Veganism Then and Now

From earthday.org

By Bryndis Davis

World Vegan Day celebrates people who don’t eat meat or other animal products, including eggs, milk, cheese, honey, or even whey. No animal based cheesecake, mayonnaise, or buttercream frosting. No smoked salmon or gelatine gummy bears. And absolutely no jerk chicken. 

But what vegans lose in choices, they make up for in fulfilling love for our planet and fellow animals. Besides, there are plenty of plant-based, dairy-free options out there — many of which are more wholesome than non-vegan products. 

What is more, some vegan and vegetarian diets come with reported health benefits. Vegetarian diets are associated with lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and decreased risks of cancer, Alzheimer’s, and worsening arthritis symptoms.

A 2016 study by Oxford Martin Scholars predicted that if a global shift was made towards a vegan diet, an estimated 8 million lives could be saved by 2050 compared to current global eating trends. The same study also estimated that food-related greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 29–70% if more of us went vegan.

Veganism exists along a spectrum, all vegans reject eating meat and dairy products but some choose not to eat honey or many reject using any animal-based products such as leather or pearl. Most vegans make personal commitments to support animal welfare and reduce causing harm to animals in every instance that they can. 

So, where did veganism come from and what kinds of peoples has it touched throughout history? Who were the first vegans and how has veganism changed over time? 

Early Religions and Vegan Ethos

                                                                                           Ruins of the village Mehrgarh

The first religious vegan community dates back to 7000 BCE on the Indus river in a village known as Mehrgarh. Hinduism, a religion known for its reverence for living beings and for adhering to a non-meat diet, traces its philosophical roots back to this village. Later texts attest to their practice of nonviolence towards animals:

One is dearest to god who has no enemies among the living beings, who is nonviolent to all creatures.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10, Verse 20

Hindus aren’t the only religious group to embrace plant-based diets. In the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, the book of Genesis describes the Garden of Eden as a paradise where humans and animals were originally herbivorous. 

Genesis 1:29 states that God gave the first humans “every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it” for food. Verse 30 adds that “every green plant” was provided for all living creatures. According to this interpretation, Adam and Eve were originally plant-eaters, and the animals of the earth and sky were not meant to hunt or eat one another. This story has often been cited as an example of a divinely envisioned harmonious, plant-based world.

Jainism, a religion originating in India, takes the vegan ethos probably further than many others. Like Hinduism and Buddhism, Jainism adheres to principles of ahimsa, the ethical principle of non-violence toward all living beings.

For especially strict believers, like Jain monks, ahimsa includes plant, insect, and microbial life — any living thing with a soul or jiwa. Interrupting a creature’s jiwa caused perpetrators to incur karma, the accumulated effects of past actions. Strict Jain monks take extra precautions: they filter water to avoid ingesting tiny organisms, and they avoid eating after sunset to prevent accidentally harming insects that come out at night.

Jains follow a highly careful, plant-based diet relying on eating fruits, grains, legumes, and vegetables that grow above the ground, avoiding root vegetables, meat, eggs, and honey. Some  Jains consume dairy. 

Greek Philosophers and Veganism

                                                                                  Bust of the Greek philosopher Pythagoras

Pythagoras (570-490 BCE) was a Greek philosopher whose work influenced the minds of Plato, Aristotle, and contributed greatly to Western rational philosophy. Pythagoras was so closely tied to abstaining from meat and fish that before the term vegetarian became popular in the 1800s, vegetarian and vegan diets were known as ‘Pythagorean’.

Other plant-based diets had slightly different name variations, such as ovo-vegetarians, which allows for the consumption of eggs, or lacto-vegetarians, which allows for the consumption of milk. But all of these historical diets centred around the complete abstinence of eating meat.

As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.

Attributed to Pythagoras

Pythagoras didn’t leave behind a written record of his lifestyle so what we do know about his diet and values comes from the writings of his contemporaries and followers. Neoplatonist philosopher Lamblichus wrote that Pythagoras avoided all animal flesh as a prerequisite to peace. Ovid recorded in his own works this Pythagorean quote: “Animals share with us the privilege of having a soul.”

Plato followed in Pythagoras’s footsteps. Though he may not have been a strict vegan himself, his work and teachings draw inspiration from Pythagoras and attribute abstinence of meat with a desire for peace, health, and happiness.

The West and Veganism

The roots of vegetarian and vegan thought in the West trace back to the Renaissance when humanists and clergy began raising ethical questions about eating animals. For example, humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1466‑1536) in his satirical work In Praise of Folly criticized the ceremonial violence of hunting as absurd and beast‑like — “And then what pleasure they take to see a buck or the like unlaced… In all which they drive at nothing more than to become beasts themselves, while yet they imagine they live the life of princes.” 

The tradition of avoiding meat eventually moved into more structured vegetarianism, when in the United Kingdom the Vegetarian Society was founded in 1847 under the chairmanship of Joseph Brotherton, offering a formal platform for abstaining from eating animals.

Across the Atlantic, the Ephrata Cloister  (Pennsylvania, USA, founded 1732) was a religious community whose members embraced a largely vegetarian diet as part of their ascetic devotion. While their vegetarian practices didn’t immediately spark a nationwide movement, they are historically significant as one of the first documented American communities to embrace a plant-based diet for ethical/religious reasons.

Their writings and lifestyle were noted by contemporary observers and later historians, linking them to the broader history of vegetarianism in the West.

The birds of the air die to sustain thee; The beasts of the field die to nourish thee; The fishes of the sea die to feed thee; Our stomachs are their common sepulcher, Good God! With how many deaths are our poor lives patched up? How full of death is the life of a momentary man!

Francis Quarles, late Renaissance poet

In more recent decades the shift from vegetarianism to veganism — abstaining from all animal‐derived products — has accelerated across Europe and the US. 

Market research shows that plant-based food sales have surged, with the European market expected to reach $16.7 billion by 2029, growing at roughly 10% annually. Social initiatives like Veganuary, launched in 2014 in the UK, have attracted hundreds of thousands of participants globally, reflecting a broader cultural embrace of vegan lifestyles. Rising awareness of animal welfare, environmental concerns, and health benefits has made veganism increasingly visible and influential, transforming both markets and daily diets.

Meanwhile the contemporary vegan movement draws on that long ethical heritage of non‑violence, compassion for animals, and reconsidering dietary norms. Whether you see it in the quiet gardens of 18th‑century Pennsylvania, the moral treatises of Renaissance scholars, or the bustling vegan cafés of London and New York, the continuous thread is this: food is not just fuel, but a statement of values and how we relate to other beings and the planet.

The Modern Vegan Movement

                                                                                                                           Planet Earth

The modern vegan movement took off in 1944 when the word “vegan” was coined by animal rights activist, Donald Watson, and a group of friends in England. They wanted a word to describe a lifestyle that excluded all animal products, not just meat — meaning it would cover dairy, eggs, and other animal-derived products as well. They took the first three and last two letters of “vegetarian” to create “vegan”. That same year, Watson co-founded The Vegan Society in the UK, which remains the primary organization promoting veganism worldwide.

Veganism gives us all the opportunity to say what we ‘stand for’ in life — the ideal of healthy, humane living. Add decades to your life, with a clear conscience as a bonus.

Donald Watson, Founder of the Modern Vegan Movement

Watson used the past year’s epidemic of Tuberculosis in cattle to support his new movement, claiming that a vegan lifestyle helped prevent people from ingesting contaminated food. At the time of his death in 2005, there were 250,000 self-identified vegans in Britain and 2 million in the U.S.

Today, many people around the world have embraced plant-based lifestyles. Data from 2023 estimates that there are approximately 88 million vegans worldwide. India leads the charge — in 2024, the plant-based powerhouse counted 10% of its population as vegan where most other Western countries’ counts remain under 3%. 

As we celebrate World Vegan Day, let’s remember to respect other peoples’ dietary practices and learn more about them. Consider trying Veganuary, a global movement supporting people who’d like to try going vegan in January. Meatless Mondays are another option to dip your toes in and gradually reduce meat in your diet. 

Plant-based diets are packed with protein, fiber, and goodness. Whatever your preference, plant-based diets offer a host of health benefits for both you and our planet. Don’t be afraid to go out there and try something new.

Going plant-based is one of the most effective ways you can help fight climate change. Learn more about food and regenerative agriculture here.

https://www.earthday.org/veganism-then-and-now/