Chelsea Clinton Applauds Stella And Linda McCartney's Vegetarian Efforts

In an article for NBC's Rock Center, for which she is a special correspondent, Chelsea Clinton wrote admiringly of Stella and Linda McCartney's longtime dedication to vegetarianism.

Clinton, who now eats meat after 18 years of vegetarianism, gave up red meat at age 11 and all meat and fish at age 13. She said that her parents, Bill and Hillary Clinton, were "surprised and cautiously supportive — provided I learned how to get enough protein."

The first vegetarian cookbook Clinton ever bought was Linda McCartney's Home Cooking.

"In a very pragmatic way," Clinton wrote, "Linda McCartney helped me meet my mother's conditions for being a vegetarian, to get enough protein and eat a well-balanced diet and, in the process, helped both my mom and me feel good about the choice I had made."

Clinton also lauded Stella McCartney's commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle, especially with regard to her eponymous fashion label, which has long eschewed products made of animal materials like leather and fur. Clinton said she finds "listening to her talk about her passion for fashion and particularly ethically-based fashion" just as "charming and impressive" as her mother's cookbook was.

Stella McCartney, who is a vocal supporter of PETA, won recognition in 2012 from the British Fashion Awards as their Designer of the Year for her strictly vegan fashion lines.