Sen. Cory Booker
Cory BookerSanders backs Kaiser Permanente workers ahead of Monday strike Warren presses Biden on pardons for nonviolent cannabis convictions Time for a national strategy on food MORE says he’s thinking of extending his vegan lifestyle.
The New Jersey Democrat and longtime vegetarian vowed last month to eat an animal-product-free diet until the end of the year. Now, the self-proclaimed Ben & Jerry’s fanatic says it could be even longer before he digs into a pint of his favorite (and definitely not vegan) ice cream.
“One of the ideas I’m debating is going one more month, from January 1st to February 1st,” Booker tells Philly.com. The lawmaker says he’s thinking of “inviting people to do a one-month experiment with me. Maybe do a video and see if we can get a lot of folks.”
Booker, 45, praises his new food regimen, saying, “I have to say, I feel a lot better, both emotionally and physically. And it’s like simplifying your life.”
When he tried to go vegan in 1993, Booker says he felt it was “incredibly hard.” But, he says, “The compelling reasons that made me become vegetarian are pretty much the same compelling reasons for me to become a vegan. I almost felt like I’d been playing avoidance on [it] for a long time, just giving in to things like Ben & Jerry’s and New Jersey pizza.”
While Booker says being a vegan has made his life “more simple and cleaner,” he acknowledges it’s not for everyone.
“I don’t want to judge other people for their decisions. I’m a vegan who drives an SUV, for crying out loud.”
