Natalie Portman: A Vegetarian At Home And A Vegan When Out

by Michael dEstries December 14, 2010
Categories: Animals, Eats
Tags: natalie portman.
Photo: Vogue

Congrats to Natalie Portman for earning an Golden Globe nom for best actress in “Black Swan” this morning — but let’s turn our attention to her January 2011 interview for Vogue, shall we?

Turns out the 29-year-old may not be the clear-cut vegan she led us all to believe. From the article,

“A vegetarian at home and a vegan when out, she orders a thoroughly eccentric meal: field greens followed by a soft pretzel with mustard, and an elderflower spritzer.”

“I swear, I eat. I ate a bagel an hour ago. I consume my own weight in hummus every day. I cook a lot, and I even do vegan baking.”

“I like pleasure, I like joy. I’d never get to the point where I would starve or injure myself like Nina (her character in “Black Swan”) does. I’m the opposite—when I’m hungry, I eat, and I always make sure I’m eating something delicious. I’m tough on myself in terms of the standards I want to live up to, but that’s also part of my pleasure: knowing you are being your fullest self. Being your fullest self is a lot of work.”

I don’t know — sounds like Portman is more vegan than vegetarian; especially when it comes to what she’s wearing. But for the purists out there, a bit of vacillation equals instant denouncement. Maybe Vogue got the order mixed up (it’s obviously easier to eat vegetarian than vegan when out and about)? Thoughts? Rambles? Poetry? Weigh in below.

About Michael dEstries

Michael has been blogging since 2005 on issues such as sustainability, renewable energy, philanthropy, and healthy living. He regularly contributes to a slew of publications, as well as consulting with companies looking to make an impact using the web and social media. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his family on an apple farm.

View all posts by Michael dEstries →

http://elle-m-elle.com Laura

They didn’t get it mixed up. Some people eat vegan only when out at a restaurant because they can not be sure as to where the eggs or cheese are coming from (i.e. factory farm or family farm). You can be more flexible at home (vegetarian) when you have better control over where your animal products are coming from.
- http://www.ecorazzi.com Michael dEstries
  
  Good point, Laura.
- Malva
  
  That`s right, I do the same. Great Natalie Portman, cruelty free actress.
Lady Lee

I remember when she was a guest on “Top Chef” she identified herself as a vegetarian. Ah, labels.
- http://www.herwinsvegancafe.com herwin
  
  labels indeed i always check my labels in the supermarket.
  
  Interesting thought of Laura. (above)
  
  Interesting, she said herself she is “vegetarian”.
  Seems to me a case of yet another time that the veggie community “upgrades” famous people into vegetarians or vegans.:-P
  
  Anyway, if you read this ms Portman, GO VEGAN ! Unless you raise the animals yourself and can garantee their hapines, there isnt such a thing as milk from happy cows or eggs from happy chickens !! Even for so called free ranged eggs , all MALE CHICKS have been grinded up, and even for the greenest cow, all male baby cows from this “happy cow” ended up in the slaughterhouse, and green cows still are killed in their young adult life when not productive anymore. Retirement is the slaughterhouse.
georgina

You can’t really be mostly vegan or vegetarian, you are either or and when celebrities say i am “A vegetarian at home and a vegan when out” that just confuses people who know little to nothing about the lifestyle. Same thing as when Alicia Silverstone said she is a vegan who eats cheese after drinking at parties.
Either — or!
hilary

I don’t think I would consider wearing vegan shoes to mean that one is a dietary vegan. Surely that is the terminology, but it doesn’t contradict vegetarian convictions. Leather comes from killing cows, whereas milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. doesn’t.
S

I disagree with either – or.

I consider myself to be a vegetarian but I am “mostly vegan” meaning I eat mostly a vegan diet but you know what – sometimes I slip up, as Alicia does. Usually when I am not at home. I am human. I don’t wear leather or wool. I do the best I can. If you never slip up, then bravo to you but I will continue to refer to myself as mostly vegan, because that is what I am.

Frankly, I think what is off putting to people who know little about the lifestyle is the all or nothing, you’re either in or you’re out attitude that a lot of vegans have. I appreciate the heart of why they feel that way. But I don’t think it makes for an appealing look at the lifestyle.

Bravo to Natalie for doing her part and for making her best effort.
- georgina
  
  Well S, luckily you are already a vegetarian so i know my post is not putting you off. Also, at least Natalie knows she is a vegetarian who eats vegan when out. The whole Alicia Silverstone thing is a different animal. She consciously makes the decision to eat cheese. If i consciously make the same decision then i am putting all the reasons i went vegan (animal suffering) behind me, for my advantage. The question is, would i still call myself a vegan? A slip up is one thing, but making the decision to eat something that comes from an animal is a different one…that, a slip up, is not.
TeoVegan

I watched an interview some years ago in Conan O’brien where she declared herself a raw vegan.
- Candace
  
  People change through time. Maybe she was just trying to be a raw vegan at the time and decided she couldn’t stick with it, for health or lifestyle (actress) reasons.
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