Kimberly Elise Wants You to Go Vegan in D.C. for New Year’s

Hit the Floor Star’s PETA Radio Spot Promotes Healthy Meat-Free Meals

For Immediate Release:
December 26, 2018

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

“Do you know what medicine can reverse heart disease, curb obesity, ward off cancer, and keep you going strong? VEGAN FOOD.” That’s the message of Kimberly Elise‘s new PETA public service announcement (PSA), which is hitting the radio in D.C. just in time for the new year—and the resolutions that go along with it.

“Stock your shelves with fruits, veggies, and grains, and try those veggie burgers and sausages you’ve seen on grocery store shelves!” Elise says in the PSA, which will air on WASH-FM today through December 28 and on December 31 and January 1. “Live the healthy life you deserve—go on, try it!”

African-American communities and low-income neighborhoods are often disproportionately affected by a lack of access to healthy, fresh food. But popular vegan restaurants in D.C. include NuVegan Café, which serves a varied menu of vegan soul food dishes, and Evolve Vegan Restaurant, whose specialties include nondairy mac and cheese and vegan fried chicken.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—notes that on average, vegans are significantly leaner than meat-eaters and that the consumption of meat and other animal-derived products has been conclusively linked to an increased risk of suffering from heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Vegan eating is also an excellent choice for people who suffer from digestive problems if they consume cow’s milk—a condition affecting 70 percent of African-Americans. The group will also run Elise’s PSA on radio stations in New York and Los Angeles.

In addition to her NAACP Image Award–winning performances in projects such as For Colored Girls, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, and Soul Food, Elise is known for her popular website, which offers vegan recipes, health advice, natural beauty tips, and more. She will next appear in 2019’s Ad Astra.

Elise is part of a long list of celebrities—including Nia Long, Mýa, Alicia Silverstone, RZA, Kat Graham, Joaquin Phoenix, Forest Whitaker, Peter Dinklage, Jermaine Dupri, and Emily Deschanel—who’ve teamed up with PETA to promote healthy and humane meat-free meals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

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