Beyonce, the pop princess responsible for a $2,200 bill at Nando's this summer, is joining her husband Jay-Z in his 22 day vegan challenge - is it just another food fad?
BY Katy Young[1] | 05 December 2013
Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z announced their 22 day vegan challenge this week, after celebrating his 44th birthday with a meatless meal.
A strange move for the pop princess who spent $2,200 on 58 wing platters and 48 whole chickens in Nando's only three months ago whilst on tour in England, not long after racking up a $1,250 bill at the Dublin outpost of the same chicken shop.
Pop's power couple also make no bones about being meat lovers. They are regulars at New York's finest meat Mecca's including The Spotted Pig burger joint (and we're not talking bean). And Bey's go-to for fixing cravings during her pregnancy? Buttermilk Channel, a joint famed for fried chicken and vegan-not-so-much duck meatloaf. Jay-Z, was nervous on the eve of his vegan quest, asking from his lifeeandtimes.com[2] website: "Any professional vegans out there that have any great food spots please help out! Please ha."
Beyonce's 22 day vegan menu starts here. Photo: Instagram @Beyonce
So why 22 days and why vegan? 22 days because according to Jay-Z "pyschologists have said it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. On the 22nd day, you've found the way," he said. "On December 3, one day before my 44th birthday I will embark on a 22 Days challenge to go completely vegan, or as I prefer to call it, plant-based!!"
Why vegan? "This all began a few months back when a good friend and vegan challenged me to embrace a "plant-based breakfast" every day. It was surprisingly easier on me than I thought…" Jay-Z admitted. He also revealed his vegan wing-woman, "p.s. B also joining me."
But why now? Well, for Jay-Z, "there's something spiritual to me about it being my 44th birthday and the serendipity behind the number of days in this challenge; 22 (2+2=4) coupled with the fact that the challenge ends on Christmas day… It just feels right!"
But for us there's a larger, possibly fashion force, at play. We've noted other celebrities, including Talluah Harlech who admitted she'd gone vegan in a recent interview with Stella, celebrity personal trainers, including those at Bodyism, and a handful of beauty websites extolling vegan virtues. Last week Get the Gloss[3] asked was 'veganism after 6pm' the new 5:2 diet?
Read - What To Eat Now: good fats, not bad [4]
But that's just the issue says Dalton Wong, celebrity trainer and founder of Twenty Two Training[5] . "Every year there is some eating fad that we all get behind. Last year we had the 5:2, the year before we had the alkaline diet, and the year before that gluten free," he explains, "veganism is now cool, but if you don't do it properly, it's really not that healthy," he warns.
The problem with veganism is that you have to work hard to intake all those different plant based nutrients. "So unless you're Beyonce and Jay-Z and no doubt working with doctors, nutritionists and chefs, you just don't know how to find all those vitamins and minerals from a relatively small, plant-based, food group. Veganism can be incredibly time consuming if you want do practice it healthily - every meal should contain protein, carbs and fat and it isn't easy pickings for a vegan. Plus, all to often vegans tend to reach for the quick foods which are traditionally calorie heavy, protein light and lacking all the essentials nutrients we need," says Wong. "And if you exercise it's pretty hard to take on enough protein to repair those muscles? It's something you've got to think about."
READ - What To Eat Now: red meat in moderation [6]
"My advice," says Wong, "is to treat it like a cleanse - especially if you need to give your digestion a break if you feel you've over done on the meat. Treating it like a cleanse means you'll prepare your meals ahead, research what nutrients you need to find and where from, and only do it for a short stint. A few days is enough. Or go vegan for one meal a day perhaps? I practice Meatless Mondays, it's a far better way to cut down on meat, and the key for me with any diet is sustainability."
But for Dalton swinging from one extreme to the other isn't great news. "This is simply just another fashionable diet. And while there are obvious benefits to a vegan diet - more veg, fruit and fibre - it's extreme and incredibly difficult to do well - in fact most of us couldn't. Plus one extreme to the other in terms of weight is never a good idea for a woman as it plays havoc with your insulin levels," warns Wong.
READ - Jay-Z creates a New York Holiday with Barneys [7]
Jay-Z though is a man of his meatless word and he is sticking to his "spiritual and physical cleanse." "A semi-vegan, a full plant-based diet? Or just a spiritual and physical challenge? We'll see…" he said about his journey unto the unknown. And trust us you can expect to see and read about a few more vegans along the way.
References
- ^ Katy Young (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ lifeeandtimes.com (lifeandtimes.com)
- ^ Get the Gloss (www.getthegloss.com)
- ^ Read - What To Eat Now: good fats, not bad (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Twenty Two Training (www.twentytwotraining.com)
- ^ READ - What To Eat Now: red meat in moderation (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
- ^ READ - Jay-Z creates a New York Holiday with Barneys (fashion.telegraph.co.uk)
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