Vegetarian
Vegetarian diets have been around for ages and in many cultures
-sometimes based in religious, philosophical, or ethical reasons,
other times for health, economic, or availability reasons (or
some combination)
Evidence in ancient Eastern cultures, often stemming from philosophical/religious
beliefs- Buddhism advocates a vegetarian diet and spread through
much of Asia
Also roots in Hinduism in India, evidence from Egyptian mummies
of consumption of a vegetarian diet
Vegetarian "movement" has roots in ancient Greece -began
as religious and transformed into belief that vegetarianism was
crucial to healthy living.
The
Roman Empire was also probably largely vegetarian,
then
fell out of
favor for a thousand years or so after the fall of the Roman
Empire
British vegetarian Reverend William Metcalf carried the movement
to America in 1817
Due to food shortages in WWI, scientists explored alternative
sources of protein found through non-meat sources leading to
further increases in vegetarianism
