Admitting that he always ate what he wanted for the last 47 years, the filmmaker says he decided to adopt a vegan diet because he doesn't want to return to hospital for emergency surgery again.
- Jul 23, 2018
AceShowbiz - Kevin Smith is in good health following his massive heart attack five months ago.
The 47-year-old actor and filmmaker was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery back in February after falling ill following a comedy show gig in Glendale, California.
Since the life-threatening heart attack, Smith has lost more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) and has transformed his diet and lifestyle in an effort to live longer.
"My health is good," he told E! News while at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, July 20.
The Clerks star revealed he was totally unaware he was having a heart attack until told by a doctor before being wheeled into surgery.
"He's like, 'You're having a massive heart attack right now, you didn't know? They didn't tell you?' And I was like, 'No,'" he joked. "The doctor saved my life."
To try and counteract the cholesterol that caused the life-threatening health scare, Smith consulted a nutritionist and decided to adopt a vegan diet.
"I said, 'You know what? I ate any way I wanted for like the last 47 years. For one year I am going to try life as a vegan.' It's been okay, I don't miss much," he said of the plant-based eating regime.
However, Smith confessed that eating more vegetables was difficult for him.
"Winding up in the operating room, I was like, 'I never want to do this s**t again,'" he explained. "It's hard to be a vegan when you hate vegetables. But peanut butter and jelly technically is vegan. So you find nooks and crannies to live in and slowly you expand the diet. Like I've started eating chickpeas for the first time in my life - pretty amazing."
