American Idol’s Ruben Studdard Goes Vegetarian and Loses 80 Pounds

American Idol crooner Ruben Studdard’s silky voice, combined with his rotund physique, earned him the nickname “Velvet Teddy Bear.” But one of the big stories about his “Return” this fall was how a chance encounter with a Seventh-Day Adventist leaflet, combined with a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure, inspired the former college football star to “clean up his temple” and adopt a vegetarian diet—a lifestyle change that has helped him shed pounds.

PETA’s Dan Mathews caught up with Ruben on the eve of his tour promoting his new album, The Return, to talk about how the leaner—but not meaner—Teddy Bear’s new diet makes him feel and to get the scoop on his absolute must-have dish while on tour.

Dan Mathews: Congrats on another Top 10 album. Now tell us: Why did you decide to become vegetarian?

Ruben Studdard: Actually, I went to the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in North Carolina for a month, and they basically taught me how to live a healthier lifestyle. But I wasn’t a vegetarian then; I was just eating lean protein—basically fish, really—and I did that for a month, and I lost 40 pounds. And I actually came home, and there was a little brochure in my hometown paper—I ain’t never told nobody this—but it was a thing about cleaning up your temple. I think it was like a Seventh-Day Adventist magazine, and they were talking about “try vegetarian.” I went online that day, and I just started reading little things from different vegetarians, and it was so much easier than I thought it would be, so I decided to try it, maybe two weeks after leaving Duke, and it’s been great. I feel amazing.

DM: So you first became interested in vegetarianism for health reasons, but then spiritual reasons also came into play?

RS: Yeah, when I was reading that brochure, it was like, “OK, that’s what I need to be doing right now.” And it’s been really great. I totally see a difference in my skin, everything. Vegetarianism is a better way if you’re really trying to live a healthier lifestyle. The brochure talked about all the colon problems, etc. And I’ve had a hydro-colonic before. So the lady that does that for us, she eats only raw vegetables—like she won’t eat anything but raw vegetables. And of course every time we’d go, she’d be like, “Try this” and “Stop this,” but of course we weren’t paying any attention—but now, of course, we do!

DM: What are some of your favorite foods?

RS: My favorite dish is from PF Chang’s: the Buddha’s Feast. It’s hands-down my favorite dish. And the tofu lettuce wraps. My favorite brand now is Morningstar. Anything Morningstar, I love it—except for the sausage links. The patties ain’t bad though. But yesterday I had the fake buffalo wings. Every week, it gets more surprising, the amount of options you have as a vegetarian, because you never before would have been looking for those different options to satisfy your hunger, so to speak, so it’s really refreshing. Especially with all my travels, it’s really a lot easier than I thought to find healthier options. I still like to make greens and sweet potatoes and potato salad, just things like … you know, ’cause I’m from the South, and you know, my mom kind of taught me how to cook, still … I honestly still crave that meat flavor—so she taught me how to use the veggie bouillon cubes and stuff with my food. McDonald’s has a veggie burger now. It’s not as good as Burger King’s. Burger King’s veggie burger is off the chain.

DM: Did you feel a difference in your energy level when you went vegetarian?

RS: Oh my god. As tired as I am today, I don’t think I would have been able to do this hour-and-30-minute show had I not become vegetarian. I’ve dropped 80 pounds since leaving Duke—but 40 of that came after I became a vegetarian. My band, they all complain about my rider requirements for only veggie stuff backstage, but they’re learning, too, like I did. There’s always a better way to live if you’re open to it.