Drew Barrymore Shares Special Tips For Starting A Plant Diet

Actress Drew Barrymore (YouTube screenshot of The Drew Barrymore Show)

JAKARTA - Hollywood actress Drew Blythe Barrymore shares tips for those who want to start adopting a plant-based diet based on their experiences.

According to him, a plant-based diet can be done slowly step by step for beginners or for people who are still hesitant to run a diet. He said it's best to get rid of feelings of stress first when going to start a plant-based diet.

“The good news is you can go to more fast food restaurants or grocery stores and find more alternatives than ever before. You don't have to be in an expensive exclusive health food store to get those organic options," Barrymore told Healthline.

He also gave an example of how convenience stores or supermarkets, such as Walmart in the United States, are currently providing organic food ingredients because the demand for such products has grown rapidly in recent years.

As a child, Barrymore was raised a vegetarian and then adopted a vegan diet when he was 26 years old. According to him, being a practicing vegan was more challenging two decades ago than it is now.

"It was really hard to find something to eat (back then), and now the world has really changed in an extraordinary way in the last three years," he said.

Later, he tried to eat meat and followed a “flexitarian” diet (a combination of the words 'flexible' and 'vegetarian'). This approach tries to avoid meat products while looking for alternatives that are sustainable, healthy, and delicious.

When he avoided consuming chicken many years ago, Barrymore admitted that he was worried about finding processed chicken foods such as chicken tenders circulating everywhere, while children prefer these foods.

Last year, Barrymore finally joined forces with producer Quorn to make a plant-based product as a meat substitute with a look that resembles chicken tenders or nuggets.

By providing more plant-based food alternatives, Barrymore believes it is important in helping people make healthier food choices.

According to him, looking for alternative meat substitutes does not mean having to refuse food that other people think is delicious. For example, if someone likes chicken sandwiches, then look for a similar-looking meal in which the chicken is substituted for an alternative product.

On the other hand, as a mother with two children, she said she also understands how challenging it is to be a parent who has to ensure adequate nutrition for their children.

Barrymore stresses the importance of being a more flexible person when starting a plant-based diet and taking it slowly. This also applies to parents who want to apply a diet to themselves and their children.

"Not every day will be like that and not every circumstance will allow for that," he said.