Kevin Smith Says Daughter Helped 'Flip' Him to Vegan After Heart Attack

Kevin Smith says there were 2 main factors in his decision to stop consuming animal products ... his near-fatal heart attack, and his daughter's master plan.

We got the director leaving Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. -- one of the most famous vegan joints in town -- and asked him if the vegan lifestyle is the secret to his vastly improved fitness.

Kevin's looking pretty good these days, and he explains how he made some big changes in his life after suffering that massive heart attack back in 2018.

He says after learning he had a full blockage in a major artery -- which caused the widowmaker heart attack -- he sat down with a nutritionist, and finally followed his daughter, Harley, to the vegan side.

Kevin, who initially thought he was having a reaction to spoiled milk when he had the heart attack, is only eating plant-based products these days and he tells us why he'd never followed Harley's lead before.

The way Kevin explains it ... she was pretty Machiavellian about it, but he's grateful she was.