A History of Plant-Based Food

Eating to Care for the Planet and Each Other

Alicia Kennedy, a food writer whose weekly Substack I follow called From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy has recently released No Meat Required: The Cultural History and Culinary Future of Plant-Based Eating. I read this well-researched and fascinating book, which looks at the history of the vegan diet in the United States. The history of veganism is more varied and complex than most Americans think. As a conscientious omnivore (vegans may find those two words incompatible), I wanted to find inspiration to add more plant-based and plant-forward dishes to my meal planning.

In her book, Kennedy chronicles the rich history of plant-based eating from early experiments in larger scale tofu and tempeh production to civil rights activists, vegan punk cafes, anarchist zines, and today's Michelin-rated chef menus. There has been a wide variety of plant-based, small movements, and that changes the narrative because it was inaccurately considered only “crunchy granola” or “hippie fringe” for decades. I wonder how many people my age can recall more than one book on vegetarianism from our childhood, the hugely popular book by Frances Moore Lappè's, Diet for a Small Planet, which came out in 1971.

Veganism has gone from a niche countercultural movement in the 70s to what it is today; national supermarket chains now carry Impossible Burgers and vegan dairy products. We can now make more accessible choices to eat more plant-based meals, partly because of significant investments in innovating plant-based foods.

Kennedy hopes that as plant-based options continue to move beyond small groups to widespread popularity (like oat milk lattes), it doesn't lose its countercultural core. By this, she means community and the orientation towards care. While celebrating the advent of accessibility to vegan cheese that is indistinguishable from dairy cheese, Kennedy notes that these successes were born from the efforts of vegan cooks who had a vested interest in helping the planet.

Kennedy shifted from a belief she earlier held that the best solution is for everyone to become vegetarian or vegan. She recognizes that animals will remain a part of the diets of some and that all aspects of veganism aren't sustainable or eco-friendly. Her shift in perspective is refreshing to me because it leads to all of us learning from her and people like her, whether we eat meat or not. We can have a larger conversation on how every one of us can take greater responsibility for caring for the well-being of animals, the earth, and our bodies.

While Kennedy does bristle at the words "humane slaughter," she is all in for vegans and vegetarians aligning themselves with people who want to eat meat but do so responsibly. The end goal isn't converting everyone to veganism or vegetarianism, but to make people aware that there is another way of eating that centers on plants and that the way forward does require the end of industrial animal agriculture (aka factory farming).

She wants vegetarians, vegans, and conscientious omnivores to change food systems, making them more just. As a collective community, Kennedy asserts, we have the power and capacity to move things forward more healthily and compassionately for all humans, animals, and the earth.

For example, we must name the fact that the food system is responsible for 34% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, "and where 83% of the land is used to produce only 18% of the calories." Misusing resources leads to hunger and ecological catastrophe, and yet we continue to support (and subsidize) this industry. Instead, why are we not funding local movements that can get healthy food to everyone's homes? How about returning to a style of food production that supports countless local farmers and personal gardens? Kennedy asks, "When will $1 billion be injected into small agroecological farms?"

Kennedy also questions solutions in which money gets funneled into technology that creates fake meat (its popularity peaked and is waning) and other technological interventions, primarily capital-producing ventures. While she acknowledges a place for these advances, Kennedy is pessimistic about food tech because it doesn't provide real solutions; it's about money, "and the people making money don't really care about how people eat or cook or why people love food." She notes that Impossible Burgers are made with genetically modified soy, a problem for a healthy and responsible use of land and resources.

Kennedy writes, "There's so much possibility in thinking through how we eat and how it relates to other things in the world." She wholeheartedly believes that we can make a better world for animals, humans, and the planet through dietary and agricultural shifts. We all need to think beyond the existing structural realities that, by design, keep affordable food out of reach of many communities.

There could be more fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains everywhere. Kennedy advocates for a world where luck and privilege have no role in whether a person's food is "fresh, nutritious, culturally appropriate, and sensible. That's the world that I want."

What does it look like to be a more intentional and compassionate omnivore? It can look like buying less meat and more beans, tempeh, and tofu, and sharing delicious and unique vegetarian recipes with friends and online. It is giving great reviews to fine dining restaurants with memorable vegetarian options and ordering vegetarian meals in restaurants. It is sharing food and knowledge of food, which is hospitality, a core value that has been so central to the vegetarian and vegan subcultures. Being a more intentional omnivore looks like making a vegetarian meal for guests and challenging internalized messages that vegetables and grains alone aren't special enough to serve company.

What I loved about this book was its optimism. It evoked a sense of abundance and helped me move to a place where eating less meat is not a loss but an opportunity to discover new, exciting, and healthy culinary opportunities. Kennedy makes a compelling argument that the way forward to transformational eating is through community and caring for each other and the planet. It is a call to empower our communities to create food justice and delicious food.

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