Beyonce and Jay Z have encouaged a rise in the number of people taking up a vegan diet, according to new figures.
Beyonce and Jay Z went on a vegan diet in December
At the end of 2013 the power couple took up vegan diet for 22 days in the lead up to Christmas after being challenged by a friend to give up animal-based foods.
Jay Z was said to be hoping for ‘spiritual and physical cleanse’ by cutting out all animal products.
More people are pledging to go vegan for seven or 30 days, according to the vegan Society. There were 40% more people signing up to this temporary menu in the first two months of 2013 compared with the same period in 2012, it told the BBC.
Each temporary vegan might have very different motivations. Some might seek to shed the signs of Christmas indulgence, others might see it as a good way to detox.
Juliet Gellatley, director of the vegan and vegetarian group Viva, says most people do it either because of health concerns or because they have developed greater awareness of animal rights.
She told the BBC: ‘People might be prone to heart disease or want to get their cholesterol down.
‘Or it might be because they've seen something on factory farming. But once people turn to veganism, they usually open their minds to the other issue too.
‘The third factor, which is more unusual, is environmental reasons such as global warning or deforestation.’
The Vegan Society estimates that about 150,000 people in the UK are vegan.
This means they don't eat anything that comes from an animal: fish, meat or anything containing animal fats.
They also avoid dairy products such as cows’ milk, cheese and yoghurt and also eggs or products containing eggs.
And it's not just Beyonce and Jay Z who have tried Veganism, tennis star Venus Williams has fully adopted the lifestyle, as has Leona Lewis.
Will you be trying a vegan diet?