Shamita singha bares it all for PETA

Popular Zoom VJ, Miss India Earth 2001 and runway model Shamita Singha is not just a "spicy"-hot babe – she's also a fiery animal defender. So the veggielicious VJ was more than willing to strip down and pose on a pile of chiles for a new PETA ad encouraging everyone to go vegetarian.

In an interview with petaDishoom, PETA's youth division, Shamita talked about going vegetarian and showing compassion to all of the Earth's inhabitants. "I turned vegetarian when I was quite young because I realised that if I really love animals, then I can't eat them", Shamita said.

We couldn't agree more: factory-farmed animals are confined to stalls, cages, crates or sheds that are often so tiny the animals cannot even turn around or take a single step in any direction for their entire lives. They never get to breathe fresh air, bask in the sun or feel grass beneath their feet, and they are killed in painful and cruel ways.

But not only is going vegetarian better for animals – it is best for you too. As Shamita knows, a fruit- and vegetable-based diet is the key to feeling great and looking hot. "I'm veg and so I eat a lot of veggies, salads and fruits, and those foods are alive, so I'm alive!" she says.

Vegetarians are leaner and trimmer than meat-eaters, so appearance-conscious celebrities are flocking to the salad and pasta bars, from New York to Paris and from Hong Kong to Beijing. Going vegetarian is also better for your health – eating meat and other animal products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and several types of cancer. But health benefits aside, we don't know who would not want to eat their vegetables after seeing Shamita's sexy ad!