Darin Olien is the surprise star of Netflix’s brand new travel-meets-lifestyle series, Down to Earth.
The show launched on Friday, July 10th with plenty of fans lined up to watch, namely as the show had Hollywood actor Zac Efron fronting it. But while many viewers came to watch Zac, they stayed to find out more about Darin.
Darin is described on the show as a “guru of healthy living and superfoods.” A keen adventurer and explorer, Darin looks like he’s up to try anything. Except, there’s one thing that Darin refuses: meat.
So, is Darin Olien a vegan? We’ve done some digging into the Down to Earth star’s diet and lifestyle to find out more about him.
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Is Darin Olien vegan?
Yes.
In 2007, Darin Olien tried out an experiment with his diet. As he was training particularly hard, he wanted to see if he needed animal protein to maintain a higher level of fitness. Breaking down animal protein takes a lot of energy from your body and is harder to process.
Darin spoke of eliminating meat from his diet: “I took it all out, increased my workout loads, and started recording my results. I felt incredible and my acid reflux even went away.”
He continued:
For the next three or four years I continued to track how I felt and kept asking myself, “Do you want fish?” “Do you want a steak?” The answer always came back “No.”
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Down to Earth fans confused by Darin’s veganism
Although Darin Olien claims he is a committed vegan, some Down to Earth fans noticed he wasn’t eating a vegan diet on the show.
In some scenes, viewers claimed they could see Darin eating cheese, milk and other dairy products.
One viewer tweeted: “Why does Darin Olien the “Vegan” keep noshing cheese/milk/honey on #DownToEarth ?”
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Zac Efron’s face every time Darin eats something that isn’t vegan 🤣🤣🤣🤣 #DownToEarth
— Adriana Ramirez (@AdrianAlrb) July 13, 2020
Vegan recipes on Down to Earth
Darin and Zac obviously had to talk to vegans who are seeking to change the way the world eats; one of such was Ella Mills, who was featured in episode 7.
Ella Mills, or Deliciously Ella as she is known to many, is a food writer and entrepreneur, who now has her own snack range and a restaurant. Ella, who was diagnosed with POTS, changed her diet to improve her illness. She spoke with Zac about overcoming her illnesses through food and was vocal about the benefits of a vegan diet.
In episode 7, Ella shared one of her delicious recipes for a vegan curry. You can find some of Ella’s savoury recipes here, including a sweet potato and coconut curry, like the one she shares with Zac on Down to Earth.
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