The Chemistry of Being Meat-Free: A Periodic Table of Veg Celebrities

Even for those of us who weren’t chemistry buffs, the periodic table of elements always had interesting appeal, perhaps because the renowned chart demonstrated so much ingenuity and potential in the world around us. What else has potential? Choosing vegan foods. Simply by leaving animals off of our plates, we can prevent and reverse illness, preserve the environment and precious resources, and protect billions of cows, chickens, and pigs from a life of suffering.

Those benefits and more are reflected in the Periodic Table of Vegan and Vegetarian Stars, a fun spin on the scientific version in which veg celebrities play the leading role instead of the chemical elements. In each box, famous faces offer their motivation for choosing vegetarian foods, with quotes from historical change-makers including Albert Einstein and Rosa Parks to luminaries such as Bill Clinton, James Cameron, Steve Martin, and even Mr. Rogers.

Here’s a sampling of sound bites:

Bill Clinton: “All my blood tests are good, and my vital signs are good, and I feel good, and I also have, believe it or not, more energy.”

Rosa Parks: “For over forty years, I’ve been vegetarian. Growing up, my family had little money—I had health problems early in life because of poor nutrition. Eating healthy is a priority for me.”

Alicia Silverstone: “Once people spend time with farm animals in a loving way… a pig or cow or a little chicken or a turkey, they might find they relate with them the same way they relate with dogs and cats.”

Albert Einstein: “Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind.”

Steve Martin: “When I see bacon, I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that’s why I can’t eat it. Simple as that.”

Mr. Rogers: “I don’t want to eat anything that has a mother.”

Olivia Wilde: “I am really honored, and very inspired to continue living the vegan lifestyle that has been so good to my body, my animal friends, and the world we live in.”