Meatless Mondays: Emily Deschanel's Vegan Life on and off Set

We're back with the latest edition of Meatless Mondays, where we will showcase some of our favorite actors and actresses who are vegan or vegetarian. For those who don’t know, Meatless Mondays is a worldwide campaign encouraging others to eliminate meat from their diets once a week to improve their health and the planet’s health.

As a relatively new vegan myself, it’s inspiring to hear from fellow plant-based eaters and learn about their healthy journey - the successes and the difficulties. Going vegan or vegetarian isn’t just about eating healthy, but it’s about benefiting the planet, helping animals and treating your body right.

This Monday, talented actress Emily Deschanel is my feature vegan.

For eight seasons, Emily Deschanel has been making headlines as Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan on FOX’s hit drama ‘Bones.’ Just like her character, Deschanel is extremely dedicated to her beliefs - one being veganism.

For 20 years - since she’s been 16 years old - Deschanel has been vegan, and not once has she been ashamed or apologized for her cruelty-free lifestyle. Not only does she maintain a vegan diet, but she also incorporates veganism into her acting career, her public services and her life as a wife and a mother.

Let’s first focus on her acting career. Similar to Deschanel, her 'Bones' character is vegetarian. As fans of the hit series know, Brennan might not be a hardcore animal rights activist, but she chooses a vegetarian diet for health reasons. The series has also showcased several episodes surrounding animal issues, which at times Deschanel herself has suggested.

For example, one episode (Season 5, Episode 6) deals with chicken factory farming; Deschanel is quite proud of that storyline. As she told All Animals magazine, “People who are already in the know are very happy to see the episode. We don’t need to preach to the choir, so I’m always excited when I hear people say, 'Oh, I had no idea, and I’m not eating chicken anymore.' That’s no small victory.

“I have come to the conclusion that all or nothing is not necessarily the answer - it’s more like something is the answer for everybody, whether it’s Meatless Mondays or just being aware of your food and eating less meat or dairy products. Or it’s, ‘Oh, I’m not going to the circus anymore.’ Each step and choice we make makes a difference.”

I guess you could say she sometimes merges her real life with her acting life.

Speaking of her real life, Deschanel is married to David Hornsby and they have one son, Henry. Many celebs are judged on their personal lives, including how they raise their children. Before Deschanel even gave birth, she encountered criticism for remaining vegan while pregnant.

“Saying no to meat makes me feel stronger inside; I feel aligned with my morals and ethics. I still have to defend myself because people don’t understand it,” she told Ladies Home Journal in 2011. “As a pregnant woman especially, people will say to me, ‘You must eat meat and dairy.’ You really have to tap into your self-esteem whenever people try to convince you you’re making the wrong choice.”

Since Henry’s birth, Deschanel has been asked if she raises her son vegan - and the answer is yes. “We are raising Henry vegetarian; he will be mostly vegan and always have a choice in the matter, but we will educate him about why we make the choices we do with our food. My husband isn’t one hundred percent vegan. I read ‘Disease-Proof Your Child’ by Dr. Fuhrman, and think it is a must-read for parents trying to raise a healthy child,” she said.

Not only that, but she and her husband also provide an environmentally sound home for their son, “I am always on EWG’s [Environmental Working Group] Skin Deep website looking up products to use on Henry. It rates them so you know how toxic something is. I love Earth Mama Angel Baby. Their products are safe, smell amazing and actually work! I was already using natural products in my home and on my body, but having a child made me even more concerned about everything.”

Fellow vegans and fans of the actress respect her for her choices. Even major animal rights organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), The Humane Society for the United States and Farm Sanctuary have all recognized Deschanel for her animal kindness.

Get up close and personal with Deschanel’s vegan passion by watching this 2013 interview with Ecorazzi and HappyCow at the HSUS Veg Appetit Event.

Be sure to watch Deschanel this fall on Bones (Season 9 premieres Monday, Sept. 16).

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