“I know you’ve been on a vegan kick,” Topol offered, as part of a broader question, which for our purposes we’ll bypass quoting. To this Gore responded:

“Over a year ago I changed my diet to a vegan diet, really just to experiment to see what it was like. And I felt better, so I continued with it. Now, for many people, that choice is connected to environmental ethics and health issues and all that stuff, but I just wanted to try it to see what it was like. In a visceral way, I felt better, so I’ve continued with it and I’m likely to continue it for the rest of my life.”

Color us proud that Gore took a cue, this cue, from former president Bill Clinton, joining throngs around the world who’ve eschewed eating animal products. This is a spectacular step that anyone can take and it’s no surprise that people in power are adopting the healthy habit. It’s empowering! Individuals have so little control over most aspects their lives (and, for that matter, the planet’s goings-on), but what we put in and on our bodies is 100% up to us. No one makes us consume crap. That’s our own doing.

So, that Gore has with this transition joined fellow movers-and-shakers (from ex-presidents to athletes, business moguls to real estate tycoons, rock stars to Hollywood darlings) is nothing short of spectacular. Let’s hope he forever “feels better” on a vegan diet (we don’t doubt that he will, unless he subsists on French fries and Oreos) and dines this way “for the rest of” his life. Given Gore’s global influence and access, as a leader he is perfectly poised to inspire others to try life without a heaping side of horror and hypocrisy. And ideally this shift will further advance the vegan conversation. President Obama, are you listening?