The founder of Def Jam Records Russell Simmons was interviewed on CNN’s “American Morning”. He was asked why he follows a vegan diet. He also discusses Barack Obama and yoga.
*note* Although Russell does follow a vegan diet he is not a vegan. He does wear leather.
Duration : 0:3:50
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@dunkinstien You …
@dunkinstien You can eat inexpensively while being vegan. I realize that the meat replacements can be costly when on a budget but eating healthy doesn’t need to include that. A very healthy diet would be one that consists of raw fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds. And of course rice, beans and legumes are very inexpensive as well. Anyway, if there are any questions as to any way I can help please PM me. I have been vegan a long time so I might know something that can be helpful.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@uMustBeHigh i felt …
@uMustBeHigh i felt that it hinted to it.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@TheVeganHere Not a …
@TheVeganHere Not a problem man. Russel is a very kind person.
Im glad that you are vegan you are helping us all out, i am a vegetarian but i find it hard to go vegan because of my lifestyle, im poor.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@dunkinstien But …
@dunkinstien But meanwhile what is it that was BS? Who said Obama doesn’t eat meat?
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@dunkinstien …
@dunkinstien Dunkinstein I so very much apologize. In fact I removed my comment and accidentally removed your comment. Feel free to repost it if you like. I read you comment as saying that Russel ate steak. I am so sorry for that. I was responding to your saying that, which of course you didn’t. You said Obama. So please excuse my mistake.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
BS i saw obama …
BS i saw obama eating steak outside the whitehouse.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
After years of …
After years of studying ancient Hindu non theistic religions such as the Jainist, Donald Watson coined the word Vegan. He explained that a Vegan is someone who avoids all animal exploitation, it is as simple as that.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@mainmanmoose There …
@mainmanmoose There actually is a definition for what a vegan is. And in essence it is to not use any animal products of any kind.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
i dont think you …
i dont think you should judge to say who is vegan and who is not, as far as im concerned, if you wear recycled leather then you can still be considered vegan. infact i consider someone who doesnt drink milk, eat eggs or meat to be a vegan. thats the definition i choose.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
hip hop culture …
hip hop culture rules!!
I Like …big butts …and I can not lie !!
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
Yo russell hip hop …
Yo russell hip hop is a cult not a culture you ignoramus…Emzdad
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
SOY
!?? Man how … 
!?? Man how i would miss tempeh and tofu. I am sure you do just fine without, i try to keep soy to a min. for sure…. just once a day hahaha. Its good to be health concious. When i was diagnoised almost 3 years ago with celiacs i was eating horribly.. now that im SO aware of how it affects me im always trying to update my diet. NExt move is to remove sugar.
SOY
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@choicesdefineus I …
@choicesdefineus I have been vegan for over 21 years. About 18 months ago I confirmed I was both gluten intolerant and soy intolerant so I am now a soy/gluten free vegan.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
no way, you cant …
no way, you cant NOT eat meat and be vegan, thats just stuuuuuupid *sarcasim deeply intended* lol. I use to get that from alot of people when i started being a vegan after a year of knowing i was gluten intolreant
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
I am gluten …
I am gluten intolerant so no wheat for me either. I make pizza with a rice crust.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@HumaneCelebrities …
@HumaneCelebrities I feel the same way!
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
Russell Simmons …
Russell Simmons needs to get more of the hip hop community to get into veganism….
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
it’s time for a …
it’s time for a change )
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
you said dont …
you said dont spread propaganda about the american diet, so i told you to stop supressing peoples choices
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
sadly i am also …
sadly i am also celiac so no wheat for me
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
those are GREAT …
those are GREAT reasons
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
you make very good …
you make very good points… but i gotta admit to you eating me some buffalo wings from wingstop and hambergurs from fast food places really hit my taste buds… Im trying to cut back my meat intake to only 2 or 3 times a week but i will never be full vegan… whats the difference between being vegan and following a vegan diet? also how do you feel after all these years of being a vegan health wise. But yeah man im trying to eat healthier and incorporate alot of more healthy things into my diet
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@thegame245
Here …
@thegame245
Here are four reasons for now
1)Ethical:Killing is wrong when completely unnecessary.
2)The environment:Animal agriculture is inefficient and pollutes the environment.
3)Health:There are numerous studies that show a vegan diet is healthier than a omnivorous diet. There are way less incidents of heart disease. There is increased longevity.
4) World hunger:If all the grain and land that is used for raising cattle was used for growing food there would be enough food to feed the world.
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
@thegame245 Well …
@thegame245 Well there are many good reasons to go vegan but for me there was only one reason.. I went vegan over 21 years ago because I never understood why it was OK to kill a living being. I just out of the blue, one day in my kitchen while making a sandwich decided to go veg. I just thought it was the ethical thing to do. Honestly I felt like I had no choice. What gives us the right to use, abuse and kill, I thought to myself. I’ve been vegan ever since. Although I’ll post more reasons..
March 6th, 2010 - 12:11 pm
your absolutley …
your absolutley right give me 5 good reasons why i should go vegan and maybe ill make that decision?