India Arie

India Arie is an award-winning American singer and songwriter. Between 2001 and 2019 she released seven studio albums. Her debut album, Acoustic Soul, reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and number three on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts. Her second album did even better, reaching number six in the US charts and taking the top spot in the R&B/Hip-Hop Album charts. She has had 23 Grammy nominations and won Best R&B Album in 2003 for Voyage to India and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the single ‘Little Things’.

Why India Arie is vegan

India Arie became vegan for health reasons.

India Arie started eating healthily as a child, under the influence of her father who was a professional basketball player and became vegan at the age of 15 due to an allergy to cheese and other dairy foods.¹Robinson, B. 2020. How Soulbird India.Arie Is Helping Calm The Nation During These Turbulent Times. Forbes. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/06/05/how-soulbird-indiaarie-is-helping-calm-the-nation-during-these-turbulent-times/?sh=bc50c0711be7 [Accessed 19 March 2021]. She prioritises clean, unprocessed plant-based foods but has admitted she has struggled with carbs at times and hasn’t eaten as healtily as she would have liked.²Arie, I. 2025. My New Asking Practice. Available: https://indiaarie.substack.com/p/my-new-asking-practice [Accessed 26 May 2026]. To ensure she stays healthy while touring she employs a vegan chef.³Tomasko, F. M. 2014. India.Arie – Prepare to Fly. LA Yoga. Available: https://layoga.com/entertainment/interviews/india-arie-prepare-fly/ [Accessed 26 May 2026]. She enjoys yoga and meditation and is very mindful of what she puts into her body.⁴Thatsister.com. 2019. 6 Famous Black Vegetarians and Vegans. Available: https://www.thatsister.com/6-famous-black-vegetarians-and-vegans/2/ [Accessed 19 March 2021].

“When I was about 15, I started making my own choices about diet. I stopped eating dairy and I became a vegan because I was allergic to some things like cheese. (…) I was super sluggish and it affected my digestion. So I went into reading books learning how to heal myself. I did my first detox and learned to heal an ulcer by myself. My wellness practice grew from there.”⁵Robinson, B. 2020. How Soulbird India.Arie Is Helping Calm The Nation During These Turbulent Times. Forbes. Available: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2020/06/05/how-soulbird-indiaarie-is-helping-calm-the-nation-during-these-turbulent-times/?sh=bc50c0711be7 [Accessed 19 March 2021].