Some ancient writers like Ovid and Plutarch deplores killing of innocent creatures for food.
Plutarch says: "I think it's amazing, what makes people want to eat meat carcass or what motive could essentially coined by the idea that nutritious meat for them."
The Greek philosopher, Pythagoras, who lived towards the end of the 6th century BC, argued that by eating the flesh of animals then the human soul will be contaminated and became wild. That's because, until the mid-19th century, known as the Pythagoreans vegetarian.
Other authors associate vegetarianism with spiritual enlightenment. As said by a vegetarian of England in the 17th century, Thomas Tryon, "... the self-cleaning of the terrestrial realm, will open a window into the soul senses." (Whorton, 1994).
For this reason, a variety of religions, including Brahmanism, Buddhaisme, Hindu, Seventh Day Adventists and encourages followers to abstain from eating meat.
While philosophers have long articulated the moral and spiritual benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. Undergo a vegetarian lifestyle for health reasons only began in the 19th century.
In the early 1800s began to appear scientific and medical evidence on the benefits of plant-based diets. In 1806, a doctor in London named William Lambe treat the disease duration abstain from eating meat.
Based on his experience, Lambe began treating patients with the same prescribed diet. Eventually many of his colleagues are starting to believe that a plant-based diet is healthier than a diet with meat.
At the same time in the United States, health reform movement is popular and hotly discussed. This movement was initiated by Presbyterian leaders, Sylvester Graham, who is known as the father of Graham cracker.
Graham is also a vegetarian, preaching temperance and denounced the widespread use of refined flour.
After the establishment of the British Vegetarian Society in 1847, Graham worked to organize a similar group in the United States. Until the end of the American Vegetarian Society was founded in 1850.
In the late 1800s, John Harvey Kellogg, a Seventh Day Adventist follower and cereal maker, working hard to make Americans aware of the nutritional benefits derived vegetarianism.
During the 19th century and the 20th, scientists continue to evaluate the health benefits of a vegetarian diet.
But, despite scientific evidence to validate many emerging lifestyle, vegetarian remain marginalized from society.
Even as late as the 1970s, vegetarianism is associated with the counter-culture, a vegetarian diet is only embraced by teenagers and the followers of a particular religion.
