In Conversation With Legendary Musician Bryan Adams On His Vegan Journey

This one's a piece from the vault - we had the opportunity to interview Bryan Adams when he was on tour in India last year. He spoke to us about food, lifestyle and how the vegan scene has changed over the years. Here's an excerpt from that interview.

He’s a trendsetting musician with timeless appeal and a fan base that spans generations. Bryan Adams has been making music for 40 years, 30 of those as a vegan. He’s always been vocal about choosing the lifestyle for the sake of the animals and our planet. But he also believes you can change your health for the better just by changing your diet. He would know – he’s been eating avocado toast way before it became an Instagram sensation! We caught up with the Canadian rocker during his India tour and spoke with him about his new album and all things vegan.

Vegan First: How does it feel to be back in India?

Bryan Adams: Excellent, this is our fifth concert tour here, and we’re playing cities in I’ve not been to before, which is exciting.

VF: What inspired you to put together the Ultimate mix of hits for your new album?

BA: To be honest it was my UK record company’s idea, they came to me and said “CD’s are probably going to become a thing of the past in the next year, we should do a new CD that best represents you today”. I liked the idea and it inspired the new song “Ultimate Love,” which now opens the show.

VF: You’ve been touring India since 1994. How has the dining scene changed...do you feel there are vegan more options now?

BA: Yes there certainly are, I feel that social media is mostly responsible for the new massive movement worldwide. There are now vegan options almost everywhere you go. My Instagram account always reacts when I post something about it.

VF: How easy or difficult is it to stick to the vegan lifestyle on the road, especially when you’re touring across continents?

BA: It’s easier now than in years gone by. Occasionally you get somewhere and the food is simply average or bland, but that’s the only complaint. Also, sometimes there is a kind of ‘fake cheese’ or ‘fake meat’ which I’m not a fan of, plus you find some dishes that claim to be vegan but have egg-based mayonnaise.

VF: You’ve been vegan for over to three decades now. What prompted the decision, and how long did it take you to eliminate all animal products from your life?

BA: Trusting doctors with my health just wasn’t working for me. I managed to change things (for the better) for myself within months by simply changing my diet. I saw what were chronic health problems disappear by eliminating animal products from what I was eating. I’ve never looked back.

VF: As someone who’s been vegan for so long, what kind of change have you seen in the movement? Do you feel youngsters and consumers today are more conscious of their eating habits and how it affects the planet?

BA: Yes for sure, it’s a big deal and even older people are adopting veganism. It’s interesting, when people go into a hospital for cancer, the first thing doctors do is change their patients’ diet to vegetarian – so they obviously know there is a benefit to a plant based diet. I believe in many cases, if people changed their diet to a plant-based one, they might avoid the hospital entirely.

VF: Your favourite thing to eat when you come to India?

BA: Today it’s a freshly made veggie samosa and a salad with fresh lemon.

VF: Do you have a message for the Indian Vegans?

BA: I’m grateful to be part of your world!

VF: Do you have a message for Vegan First ?

BA: Thank you for your commitment to helping people choose a healthier way of life.

VF: And finally - since this is the #bryanadamsultimate tour - your “ultimate” tip to spruce up a vegan meal?

BA: I believe lemon and lime is the secret ingredient to great veggie food. For example, you’ve made a soup and it’s missing something, add lemon and it’s instantly better. Try it!

Namaste.

_{*Feature image courtesy CLTure}

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