Oprah is going vegan for 3 weeks

Oprah Winfrey – who we’re supposed to believe blogs – wrote on her website that she’s undergoing a 21-day vegan cleansing diet. And by that, I mean Oprah’s assistant’s assistant typed it up really quickly. Oprah, 54, regained a lot of weight recently, and she disclosed that she’s been suffering from hypothyroidism. She’s now determined to lose the weight and change her eating habits again – and is going totally meatless.

Wow, wow, wow! I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying.” she writes. “I had been focused on what I had to give up — sugar, gluten, alcohol, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese. ‘What’s left?’ I thought. Apparently a lot. I can honestly say every meal was a surprise and a delight, beginning with breakfast — strawberry rhubarb wheat-free crepes.”

Inspired by Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness, Winfrey says, “this 21-day cleanse gives me a chance to think about [eating] differently and see what my attachments are to certain kinds of foods – and what I’m willing to do to change.”

Her new menu — created by Freston’s own chef Tal Ronnen — features food like tofu scramble roasted tomato, grilled onion and sweet garlic aioli quesadillas with jicama slaw. She plans to blog her the entire dieting process. “Don’t know if I’m going to feel better or worse,” Winfrey writes, “but I’m willing to try to see if my body at least feels differently.”

[From Us Weekly]

Something tells me most people could happily go meatless if they had a professional chef to do all the fancy cooking for them. My vegetarian roommate made a whole wheat tofu pizza the other night and my tongue actually tried to run away from the rest of my body. If I had anything involving the word aioli, jicama, or crepes, I’m pretty sure I could manage. As it is I’m low carb, which means I had four slices of bacon and an Atkins shake for dinner. I would gladly eat Oprah’s vegan quesadilla every day of my life if I never have to repeat that meal again.

Oprah is talking about her diet like it’s this big deal – but her meal plan sounds better than what most of us probably slap together. How much of a sacrifice could it really be? And if it is – wasn’t her whole thing about eating reasonably, in a way that you can maintain? From the way she’s wording it, it doesn’t sound like she plans on going a day beyond the requisite three weeks on this diet. Not that I’m one to judge. I’m eating pork rinds as I write this.

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21 Responses to “Oprah is going vegan for 3 weeks”

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  1. JennGush says:

    I became a vegetarian about 4 months ago when I decided to spend some time on the PETA site. I try not to eat a lot of dairy and eggs but it’s hard. I’d love love love to become a vegan but the food is much more expensive. If I had enough money to have my OWN chef it wouldn’t even be an issue. If she can’t go vegan for 21 days with a personal chef she sucks.

  2. Rachel says:

    Someone forgot to tell Oprah that soy is a thyroid inhibitor, and will only contribute to her hypo active thyroid, making it even harder to lose weight.

    Oh well, at least the animals will be alive for a few more weeks around her…

  3. Julie says:

    Isn’t this what Robin Quivers lost all her weight on?

  4. vdantev says:

    She’s not going Scientologist too, is she ? After all she is one of Tom Cruise’s most ardent supporters and she did that embarassing PR show for him.

  5. Jody says:

    YOU GET A BOX A TOFU, AND YOU GET A BOX OF TOFU!!!

    Sounds like an episode to pass, if you’re looking for some good giveaways.

    I’m sorry but Oprah has officially become the new “Man”, as in “Don’t let the man get you down.”
    People, think for yourselves!!! Why do you need someone to tell you what to wear, read, eat, drive, watch, feel…holy shit, it’s insanity how people just hand over their right to have an independent thought outside of the mainstream opinion, which is comprised completely of Oprah’s opinions, I’m pretty sure.

  6. Wif says:

    JennGush, I don’t think veganism has to be expensive. My neighbours (single mom and daughter) have been vegans for 17 years and even when her income has run dry she’s always been able to maintain her veganism. I do think you have to veer away from soy cheeses and use some things sparingly, but with a switch in mind set, it can be done.

  7. Wif says:

    I forgot in my above post to add what I think of Oprah’s vegan diet. Veganism should be a lifestyle choice based on ethical issues. It’s not a cure-all for obesity. Plain potato chips and french fries are vegan. Issues that lead to obesity still exist, even when cutting out animal products.

  8. RC says:

    this sounds way more intense than your standard vegan diet. gluten, for example, is usually a plant protein.
    but how on earth do you make soy aioli? with no eggs, i just can’t imagine it emulsifying properly

  9. Scott F. says:

    I wholeheartedly encourage veganism – just leaves more meat for the rest of us.

    I was going to post something about eating two animals for every one she spared during this little publicity stunt, but then I realized how much eating twice as much as Oprah would entail.

  10. Virginia says:

    I was a vegan for 2 years. I was taking supplements and everything PETA says, I ate measured amounts of foods everyday, I was getting sick just from doing the nutritional math. But still I got really sick. One of my legs was numbed and I had neurological damage. Plus, I had no energy whatsoever, I slept all say and I was depressed. I had to go back to a regular diet, and I feel a lot better. I had to deal with depression from the guilt of having to eat animals again. I’m not saying people shouldn’t go vegan, in fact I wish I could be a vegan. But for me and my husband, it was really detrimental for our physical and mental health.

  11. Trillion says:

    I recently saw an episode where she declared the grilled cheese as her favorite sandwich. After 3 weeks of being vegan, she’ll probably have an orgasm eating one.

  12. geronimo says:

    What is wrong with this woman?? All that money and power and presumably intelligence and she’s still prepared to jump on bandwagon diets or ‘lifestyles’ in order to achieve what smaller portions of normal food and exercise would do perfectly well. And have long-term benefits rather than quick fix-its. Diets, vegan or otherwise, are not the answer for people like Oprah who constantly struggle with their weight. Dumb. 😯

  13. EKJD says:

    I’m a vegetarian and not a full-on vegan but I choose to not eat meat and restrict my diet for ethical reasons, not cosmetic ones. I like that Oprah is going to bring more light to animal rights by doing this (every middle American woman watches her!) but I don’t like that she’s doing it because she, oops, got fat. I guess any press is good press…

    As for Virginia, if you planned your diet properly than you should have had no problems. Ever since cutting out meat and restricting dairy, I’ve felt better, gotten less colds, and had more energy (yes, just like all those crazy vegans say!). 🙂

  14. Virginia says:

    EKJD:
    I knew someone was going to say that. I was planning my diet properly. In fact, I had the help of a (very popular in among PETA members) vegan dietitian. On paper, vegan diets are great. It just didn’t work for me. I’m sure it works for a lot of people. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that “If you planned your diet properly” line.
    I am not saying anything bad about vegans either, I think most vegans are great people who are just trying to do their best. But I have to say that I felt pressured to continue on a diet that was damaging my health, and it kinda felt like Scientology brainwashing to me.

  15. Henny Penny says:

    I thought she figured out the key to weightloss and lifestyle change with her last diet. That’s what she was preaching anyway especially to all those ladies who “let themselves go”.

  16. lisa kippon says:

    oprah’s had a lifetime battle with obesity. i praise her for trying to get fit, yet again. even if her reasons to try veganism isn’t as altruistic as some would prefer, i still praise her for her ultimate goal, and also appreciate her public battle with obesity. watching her continued struggle and persistence with her demon is great motivation to those of us who aren’t as fit as we could be. given, she’s got gazillions of dollars and a handfull of personal chefs. but oprah is just as human as the rest of us, and if she can try her best, so can we. ^_^

  17. Other Karen says:

    I hope no one else tries to mimic her just because Oprah did this. Healthy veganism requires so much concentration and devotion.

    Veganism is easy and tasty when you have your own chef, definitely.

  18. fgh says:

    With a personal chef it’s easy! She’s says it’s to make her more mindful about eating…that’s pretty cool.

  19. Steph says:

    Firstly, vegan-ism simply isn’t a cosmetic choice. “Going vegan” for three weeks isn’t actually going vegan at all. It’s also NOT a wise choice if you have hypothyroidism. I just cut soy (try finding bread that tastes ok and doesn’t contain soy flour next time you go to the store!) and it’s a huge difference in my hypothyroidism. Soy was making me very very ill. If she’s actually giving up caffiene and sugar and alcohol, it could take three weeks for her body to adjust LET ALONE how hard it will be on her body with the soy.

    Looking at this from a different side, what about leather and silk. Honey is a healthier form of sugar but it’s also a byproduct. That means no leather shoes (do you think her car has leather seats? how about leather furniture anywhere in the $50mil compound she calls home?) No silk clothing…a lot of things are by-products. Do you think she (or her minions) are going through all her make-up (or checking her studio makeup for tv) and body products checking for these things? If she goes to a salon (or has some super stylist come to her home) is she checking those products as well? I’d be willing to be something she uses everyday has lanolin in it. Lanolin is a byproducts of sheep (the oils in the wool) and is a common ingredient in lotion.

    Anybody could “go vegan” on a diet created by a renowned chef and cooked by a personal chef. I’d be happy to wake up to rhubarb strawberry wheat-free pancakes too! I don’t understand how her weight yo-yo’s so much when she has a personal chef!

    The problem is that “going vegan” isn’t a change in diet! It’s a change in lifestyle! It means you use NO animal products or by-products of any sort. If she really wants to be mindful of her relationships with food, she should try cooking for herself once in a while.

  20. DAY KNOW says:

    HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA THATS WHAT SHE GET 8)

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