History of Veganism

The history of veganism dates back to 1909 when the ethics of consuming dairy products was debated within the vegetarian community. Donald Watson and Elsie Shrigley were among those who disagreed with it and, in 1944, coined the term “vegan” – taking the first three letters and last two letters in “vegetarian” and creating their own word. These vegans founded The Vegan Society, and the history of veganism began. Now 65 years later, the vegan lifestyle, vegan diet, vegan food and vegan recipes are more popular than ever for the impact of veganism and animal welfare, veganism and health, and vegan diets and the environment.

Providing advice on how to become a vegan – living free of animal products for the benefit of people, animals and the planet – The Vegan Society defines the vegan lifestyle as: “ways of living that seek to exclude, as far as is possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”

And so the vegan diet was born, filled with vegan recipes that include no animal ingredients – no meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, honey or, of course, dairy products. Not limited to vegan food, veganism means that vegans need to seek out vegan products of all kinds, from vegan clothes and vegan shoes, to vegan beauty products and cleaning supplies.

Since 1944 when veganism got its start, the history of veganism has come to include skepticism among those who question the ability to be healthy without consuming meat or dairy. What about protein? What about calcium and vitamin D? What about B12? The answer, of course, is simply knowing the right foods and supplements to prevent deficiencies. In fact, studies show that vegan food and vegan recipes associated with a vegan diet have the following health benefits:

• Lower cholesterol
• Lower blood pressure
• Lower body mass
• Lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer

So although the history of veganism began for ethical reasons, many vegans choose vegan food and vegan recipes for the health benefits of the vegan lifestyle.

As the history of veganism has played out, it’s become increasingly clear that vegans as a consumer group cannot be ignored. Numerous companies are introducing or developing more vegan products than any other time in the history of veganism. It’s especially nice when “vegan” is displayed on the packaging – one less thing to scan for animal products in the list of ingredients.