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Animal Rights
The Life of Vegetarian Jack LaLanne
As a nutrition and fitness expert for almost 80 years, Jack LaLanne dedicated his life to inspiring people to eat properly and exercise. So it's no wonder that the nonagenarian was still remarkably spry when he passed away on Sunday at the age of 96.
For LaLanne, eating properly meant not eating meat or milk. When questioned about his aversion to milk during an interview on Dateline NBC, the always jovial Jack said, "It's not good for you. It's good for a suckling calf. Are you a suckling calf?"
Among his many credits, the "godfather of fitness" authored many books on health and hosted the longest-running television exercise program in history, The Jack LaLanne Show, for 34 years. LaLanne opened many health clubs and designed much of the equipment used in gyms today.
He is also known for his amazing feats of strength, such as swimming from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco while handcuffed (vegan PETA Foundation staffer and endurance swimmer Becky Fenson has made the same trek—swimming the butterfly, no less—but admittedly handcuff-free), towing up to 70 boats long distances while handcuffed and shackled, and doing 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes. LaLanne set several world records for strength and endurance.
Jack LaLanne's feats brought him fame, but all he really wanted was to show people how to be healthy. If you would like to follow Jack's long-lived example, you can start by picking up PETA's free vegetarian/vegan starter kit.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
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Comments
Not Necessarily
Jack LaLanne did not necessarily live to such a ripe old age because of his vegetarianism.
Countless other people have done so without
being vegetarians. And there is absolutely no evidence that milk is harmful to humans in any way.
re: Not Necessarily
Actually Superhorn, There is lots of evidence that milk is harmful to humans. Do a little research, search for scientific studies not industry hack sites or blogger opinion.
On your first point, it is well documented that people who eat a healthy plant based diet have the longest life expectancy. And people who eat the most animal have the shortest, look it up!
Plenty of Evidence
There is plenty of evidence dairy is bad for you. Cow milk in its natural state is high in animal fat and bad cholesterol. Most cheeses, ice cream, and butter are also very high in fat. You will get fat/obese and probably develop diabetes later in life if you consume a lot of these.
The jury is still out on the rest but I would rather not risk it. Unless it is certified organic, even skim milk and low-fat dairy products can contain high amounts of pesticides, anti-biotics, and unnatural animal hormones. Bovine hormones are even in organic milk.
Chloe
Jack LaLanne was such a fitness icon. We’ll remember him always for his energetic spirit and workout tips. I love this video because it shows how young he still was, even at 94 years old!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKEHWISVi9U
Let us honor the man first.
I don't think Jack LaLanne would be comfortable being the new symbol for vegetarianism unless you gave him a pass for eating fish. Jack had his diet, which changed over the years. From what I can tell in his later years, he eat fish daily as his main protein.
Jack discusses his diet on Larry King Live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caE2P6CTNYo
I am an ovo-lacto vegetarian , and I think those who are truly vegetarian - no milk, no eggs, no fish - deserve to have the meaning of the word 'vegetarian' remain intact.
"The Life of Vegetarian Jack LaLanne" ? Let's try not to co-opt him. His greatness goes beyond what he did or did not put into his stomach. He is an inspiration even now. It's hard not to smile thinking of Jack Lalanne.