2019s Child, then as a respected and critically acclaimed solo star.<\/p>\n

She has an equally famous husband, children with questionable names, more awards than anyone needs, is big enough to be mononymous (known just as Beyonc\u00e9, not Beyonc\u00e9 Giselle Knowles-Carter) and has even performed at the Super Bowl. In other words, she ticks all the boxes a grade A, bona fide, A-list megastar needs to tick. But, who cares about all that? Is. She. Vegan?<\/p>\n

Beyonc\u00e9 Vegan? Why Do You Ask?<\/h2>\n
\"Beyonc\u00e9
DFree \/ Bigstockphoto.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Are They Vegan?<\/a>\u00a0section of our site, we\u2019ve looked at a range of celebrities, including vegan sports stars, such as Lionel Messi<\/a>, national treasures, such as Sir David Attenborough<\/a>, and, young activist,\u00a0Greta Thunberg<\/a>. We seek to answer questions lots of people are asking and usually there is a reason why people wonder whether or not a certain celebrity is vegan.<\/p>\n

In the case of Beyonc\u00e9, we believe interest in her diet and rumours that she might be vegan can be traced back to around 2013. There are various news stories about Beyonc\u00e9 moving to a plant-based diet, such as one (though this is from much later) in The Times<\/a> inviting us to \u201cMeet Marco Borges, Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s vegan guru\u201d. It is essentially the link between Borges and the Crazy in Love<\/em> star that started vegan tongues wagging and made many people wonder whether the singer might have adopted a plant-based lifestyle, or at the very least, a vegan diet.<\/p>\n

Who Is Marco Borges?<\/h3>\n

Borges is an author and an expert in nutrition and exercise. He runs a rather millennial-era-sounding \u201cplant-based lifestyle solutions company\u201d and is most famous for his 22 Days Nutrition programme. Based on the concept that it takes 21 days for humans to make, or break, a habit, Borges is \u201ccommitted to providing organic, plant-based solutions for healthy living.\u201d<\/p>\n

Described on his own site as \u201cExercise Physiologist, New York Times Best Selling author and recipient of the MFA Global Impact Award\u201d, Borges has written several successful books and has worked with many big-name stars. Including, of course, Beyonc\u00e9 (and her husband, Jay Z). The power couple is joined by the likes of J Lo and Pharrell Williams<\/a> in the Borges fan club but the programme, products and books are, of course, available to all, not just the Hollywood glitterati.<\/p>\n

So, Is Beyonc\u00e9 Vegan?<\/h2>\n

Well, the short and simple answer is no, Beyonc\u00e9 is not vegan. Eating grass next to a cow doesn\u2019t make someone a cow (don\u2019t say we don\u2019t earn our pay!) and, similarly, eating lots of very healthy food every now and again doesn\u2019t make you vegan \u2013 even if said healthy food is 100% plant based.<\/p>\n

Indeed, the very concept of 22 Days is that you do not have to be fully vegan, as Borges explained in a video clip<\/a>. He said that he felt there was a damaging and negative idea about veganism \u201cthat you had to go 100% in. It was all or nothing, and in reality, it is not about that\u201d. He added that \u201c22 Days is about allowing people to define plant-based living in the way it works best for them\u201d.<\/p>\n

Twenty-Two Plant Based Cleanse<\/h3>\n

\"22<\/p>\n

We agree with that and we are not here to preach to anyone that they have to be vegan, nor that if they decide they are going to have one vegan day a week they are a bad person, or that being a \u201cmidweek vegan\u201d is hypocritical. Anything that saves the lives of animals or improves their conditions just a little and lessens the impact on the environment is better than nothing. Of course, we would not say that someone who adopts a plant-based lifestyle for 21 days (the 22nd day is the joyous moment when your new habit becomes, according to Borges, a \u201ctool\u201d) is vegan but then neither is Borges nor Mrs Carter.<\/p>\n

The pair had known each other for some time when Beyonc\u00e9 decided to give the 22 Days programme a try for the first time in 2013. Jay Z came along for the ride as well, prompting the excellent headline 99 Problems But a Fish Ain\u2019t One<\/a>. At the time, it was reported that the couple were going to \u201cexperiment with a vegan lifestyle\u201d and even though stories reported that they were simply doing Borges\u2019 21 (or possibly 22!) day cleanse, they simultaneously implied that the Carters had gone vegan.<\/p>\n

Of course, we could get back into the debate about what it is to be vegan but we think just about everyone would agree that the odd three-week spell off animal products does not a vegan make. At this time, Beyonc\u00e9 explained that part of her motivation was to lose weight, despite saying \u201cI am proud of my curves\u201d. There are certainly many health benefits<\/a> to a vegan diet.<\/p>\n

A Tool for Weight Loss?<\/h4>\n

What\u2019s more, one that is high in protein, either thanks to vegan protein powders<\/a> or simply through eating vegan foods that are high in protein<\/a>, is also likely to help with weight loss<\/a>. It is certainly thought to have worked for the Texan star, who said that she was also pleased that \u201cthe weight stayed off\u201d.<\/p>\n

She has returned to the \u201ccleanse\u201d from time to time, including after the birth of her twins and at various times to get in optimum shape ahead of a major tour. Indeed, in July 2019, she posted a video to her YouTube channel<\/a> detailing her use of the programme to prepare for her performance at Coachella in 2018:<\/p>\n