Books

Beyoncé & JAY-Z Just Wrote The Foreword To A New Book — About Going Vegan

by Sadie Trombetta
Christopher Polk/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Beyoncé and JAY-Z really want you to try veganism. In the introduction for The Greenprint, the latest book from author, exercise physiologist, and celebrity personal trainer Marco Borges, the power couple challenges their fans to give the plant-based lifestyle a try.

“We all have a responsibility to stand up for our health and the health of the planet," Beyoncé and JAY-Z write in the introduction to Greenprint, the newest lifestyle book from Queen Bey's personal trainer. "Let’s take this stand together. Let’s spread the truth. Let’s make this mission a movement. Let’s become ‘the Greenprint.'"

For many fans, this challenge won't come as much of a surprise. Over the years and with the help and under the guidance of Borges, Beyoncé and JAY-Z have tried being vegan. In fact, the couple's love of plant-based lifestyle can be traced back to 2013, when they participated in a 22-day vegan challenge. (You can even read JAY-Z's blog about it here.) Borges, who originally encouraged them to try adding more plant-based nutrition to their diets, told PEOPLE the couple "loved it" — so much, in fact, that in 2015, Beyoncé and JAY-Z co-launched the 22 Days Nutrition program alongside Borges.

For years, Beyoncé and JAY-Z have shared their vegan lifestyle on social media with the hashtag #22daysvegan. Now, "we want to challenge you, as we challenge ourselves," they write in Greenprint's intro.

But, not every member of the Beyhive was thrilled to see their queen and her husband advocating on behalf of veganism. When news of Bey and JAY-Z's introduction hit the internet, reactions were mixed. There were some who were excited to give veganism a try, others who were skeptical but willing to follow in Queen Bey's footsteps. Of course, there were plenty of haters who made fun of of the challenge for no other reason than to trash on veganism. But there were also plenty of people who pointed out how problematic it is when wealthy celebrities promote expensive and often unattainable lifestyles to fans who simply can't afford it.

Twitter users were quick to engage in a conversation about the intersections of wealth, privilege, health, and diet.

"The discussion toggled from the very real existence of food deserts to Bey’s and Jay’s philanthropy efforts," writes The Root's Tonja Renée Stidhum of the online conversation around Beyoncé and JAY-Z's challenge. "The accessibility to a plant-based diet isn’t black and white, and neither is the overall discussion surrounding it."

According to the introduction in Greenprint, Bey and JAY's challenge for fans isn't simply black and white either. They do not argue that readers should give up animal-based foods entirely, but encourage them to add more plant-based meals to their diet.

“Having children has changed our lives more than anything else,” they write. “We used to think of health as a diet — some worked for us, some didn’t. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible.”