Brief History of Veganism

An increasing number of people worldwide are embracing veganism as both a diet and a way of viewing the world. As the vegan lifestyle is becoming more popular, many are deliberating whether to embrace it. They are looking for answers of all sorts to support them in this decision. Therefore, we invite you on the exciting journey of discovering the roots of veganism. Hopefully, you will find it pleasant and informative.

Veganism in the Early Days

It might sound surprising to some, but veganism is not a new concept at all. The vegan diet has been much talked about in the past few decades. In fact, evidence suggests that the idea to avoid meat and animal products has been around for about 2,000 years.

One of the earliest documented supporters of the vegan lifestyle is famous mathematician Pythagoras. His contemporaries recorded narratives of him promoting kindness and compassion towards all living species. Part of his ideas also included what seems like a vegetarian diet. He would often discuss his views on food choices with his pupils and followers.

Another early-day champion for veganism is Siddhārtha Gautama, or the Buddha himself. He was a compassionate soul who promoted benevolence towards all living creatures. His views also involved certain diets that resemble the eating habits of today’s vegans and vegetarians.

Traces of similar worldviews can be found across other ancient civilizations and cultures as well. They are also present in some religions like Hinduism and Jainism. Thus, we can safely conclude that humankind has been preoccupied with the topic for a long time already.

Vegetarianism and Veganism in the Modern Times

It is interesting to note that the idea of avoiding meat and animal products did not easily catch up with the West. There were certain surges of thought on the matter during some health and religious crises, but that part of the world definitely lagged in considering animal rights and meat-free choices.

Indeed, there were sporadic attempts to promote vegetarianism here and there but without much success until 1847. For instance, there was a strict religious sect in Pennsylvania called the Ephrata Cloister that advocated in the 1730s for vegetarianism along with celibacy. In addition, the 18th-century renowned philosopher Jeremy Bentham was a firm believer that animal suffering is by no means inferior to human suffering. He vehemently condemned killing animals and compared the idea that animals are inferior to humans with racism.

Dr. William Lambe – the First Vegan?

Dr William Lambe might just as well be the first vegan that we know of. The doctor from Warwick suffered from many chronic illnesses. He decided to combat them by excluding all kinds of animal foods from his menu and resorted to drinking filtered water only. As a result, his health improved significantly. He performed the same experiment on some of his patients and published the results in 2015.

Considered an eccentric by many, Lambe firmly believed that a diet based on distilled water and plant foods could cure a wide array of diseases, including cancer. He ate a simple diet, never drank coffee or tea, and walked in any kind of weather. Regardless, he did not gain any supporters in the medical society.

The Grahamites and the Vegans

However, it was not until 1847 that things started to change. This was when the first vegetarian society appeared in England. Only a couple of years later, in America, Rev. Sylvester Graham, who also invented the recipe for the famous Graham crackers, became one of the founders of the American Vegetarian Society. Being a Presbyterian minister, Graham had instilled a set of instructions for a virtuous life among his followers. The “Grahamites,” as they were called, had to follow his instructions for a virtuous life. They included regular bathing, temperance, vegetarianism, and the like.

Things moved even further when in November 1944 Donald Watson coined the term “vegan.” Watson was a British woodworker, who claimed that veganism protected human health from the negative effects of eating tainted animal food that did not only include meat but also milk, eggs, etc. Watson used to his advantage the fact that – at the time – about 40% of cows in Britain suffered from tuberculosis.

The term “vegan,” he said, would describe people who did not eat dairy and eggs. Watson even wrote down the exact pronunciation of the word in his newsletter. Over the years, his movement gained tremendous popularity. What started in 1944 as a group of 25 subscribers to the “Vegan Society” journal, grew to 250,000 followers in Great Britain and around 2 million in the US in 2005 – the year when Watson passed away.

Later, an official definition of veganism was added that described it as “a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”

Today, veganism has many followers around the world including plenty of celebrities. Some of the famous people who are vegan are:

• Moby
• Joaquin Phoenix
• Billie Eilish
• Woody Harrelson
• Stevie Wonder
• Elliot Page
• Lewis Hamilton
• Rooney Mara
• Pamela Anderson
• And more.