What Snoop Lion Needs To Know About The Rastafarian Diet

Cameron Castan•

There's a reason why Snoop Dogg was spotted hanging at Jamaican restaurant Miss Lily's in NYC last night (on Instagram, naturally).

Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. but known to most by his stage name, Snoop Dogg has recently undergone what he likes to describe as a "spiritual reincarnation." Last February, Snoop spent a few weeks in Jamaica to record his new LP, appropriately titled Reincarnation (it'll come out on Vice next spring). Along with the new album, Snoop has adopted the title of "Snoop Lion," a name given to him by Rastafarian priests during his stay.

It got us thinking: Snoop, the man who boasted about "sippin on gin and juice," was caught sneaking out for chicken & waffles on his reality TV show, and once sent Food Republic's own editorial director Richard Martin on an In-N-Out run (double-doubles with cheese, hold the onions, plus fries and shakes) will now have to change his diet — if he sticks to this Rastafarian conversion. (We imagine the weed-as-sacrament part will be no problem.)

  1. Rastafarian people refer to their most sacred foods as Ital or I-tal.
  2. The goal of Ital is to increase what Rastafarians call "Livity" or "Life Energy."
  3. Food consumed by Rastas should be natural, pure and from the earth. This means no foods that are chemically modified or that contain artificial additives.
  4. Some Rastas avoid sodium and salt, especially salt with artificially added iodine.
  5. Many adhere to strict vegan or vegetarian diets. Meat is considered dead and therefore works against Livity and the elevation of Life Energy.
  6. Most Rastas avoid eating pork as well as shellfish, as they are considered to be meat derived from scavengers.
  7. Many Rastas denounce the use of cigarettes as well as alcohol due to their harmful effects on one's health.
  8. Most Rastas do encourage the use of cannabis due to the induced "prayer-like" state it brings about.

A new documentary about Snoop Lion at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Check out the trailer here:

And for a listen to his first reggae track as Snoop Lion, check out "La La La."

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