Ian Somerhalder launched into a lengthy rant on social media Wednesday after he said a shopper shamed him for having a grocery basket filled with "normal and healthy" food.
"The Vampire Diaries" actor wrote on Instagram that a woman stopped him to say she's never seen a shopping basket like Somerhalder's at a grocery store. Somerhalder posted a photo of his cart, which included an array of vegetables.
"I hope I don't come off as an a—... A woman just stopped me in the grocery store and told me that she had never seen a basket like mine. I told her that I have never NOT seen this type of basket in my grocery-shopping behavior," Somerhalder captioned the post.
He added that other people also echoed the woman's comment and said Somerhalder's basket was a "strange sight."
"A strange sight? I'm in a grocery store. It's food. It got me thinking and really fired up...I hear in the news constantly, in legislative bodies debating and the public complaining out right b----ing about healthcare costs, drug companies and doctors and what rising costs do to our society, our lives and our economy," the actor wrote. "I know our system isn't great.Yet, the public poisons itself daily with bad food choices."
Somerhalder said society should practice a healthier lifestyle in order to see changes in the country's healthcare system.
"I don’t mean to sound like a d--k- or preachy but this is nuts: how is it, that grown professional people in a major American city have never seen a grocery basket full of normal&healthy foods that just all happen to be green or not processed," he added.
The actor recalled his mother raising him with "with no money and mostly as a single parent" but still practiced a healthy lifestyle. He urged others to stop making excuses and start eating well and regularly exercise.
"Happy and healthy people make a happy and healthy world. It's hard to see that through a fog of prescription drugs, energy drinks&strong sleep aids. It's hard I know, but it's time to change," he said. "…We MUST take responsibility for what we put into our bodies starting now. We can do it.Ok.I'll stop.Thnks."