A seriously funny vegetarian: Bertice Berry inspires others using the lighter side of a meatless diet

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 1995 by Roz Warren

WHEN BERTICE BERRY resolved to become a vegetarian at age 14 to help keep down her high blood pressure, she had the complete support of her family--but not because they thought she was doing the right thing. "We were poor," says Berry, "really, really poor. So when I said I wasn't going to eat meat everybody said, 'Great! There's more for us!'"

Best known as the host of "The Bertice Berry Show," a syndicated talk show that used to be on NBC, Berry, now 34, got into the entertainment business as a stand-up comic. Her start in comedy, oddly enough, came through teaching. Berry, one of seven children, was the first in her family to go to college. After getting her Ph.D. in sociology, she taught sociology and statistics at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, where her sense of humor made her one of the university's most popular instructors. Then a colleague suggested that Berry try stand-up comedy.

Berry was an immediate hit, and in 1992 won three awards from the National Association of Campus Activities: Comedian of the Year, Lecturer of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. She then hit the comedy circuit full-time before being offered the chance to do a talk show. Since the show's cancellation last fall, Berry has been working on a motivational book, giving motivational lectures around the country and doing some stand-up.

People often are surprised to find out Berry is a vegetarian because she's big. She has boundless energy and is in terrific shape--but she's no waif. "You know when you ask at a restaurant if there's anything vegetarian on the menu, they always answer, 'We have a lovely steamed vegetable plate.' You think I got these thighs with a lovely steamed vegetable plate?" she scoffs. "I've got to go someplace where I can really eat!"

Berry describes herself as "on the path" toward healthful eating but adds that she's not a purist; one of her favorite comfort foods is Lucky Charms cereal, which she had once as a child and swore she would always have in her house if she ever had money.

Although she stopped eating meat for health reasons, Berry has found that her diet has taken on a more spiritual aspect. "People were always asking me, 'Where do you get all your energy?'" Berry realized there had to be a reason why she, unlike her meat-eating friends, could easily put in a 16-hour workday and then go out dancing. And why, even in tough times, she felt centered and at peace. "I began to realize the connection between what I ate and who I was," she says.

Berry doesn't impose her dietary choices on others. "I don't care what other people [eat]," she says. "I just know this is the way I have to eat." But many friends and co-workers have gone vegetarian after spending time with her. "I'm not going to try to convert you," she says. "But just watch me! Let my life be an example."