‘Krispy Kreme’ Bill Clinton spreads vegan gospel

Former US president Bill Clinton is spreading the gospel of veganism. Clinton coyly admitted last year he was trying a more plant-based, heart-healthy diet, calling it "an experiment" to reverse the damage to his heart caused by cardiovascular disease. Clinton, 65, has a family history of heart disease and has undergone two heart operations, one in 2004 and another last year.
 
Now, the once pudgy politician famed for his love of hamburgers and Krispy Kreme doughnuts has admitted to CNN's Dr Sanjay Gupta that he considers himself a vegan.
 
"It's turning a ship around before it hits the iceberg," he told Gupta. Clinton says he now enjoys eating vegetables and beans and has dropped more than 20 pounds
 
The revelation has blown Slate political correspondent David Weigel's mind. He points out that former Democrat hopeful Dennis Kucinich's veganism was taken as proof of his "essential weirdness". Now the diet "that had been reserved for dog walkers and people who rescue food from dumpsters" has caught on with celebrities and rich people and even Clinton can boast about it.
 
The Huffington Post says Clinton has joined the ranks of an elite group of high-profile meat avoiders including Colorado Congressman Jared Polis, and former Indiana Congressman Andrew Jacobs Jr.
 
But the Daily Mail thinks Clinton's decision may have more to do with family than politics. The paper points to a recent interview in which he said he wanted to live long enough to be a granddad. "I'll probably get to be a crotchety old grandfather and have a lot of fun on the floor playing with kids, but that's not up to me." ·