Discover Lisa Bonet's Incredible Journey from Plant-Based Diet to Ultimate Holistic Wellness

Lisa Bonet, renowned for her roles as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show and A Different World, has captivated audiences with her carefree personality and stunning beauty. Beyond her acting career, Bonet's lifestyle choices, particularly her diet, have garnered attention. This article explores Lisa Bonet's dietary journey, her views on health and wellness, and how these choices have shaped her life.

Early Life and Career

Lisa Bonet was born on November 16, 1967, in San Francisco, California. Her mother, Arlene Joyce, was a schoolteacher of Jewish ancestry, and her father, Allen Bonet, was an African American opera singer. Bonet landed her first commercial at age 11 and appeared in several small projects in the early 80s. Her big break came in 1984 when she was cast as Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show at 16.

In 1991, she left the series after her relationship with Bill Cosby turned sour. Around this time, Bonet began to step out of her family-show persona and embrace her true rebel roots. She posed nude in Interview magazine and performed a racy sex scene with actor Mickey Rourke in the 1987 drama Angel Heart. Following her departure from The Cosby Show, Bonet continued to work in the entertainment industry, appearing in several films and TV shows over the years. That same year, Bonet left the acting world after she fell in love with her first ex-husband Lenny Kravitz. The couple married and welcomed their daughter Zoë Kravitz in 1988, but the pair filed for divorce in 1993.

Adoption of a Plant-Based Diet

Lisa Bonet's journey with plant-based eating began in 1987 after reading John Robbins' book, Diet for a New America. This book examines meat and other animal products from various perspectives, including health, environmental impact, animal rights, and world hunger, advocating for a plant-based diet as a superior choice in all aspects.

Convinced by the book's arguments, Lisa adopted a plant-based diet and decided to raise her daughter Zoë, born in 1988, on a similar diet. In 1990, she discussed her dietary choices on The Phil Donahue Show, emphasizing the importance of consumer choices in protecting the environment and reducing the consumption of meat and other animal products. She highlighted the environmental impact of meat production, noting that rainforests were being chopped down for hamburgers. Bonet urged viewers to "become aware and [start] changing your habits at home.”

Read also: The Science of Sweating

Veganism: More Than Just a Diet

While Lisa Bonet followed a plant-based diet, it's important to distinguish between plant-based eating and veganism. Veganism encompasses a broader ethical stance, boycotting all forms of animal exploitation. While eliminating meat and other animal products from one's diet is a significant part of veganism, it is not the only aspect.

In the early 1990s, veganism wasn't as mainstream as it is today, and Lisa Bonet was a frontrunner in promoting plant-based eating. However, there is no mention the animals even once in the entire episode.

Dietary Choices in Recent Years

After divorcing Lenny Kravitz in 1993, Lisa raised Zoë alone until 2000, when Zoë moved to live with her father. Zoë later stated that she stuck to "mostly vegan health food just because it’s how I grew up.” This suggests that Lisa either maintained a completely plant-based diet or ate mostly plant-based foods between 1990 and 2000.

In 2005, Lisa began dating Jason Momoa, who did not follow a plant-based diet. They have two children together, a daughter born in 2007 and a son born in 2008. Over time, they also took in a few animals, like goats, wolfdogs, and a donkey. Lisa's diet during these years remains uncertain, as she hasn't spoken about it publicly. In 2010, she was spotted carrying a bag that defined "Erewhonian" as someone into organic, kosher, macrobiotic, raw foods, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, low-carbohydrate, and chemical and pesticide-free products. However, this alone cannot confirm her dietary practices.

Departure from Plant-Based Eating

In 2014, Lisa attended the Vanity Fair Oscar party wearing a fur coat, indicating that she was not vegan at the time, even if she was following a plant-based diet. She has also been seen wearing fur, leather, and other animal materials on other occasions. In 2017, she revealed in an interview that her typical breakfast included seasoned bone broth, scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil, and sourdough bread toasted with raw butter, all of which are animal products. This suggests that she had stopped following a plant-based diet. She hasn’t spoken about her diet since. So, there’s no reason to assume that she has gone back to following a plant-based diet.

Bonet's Holistic Approach to Wellness

Beyond her diet, Lisa Bonet embraces a holistic approach to wellness, encompassing skincare, physical activity, and mental well-being. At 55 years old, Lisa Bonet continues to radiate youthfulness and beauty. With flawless skin and a vibrant glow, she effortlessly defies the passing years. Lisa Bonet’s secret to looking young lies in her dedicated skincare routine, healthy lifestyle choices, and a genuine zest for life. Her ageless beauty serves as an inspiration to many, proving that age is just a number when it comes to maintaining a youthful and captivating presence.

Skincare Routine

Bonet emphasizes the importance of using natural and chemical-free products on her skin. She uses coconut oil as a body lotion. Something as easily affordable as coconut oil can replace many creams and lotions and do the job just as well. It can keep your skin hydrated and relieve signs of inflammation. The Road to Paloma actress says she likes coconut oil because it’s free of harsh chemicals. “I use organic coconut oil, which is what I use on my body as well,” she shared. “It’s simple and pure. Why put a lotion on your body that has 10 ingredients when you can put on one that is from nature and smells divine and does the job?” She also takes good care of her sensitive skin. Bonet admits her skin is quite sensitive, and it’s important to choose the skincare products wisely to avoid irritation. “I use pretty active things at night to keep the cells turning over. I use a scrub a couple of times a week. Then I’ll use a couple of serums. I also have really sensitive skin that requires a good amount of care. I’m not one of those people who can go to sleep with their makeup on and wake up and be fine,” she shared.

Physical Activity

Regular exercise is another cornerstone of Lisa Bonet's healthy lifestyle. She stays active. Invision/Invision/East NewsRegular exercise has numerous benefits for your well-being and can even help prevent premature skin aging. The actress shares that, despite her excellent physical condition, she primarily leans towards low-impact exercises. “My favorite form of fitness is dance. I take an African dance class that I live for. I just walked in one day, and I have been doing it pretty regularly for seven years now. I also do Pilates twice a week, yoga once a week, and I go to the gym twice a week,” she said.

Mental and Emotional Well-being

Bonet leads a quiet and tranquil life up in the mountains, an hour outside of Los Angeles, where she continues to write and create. She also keeps her brows natural. Admedia, Inc/Sipa USA/East News, Evan Agostini/Invision/East NewsTransforming the shape of your brows has the incredible power to sculpt your face, giving you a timeless allure that can effortlessly take years off or infuse a youthful radiance. Bonet says she likes to keep her brows intact. “My brows are natural. I guess I got lucky. If you overtweeze, they might not grow back. I’ve always kept them quite full. It’s amazing how brows can change your face,” she said.

Activism and Environmentalism

Outside of acting, Bonet is also known for her activism and her commitment to environmental causes. She has been a longtime supporter of the Natural Resources Defense Council and has spoken out about the importance of living a sustainable lifestyle.

Balancing Work and Home Life

An important part of being human is finding the right balance between a busy fulfilling working life and a healthy home life. Such a balance is by no means always easy to achieve, and stressful working days can often lead to unplanned and unhealthy diets where the emphasis is laid on convenience rather than dietary need.

The Jainist Diet

A great deal can be gained from paying attention to other cultures in respect to food and the Jainist diet, is here a particularly good example. The diet is vegetarian in nature and thereby avoids the downsides associated with meat protein: hypertension, cardiac problems, ulcers, and cancer and kidney failure. However, it is also more than just a diet, but also a way of life. Consequently in order to carry over this balance into eating, food is divided into three subsections: sattvik (highest purity), rajasik (passion) and tamasik (darkness) which helps to guide the adherent. Sattvik foods are the most important, leading to clarity and equanimity of mind, and include foods such as legumes, cereal grains, fruits and nuts; Rajasik meanwhile, cause an over-excitation of the body, and includes food groups such as chocolate, salt, eggs, fish, tea and coffee which should be eaten with great constraint; Finally, the tamasik foods, which should be avoided altogether, promote anger and disease and include meat, alcohol, tobacco, onions, garlic and fermented foods. Embracing of the tamastik diet often causes overeating, not to mention anger, greed and jealousy. We can see then, that overeating of tamastik and rajastik foods in the US diet can cause an emotional instability and possibly even lead to mental disorders later in life.

Advice from Other Celebrities

Many celebrities have shared their tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including:

Zoe Kravitz: Stressed the need for us to talk more about body image and issues with food.
Angela Bassett: Stays youthful and healthy by eating clean with lots of veggies and she stays toned by exercising more days than not.
Ludacris: Surround yourself with people who work out, it will rub off.
Chad Coleman: Pumping iron is important.
Nick Cannon: Put your ego aside and get a check-up regularly.
Danai Gurira: You always have 20 minutes to work out.
Kerry Washington: Pilates is a game-changer.
Nelly: If anything, do sit-ups and push ups.
Jada Pinkett Smith: Veggies and chicken are everything.
Mike Epps: Boxing is no joke.
Zoe Saldana: Enjoy life…and food.
Jazmine Sullivan: I’m big! Now carry on.
Naomi Campbell: Yoga does a body good.
Andre 3000: Eat your vegetables.
Gabourey Sidibe: Love yourself no matter what size you are.
Lenny Kravitz: Take your workout to go.
Halle Berry: Don’t try crazy diets after giving birth.
Terrence J: For leaner abs, eat more protein and veggies.
Lupita Nyong’o: Drink more water to get glowing skin.
Brandon Marshall: Don’t be afraid to get mental health help.
Alicia Keys: Empower yourself about HIV with knowledge.
Michelle Obama: Strike a pose.
50 Cent: Turn a bad situation into a good one.
Mary J. Blige: Swimming helps me stay fit.
Omari Hardwick: Playing sports taught me a lot.
Kevin Hart: Work out with your friends.
Traci Braxton: You can’t eat everything you want.
Barack Obama: Quitting smoking is hard.
Beyoncé: Fitness is about your mindset.
Jamie Foxx: Protein, protein, protein!
Kelly Rowland: You gotta work hard.
Idris Elba: Try kickboxing for cardio.
Tia Mowry: It’s important to slow down.

tags: #lisa #bonet #diet #and #lifestyle