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    Jay-Z and Beyoncé Promote Vegan Lifestyle in Intro to New Book

     Olivia Rosane
    Jan 03, 2019 12:47PM EST Food and Agriculture

    The vegan movement just got two new influential advocates: Jay-Z and Beyoncé. In the introduction to a new book by Beyoncé’s personal trainer, the music power-couple challenged their fans to eat more plant-based meals, People Magazine reported Monday.

    The book, The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World, was written by Marco Borges and went on sale Dec. 31. Borges has teamed up with the couple before to promote limited vegan diets. In 2015, the three co-founded the 22 Days Nutrition challenge, which features only vegan food.

    But in the introduction to Borges’ new book, the couple talked about how their perspective had evolved from personal nutrition to planetary health.

    “Having children has changed our lives more than anything else,” they wrote, according to People. “We used to think of health as a diet—some worked for us, some didn’t. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible.”

    The couple acknowledged that not everyone could or would implement an entirely vegan diet, but challenged fans to add as many plant-based meals to their routine as possible.

    “We all have a responsibility to stand up for our health and the health of the planet. Let’s take this stand together. Let’s spread the truth. Let’s make this mission a movement. Let’s become ‘The Greenprint,'” they concluded, as People reported.

    The couples’ challenge comes as more and more scientists are recommending people cut back on meat and dairy to fight climate change and support sustainable land use. A study published in April found that meat, egg and dairy consumption are responsible for almost 84 percent of food-based greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. In June, another major study of farming practices worldwide found that the most sustainable meat products did worse across five environmental indicators than the most intrusive vegetable and grain crops.

    This point was emphasized by Borges in The Greenprint.

    “Eating plant foods is the best thing any individual can do to save our environment and our planet,” he said, according to the 22 Days Nutrition Twitter feed.

    However, some responses on social media to the introduction pointed to the complexities involved when wealthy celebrities encourage lifestyle changes to people who lack their means.

    “The accessibility to a plant-based diet isn’t black and white, and neither is the overall discussion surrounding it,” Tonja Renée Stidhum wrote for The Grapevine.

    The couple has raised money for a variety of causes. When it comes to food and water access specifically, Beyoncé conducted food drives as part of her efforts to support survivors of Hurricane Katrina and partnered with various anti-hunger charities during her 2007 Beyoncé Experience tour, according to Look to the Stars. Jay-Z has worked to increase water access around the world since partnering with the UN for a Water for Life concert in 2006, according to Global Citizen.

    Beyoncé has encouraged fans to join her in limited vegan diets before, most notably as she prepared for her 2018 performance in Coachella.

    [instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf1wKnrFiqk/ expand=1]

    Borges told People he first tried a 22-day vegan diet with the pair in 2013.

    “They loved it,” Borges told People in a previous interview. “They walked away with a greater understanding of the powerful benefits of plant-based nutrition. They were getting people saying, ‘Your skin has this glow.’ And who doesn’t like being told they look awesome?”

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