Jon Stewart talks benefits of plant-based diet at Monmouth U. 'Game Changers' screening

Chris Jordan | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption Tracey and Jon Stewart's farm partners with Laurino Farms, Lunch Break Tracey and Jon Stewart's farm partners with Laurino Farms, Lunch Break to promote healthy eating

Jon Stewart has seen the light of a plant-based diet.

Now, athletes are getting the news, according to the new film, “The Game Changers.” Stewart, who lives in Red Bank, hosted a film screening and a panel discussion on the rise of plant-based eating in professional sports, and it's overall positive effects on guys, as depicted in "The Game Changers" on Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Pollak Theatre on the campus of Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

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“I don't know if you see the healthy glow of my skin, but it wasn't always this way,” said Stewart to reporters prior to the screening. “I was an ashen, bloated, I smoked a lot, I did not live properly. But I've been turned around by broccoli.”

“The Game Changers,” executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan, stars mixed martial artists James Wilks, who is also an U.S. special forces trainer. Wilks interviews athletes, including members of the Tennessee Titans and Schwarzenegger, and doctors around the world about what they feel are the beneficial effects of a plant-based diet on an active lifestyle.

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“I've been vegetarian for five years, and really plant-based for five or six months, but I still can't disarm a man with my bare hands,” quipped Stewart to Wilks on the stage. “So how much longer do I have to eat kale before I can take people's guns away?”

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The panel included Rip Esselstyn and Nick Berman, New York City firemen who appear in the film; Joseph Pace, a “Game Changers” producer, and Dr. Robert Ostfeld, a cardiologist.

Tracey Stewart, wife of Jon Stewart, introduced the film. Their Hockhockson Farm Foundation, based in Colts Neck, hosted the evening with Monmouth University.

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“As you get older and become more aware of the world and your body, it just makes sense to be informed and smart, and what you put into your body should be no different,” Stewart said. “You should be as informed and well versed in what is positive and what is negative, and that journey has led us to this.”

About 500 attend the screening. Visit the movie web site for more info on “The Game Changers.” It’s currently on Netflix and other outlets.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. His multiple awards include recognition for stories on Bruce Springsteen and Snooki. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com. Stay with app.com or consider a subscription today.