Switching to a Plant-Based Diet Saved Kevin Smith’s Life
Back in February, filmmaker Kevin Smith shared with his fans on Facebook that he had suffered a heart attack, prompting him to say that “maybe it’s time to go vegan.”
Seven months later and Smith made good on his word. The “Clerks” director recently revealed on Instagram that he’s dropped 50 lbs. since his heart attack, and he owes it all to a plant-based diet.
Thanking a number of people for his lifestyle transformation, Smith gave his daughter, Harley Quinn, a special shout-out.
“I also wanna thank my kid @harleyquinnsmith – the little vegan astronaut who explored this meatless/milkless galaxy ahead of me, leading by example,” he wrote. “Since I never wanted to see the inside of a hospital ever again, I simply copied the Kid. So this wasn’t a diet: these results came from a total lifestyle change of eating solely plant-based foods (which is tough because I hate vegetables).”
Switching to a vegan diet has been a journey for Smith but one he’s been committed to for a while. In early August he shared another post on Instagram thanking those who for their part in “reshaping his district,” including Ray Cronise, author of “Idiot’s Guide: Plant-Based Nutrition” and magician Penn Jillette, who was also instrumental in helping him switch to the diet.
Adopting a plant-based diet was probably the best thing Smith could do for his recovery. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that substituting one or two servings of animal protein per day with a plant-based alternative can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Another study found that a diet rich in meat, eggs, milk, and cheese could be as harmful to one’s health as smoking, increasing the risk of diabetes and cancer fourfold. However, the harmful effects were almost erased when animal proteins were replaced with plant-based proteins.
A vegan diet tends to be a healthier alternative because it’s filled with fiber and is rich in nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, folate, and vitamins A, C and E. It’s also recommended for when you want to shed pounds, thanks to its low-caloric intake (no wonder Beyonce is a fan).
“I’ll never eat the way I used to. The way I used to eat was f**king horrible,” Smith tweeted earlier this summer, noting that eating animal products is, currently, out of the question.
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