The First Diet

Before all the modern diet debates, before meat was even part of the story, Eden was the original garden menu. Veganism didn’t start as a trend. It started in Creation. In the first chapter of Genesis, God gave Adam, Eve, and even the animals every seed-bearing plant and every green plant for food. There was no mention of animals being part of the human diet.

Genesis 1:29-30 ESV

“And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.”

The Garden of Eden wasn’t just a garden. It was the first table God set for humanity. The original diet was not built around meat. Think fresh figs, dates, grains, herbs, olives, and garden produce packed with flavor, color, and natural sweetness. This is a stark difference from today’s diet. It is estimated that 85-90% of the population eats meat regularly or occasionally. About 5-8% consider themselves to be vegetarian. Only 1-3% of the population claims to be vegan. Though veganism was the first diet of man, God did make allowance for the consumption of meat after The Flood according to Genesis 9:3.

Genesis 9:3 ESV “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things,”

So why was the original diet in the Bible vegan and why did it later change? Biblical scholars generally say the shift reflects a move from God’s original ideal for humanity to a later concession due to sin, violence and a changed, post‑fall world. But early church discussions about eating animals wasn’t a single, unified view; it ranged from near‑vegetarian ideals to strong defenses of meat‑eating. On the pro-vegan or vegetarian front, many believe Genesis 1 is proof that veganism is the ideal diet. Their main arguments is that it demonstrates responsible care and stewardship that treats animals purely as resources through non‑violence and harmony within creation. They also point to prophetic images like Isaiah’s “peaceable kingdom,” where predator and prey live together and no creature harms another (Isaiah 11:6–9), suggesting that a future, restored world would look more like Eden than the post-Flood age. The pro-meat supporters argue that commands like “You shall not kill” apply to humans, not animals, so eating meat is morally permitted. They believe dominion and stewardship of animals are upheld by the Mosaic Law instituting restrictions and kosher laws to curb cruelty and define clean and unclean food standards for Israel to live by.  From my perspective, the pro-meat crowd has an even greater argument by the command for Israel to eat lamb for the holy feast of Pesach or Passover. While the debate goes on by many biblical scholars and theologians holding up a peaceful, vegetarian ideal as the highest standard, and seeing the permission of meat as a temporary concession, I am of the camp that there is not one perfect diet. Everyone’s body is different and dictates what it needs to live a healthy fulfilled life. God made food for our sustenance, healing and benefit as it is written in Ezekial 47:12 and Psalm 104:14-15.

Ezekiel 47:12 ESV “And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

Psalm 104:14-15 ESV You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

You can find testimony after testimony where someone’s body was healed from an autoimmune disease by eating an all vegetarian diet. You can find the same miraculous accounts from someone on a carnivore diet.  What I see is that diet in scripture was dictated by circumstances, locations, and availability. Veganism began in the abundance of produce in The Garden of Eden, establishing a foundational table for all life that was created. I believe meat was not immediately introduced into man’s diet to instill a deep respect for the life of animals in our God-given role of dominion and stewardship over them. Post Flood, it is easy to imagine a transition to a Carnivore diet after every plant was washed away and it would have taken time to plant and reap a new harvest. During the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God provided quail and manna. I see the shift in man’s diet from Creation to today as God doing what He has always done. Providing a way, where there seems to be no way and doing it for His Glory.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.