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Hollywood star Alicia Silverstone made a splash this spring in
her latest role as Susan Heffley in Diary
of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. She has long had more on her mind that her
long and illustrious acting career, though. She is a bestselling author and
outspoken activist for animals and the earth.
Most recently, Alicia stood up for animals and
chocolate lovers at the same time.
In an open letter she wrote with animal rights charity PETA, the long-time vegan asked Ghirardelli to bring
back their discontinued vegan chocolate chips. The famous chocolatier’s Ghirardelli
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips used to be vegan, but now they contain
animal-derived ingredients.
The power of chocolate
Alicia told Ghirardelli: “Vegan chocolate is a
powerful source of antioxidants and is chock-full of essential nutrients. It
improves blood flow and reduces stress. That’s why I’m urging you to switch
Ghirardelli’s semi-sweet chocolate chips back to their original dairy-free
recipe, so health conscious snackers and bakers alike can indulge.”
She then touched upon the growing trend of vegan
eating, and she urged the chocolate company to take advantage of this growing
dairy-free market.
She was kind to the company as well, encouraging its leaders
to make the company an inspiring model for other businesses by changing the
chocolate chips back to the vegan recipe.
Food lover
It’s clear the blond beauty loves her sweets. Don’t
think Alicia makes chocolate a main staple of her diet, though. She has been
outspoken about healthy eating in her book The
Kind Life and on her website.
She also talks about it openly when
discussing her lifestyle, telling Food & Wine: “I think it’s great that
people are coming out with alternatives to animal products.
“There are so many
amazing ones! I love things like Heidi Ho Chevre, Field Roast Sausages,
Vegenaise, and Earth Balance Butter—which are mind-blowingly yum—but I
personally like to keep my diet as close to the earth as possible. So while
these options are tasty—and so much better than animal foods—they are not part
of my regular diet.”
‘No brainer’
The actress recently channeled
her beloved Clueless character Cher
at the end of her explanation of the simplicity of eating a vegan diet to Fox
News.
She said: “Being able to do something that is good
for the Earth, good for the animals, and good for you all at the same time
seems like such a no-brainer. It’s like the biggest ‘Duh!’”
Who can argue with that? Another thing that Cher
and Alicia have in common is a big heart, and Alicia is no stranger to using
hers to make a positive change in the world.
It remains to be seen whether Ghirardelli
will make changes after Alicia’s request, although the company’s website does
state that it does currently have vegan items with dark chocolate that are
dairy-free.
If you’d like to join in Alicia’s quest, PETA
has a helpful
guide to how you can contact the company to
politely request that they bring back vegan chocolate chips. Meanwhile, if you
are craving chocolate chips, companies like Enjoy Life and Whole Foods offer
vegan chocolate chips in all their yummy glory.
READ MORE:
Alicia Silverstone: Food Industry Tells ‘Constant Lies’
The Top 3 Reasons Teens Are Going Vegan
Vegan Dairy-Free Ice-Cream Bars Set To Shake Up The Free-From Category
