Is Christie Brinkley a Vegetarian? What We Know About the Legendary Supermodel's Diet

While Christie Brinkley may have become mega famous for gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated's illustrious swimsuit issues — and for appearing in Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl' music video — she remains a prominent cultural figure for her continued cameos and advocacy work. Some of that work includes her support of animal rights organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

As such, many people wonder if Christie Brinkley is a vegetarian, and what kind of diet she follows that allows her to keep speaking up for animal rights while also maintaining a lifestyle that focuses so much on health and fitness.

You can find out more below.

Christie Brinkley has tried a lot of different types of diets over the years, according to a 2024 New You interview. “I became a vegetarian when I was 14 years old because I didn’t want to be a part of the violent slaughterhouse system," she said on camera before adding that she loves animals.

But, her plant-based diet hasn't been the only trend she's followed when it comes to her health over the years, according to the supermodel, she has given a lot of different methods a try.

That includes a macrobiotic diet, which is a plant-based diet that focuses more on those foods and grains that are unprocessed. She also said she's tried her hand at going lacto-ovo, which means abstaining from meat while still eating products that contain dairy and/or eggs.

While both are considered forms of vegetarianism, it's worth noting that they have different nuances and dietary requirements.

However, while she admits to trying a bunch of different trends on her search for the perfect diet, she says that she hasn't eaten "red meat or fowl" since she first cut them out of her life all those years ago, according to a 2018 interview with The Cut.

Her vegetarian lifestyle is something she says has helped her stay active and healthy over the years, and she even credits it for giving her a ton of energy, which she needs to maintain her vigorous lifestyle at 71.

Want to be as healthy and active as Brinkley is? Maybe consider trying some of her go-to meal ideas. For example, Brinkley told Harper's Bazaar magazine about her favorite breakfast options, sharing how there was one menu option that always kept her satiated well into the day.

Brinkley starts her day with sheep's milk yogurt topped with a variety of fruits — including blueberries and blackberries — and mixed with protein-packed items like walnuts, chia seeds, and raw oatmeal.

On those days that she needs an extra boost of protein, she said she'll head to the kitchen to cook up an egg-white omelet, which she loves to top with spinach and mushrooms.

Want a more plant-based option? Brinkley's other go-to is a simple avocado toast.

While we can't all expect to look like Brinkley in our seventies, eating like her while we're young can certainly help us to enjoy a little bit more energy throughout the day.

Not only that, but it can also help the environment when we remove meat and meat byproducts from our diets, which in turn helps the animals that are killed or mistreated as part of the process.