The Plant Based Movement and Where it is Today....

“Somewhere along the way, meals became complicated.

We got overwhelmed about where our food’s grown

How it’s raised 

What it’s fed 

And lost trust in the right decision

It’s time to uncomplicated our plates again by getting back to the basics

Serving less of the bad stuff more of the good

Taking out the guess work and the legwork

It’s time to fix dinner…”

You’ll probably never guess where these words came from. There is so much truth in them.  As uncanny as it may be, the message here could even be used as an introduction for a speech focused on how the plant based movement came to be, how it’s impacting our grocery store shelves, science and our general beliefs about food and eating.  

The First Wave of the Plant Based Movement

The “plant based movement” began in the late 2010s by a somewhat well known organization. PETA, an animal rights organization could be said to be frontrunners of the “plant based” movement before the term was even coined. If you know PETA then you know that PETA doesn’t play about animals. Their method of reach was always to aim for shock value and in the most riveting ways possible.  Whether that was going after celebs who wore fur in a ferocious manner or stripping down to almost nothing in front of a crowd of people to preach animal rights and why you and your friends should be vegan, they were always there front and center. 

There are a variety of reasons that led to the Plant Based movement in addition to animal rights awareness.  During the early movement years, certain individuals who made the choice to refrain from eating meat could be spotted every now and then if you were gathering for an event that involved eating.  They were not known as proponents of a “plant based movement.”  They were simply called vegans and vegetarians.  Most people who labelled themselves as vegan or vegetarian were or are pretty comfortable calling themselves the v words. A certain book arrived on the scene which provided further awareness about the dangers of consuming meat filled diets.  The book was on the lips of practically anyone who was in health or plant based communities.

Thomas Colin Campbell, biochemist and author of the The China Study, first coined the term “plant based” in 1981 when he was presenting research at Cornell University on the effects of a whole foods plant based diet.  After the re-release of his book in 2016, he noticed people began using the phrase "plant-based" quite frequently.  I purchased a copy of The China Study when it was released but did not realize that Dr. Campbell was the originator of the term.  The results from his large-scale study determined that adhering to a whole foods plant based diet can lead to reduced risk of receiving cancer and other diseases.

Who Influenced You to be Meatless?

Believe it or not, PETA was an influence on me, yes, little ole me! I’m not easy to influence but PETA, they did a work on me.  I remember receiving a PETA newsletter (you know those newsletters they give to meat-eaters) at a Green event I attended in the far past and the information in the newsletter was very appealing to me. It featured a couple of meatless recipes and back then I thought, “hmm…I should definitely try this meatless Monday thing.” I made the meatless Shepard’s pie that was featured in the newsletter and what can I say…I was wowed!  So yes, I give credit to PETA for being a great influence and giving me some beginning tools and knowledge as I embarked on my “plant based” journey.  I’ll always be thankful to PETA for that! I’ve since become a member of PETA ever since then and now, I too, preach the good vegan news.  I’ve been deliveredt of eating meat and you can too. Wink Wink : )

So about the Plant Based Movement…

The “plant based” movement was a way to rebrand veganism; to make it more enticing for the people who just didn’t understand the vegan lifestyle. “Go meatless…? Me…vegetarian? Oh hell nah.”  It was also a way for encouraging other to go vegan without making them feel as if they were apart of a clique.  The vegan lifestyle is a bit more rigid and strict and the later plant-based movement offered folks more fluidity and flexibility.  Only 6% of individuals are vegan, according to data analytics company, Nielsen. Now more than 40% of the US population is attempting to become plant based.  The first wave of the plant based movement was led by PETA and others joined in; specifically those who created documentaries about animal rights and the food industry for awareness purposes.  Netflix documentaries such as “Food Inc,” "Food Matters" and “Death by Farm” shocked and shook people to the core. Though they offered mind numbing methods to influence others to give up meat--it ultimately worked as many did eventually go vegetarian or vegan from viewing them.

Where We Are in the Movement Today?

Today, the plant-based movement is not as overly focused on animal rights as it once was.  Health and the environment are now the focal points.  More people are desiring to be healthier and they want to find better ways to eat.  People are understanding the harmful effects of eating a diet that is full of meat (red meat in particular).  The “plant based movement” has been enriching to others as they learn of healthier protein and meat substitutes that can be incorporated into their daily diet.  It’s not so much about encouraging people to go cold turkey and completely meat free but more so on how they can eat more plant-based foods for health and for decreasing their carbon footprint.  We are now in the beginning of a third wave of the movement, where science has become an absolute staple in the plant based movement.  Research backed and based companies are finding scientific ways to produce foods that taste, look and bleed just like meat.  I’d like to call this wave of the plant based movement, the miraculous wave because who knew that plants could taste and look just like meat?!  The fact is that people love the taste of meat so how can we (who are frontrunners of the movement) better encourage others to give up the thing they love so much. Well—insert science! We’ve got a substitute for you : )

If you haven’t heard about B.A.M.F.E.I. by now, well—what are you waiting for? Pledge to go meat free at least once a week or pledge to stop consuming beef as much as you love to do so.  Think about our earth. Think about the animals who are killed for your culinary pleasure. Think about the future individuals who will be inhabiting the earth.  What kind of earth will they live in if we don’t think about the choices that we make today?

I bet you didn’t guess where the words in the beginning of this article came from.  Believe it or not, they were from a butcher box commercial.  Yes, a commercial for a company that sells delivery boxes that are chock full of meat.  They supposedly offer better quality meat and the livestock is said to be humanely raised.  The message is great but should be applied only to the plant based movement.  It’s true butcher box, we need to get back to the basics; the basics of eating more plants and plant based foods.  That is the only place where good lies.

#plantbased #plant based #movement #mechelle #eleene