History of Plant-Based Eating

Maize, a common ingredient in the cuisine of many Native American communities. Source: Hippopx

Why is eating plant-based food such a new, novel concept? It’s actually not. Then why do so many people believe that? Today, I'm going to delve into the real history of eating plant-based food and hopefully break misconceptions that vegetarian eating is just something recent generations have normalized.

Misconceptions surrounding plant-based eating

So many people, especially in the United States, don’t want to try eating a more plant-based diet because they are scared of changing the way they have always done things. Generations before them have relied on meat for sustenance, and it is all they have known in their life. Throughout my years of talking to these people, I have realized many of them share a common belief that humans have historically relied on meat for survival and as the main part of their diets, which encourages them to carry on doing the same. This is actually often not the case. Plant-based eating has been perhaps even more prominent than diets surrounding meat in history. I hope that by discussing this, I can open the minds of others to trying something new. 

Historical Examples of plant-based eating

Plant-based diets were actually very commonplace in the ancient world. Historically in many regions of the world, meat was a luxury, and was only available to the upper classes. For example, ancient Greeks relied largely on bread, wine, vegetables, legumes, cheese, and occasionally fish, with real meat reserved for the rich or special occasions. Veganism is believed to have originated in Africa, and permeated much of ancient Africa and Asia due to Buddhism’s condemnation of killing animals. Native American diets relied heavily on growing corn, squash, fruits, nuts, beans, and wild plants. In fact, most indigenous groups relied heavily on plant-based diets, whether that was for religious reasons or simply the abundance of certain types of food in their regions.

Plant-based eating practices declined during the same time that European colonization increased. Europeans forced indigenous people to farm commercially, leading to more animals and availability of meat and animal products, but simultaneously wiping out indigenous plants and traditions. Since the 17th and 18th centuries, the world switched to largely commercial farming and relying on meat more. 

Conclusions 

What conclusions can we draw from this? That plant-based eating has a deeper history than we thought? That everyone should go back to eating vegetarian because of these historical examples? For me, knowing this just makes plant-based eating feel like a more human and natural thing to do. It reaffirms my choices as having deeper-rooted origins, and gives me hope that others will gain a new perspective knowing this.