Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith staged an ‘intervention’ for son Jaden over vegan diet

'He was wasting away'

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith have described how they both felt “really nervous” about son Jaden’s veganism.

In the latest episode of Red Table Talk, Jada spoke about an “intervention” that she and Will had staged for Jaden over his diet.

“Will and I had a bit of an intervention with Jaden because he's a vegan now, but we realised he wasn't getting enough protein,” she explained.

“So he was wasting away. He just looked drained, he was just depleted, he wasn't getting the nutrients.”

Will added that Jaden had “dark circles” under his eyes and that his skin had begun to look grey.

“We got really nervous. But you're definitely looking better now,” he told Jaden.

In response, Jaden admitted that his eating habits were limited.

“I was just eating like two meals a day...maybe one,” he said.

“Maybe just that one big meal and I'm like, 'Oh, you know, I didn't get around to it.'”

Jaden also clarified that although he’s tried to be vegan, he follows a vegetarian diet.

“I'm vegetarian, you know, I've tried to eat vegan meals. I'll go vegan for a week or so but for the past year I've been vegetarian.”

The celebrity family spoke openly about their relationships with food on the latest episode of the web talk show, which was posted to Facebook on Monday.

In an unusual turn of events, Will Smith called the family to an “emergency” meeting, which included daughter Willow, sons Jaden and Trey, and Adrienne Banfield-Jones, Jada’s mother.

Jada admitted that she and Jaden were both guilty of “not eating”, rather than picking at food throughout the day, something she described as “uncomfortable”.

In opposition to this, Will spoke to his family about weight he had gained following a recent holiday, adding that he eats food “like an addict”.

“I get bored and I start to eat,” Will said, stating that he's a “grazer” when it comes to food.

The revelation follows criticism of a 22-day veganism programme endorsed by Beyoncé which she adopted ahead of her 2018 Coachella performance.

Abbey Sharp, registered dietician and food blogger, told The Independent: “While there are a lot of fantastic reasons to choose to eat more plant-based, I have seen it often lead down a disorderly road".

“Veganism can be incredibly healthy, so I don’t want to dismiss the benefits of plant-based food. But it’s a very challenging diet to adhere to and often can be isolating and overly restrictive," she said.

If you're concerned about your own or someone else's eating habits, contact Beat, the UK's eating disorder charity at www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk