I’ve tried going vegetarian and vegan before, but those attempts never really stuck. I’d get caught up in the novelty of it, or I’d lean too heavily on processed foods instead of real nourishment. Eventually, I would drift back into old habits.
This time feels different.
What shifted isn’t just my diet — it’s my why.
I’m stepping into this choice not just for health reasons, but because of what I’ve been learning about the deeper spiritual story behind food, creation, and how we treat animals.
Why Your Why Matters
This is a topic that really excites me because it combines two of my passions: spirituality and health & fitness.
I want to start by talking about the why of it all.
As a personal trainer & nutrition coach, one of the things I was taught in my training is to ask a potential client why. Why do they want to lose weight? Why do they want to get in shape? And then we would take that questioning several layers deep by continually asking “Why?”
If you go deep enough, you can usually get down to a core motivation that helps people stick with the program to reach their goals.
I’d tried that in the past for myself, but nothing stuck… but I think I’ve finally found a why that motivates me down to my core… my faith. And it starts with the real Yeshua or Jesus who walked this earth.
The Spiritual Roots of a Plant-Based Life
As I’ve been studying the life of Yeshua, I’ve been drawn to the groups connected to him — the Essenes, Nazarenes, and Ebionites. History shows that many of them lived strict vegetarian lifestyles. They rejected the temple sacrificial system and leaned into a vision of life that honored both creation and the Creator.
This resonates deeply with me. If Yeshua opposed the temple system, why wouldn’t he also resist animal sacrifice and unnecessary killing? Especially when the Edenic ideal in Genesis 1:29–30 paints such a clear picture:
“Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth — everything having the breath of life in it — I have given every green plant for food.”
In the very beginning, God gave plants for all creation to eat. That feels like a blueprint for peace, not domination.
And if God’s plan for the world is to one day restore us to that Edenic reality, wouldn’t it make sense to start living into it now? If the Garden diet was the starting point — and the destination — why wouldn’t we eat the way God originally intended as a way of aligning faster with His design?
Dominion Without Destruction
One of the big turning points for me was realizing that dominion isn’t license. God gave humanity dominion over creation, but dominion doesn’t mean domination. It means stewardship, care, and harmony.
We were never given the authority to exploit or destroy. True dominion looks like tending the garden — protecting, cultivating, and living in relationship with the life around us.
Killing animals for food doesn’t feel like dominion. It feels like stepping outside of the trust God placed in us to care for creation.
Modern Confirmation
It’s not just ancient history pushing me this direction. Modern voices are echoing the same truth.
- Watching Kameron Waters’ documentary Christspiracy opened my eyes to the reality that there really isn’t an ethical way to kill an animal (click the link to watch it for free). Consent matters — and unlike Douglas Adams’ tongue-in-cheek story in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, no animal can give it.
- Listening to the Jesus Way Podcast episodes on “The Jesus Diet” added even more fuel. They unpacked how aligning with a plant-based life isn’t just about health — it’s a spiritual practice of honoring life itself. Click here to watch part 1 & part 2.
- Even science and health voices, like in The Fit Shall Inherit the Earth, show how plant-based living supports both physical vitality and spiritual clarity.
All of these streams keep pointing me back to the same current: a call to eat in a way that aligns with love, compassion, and wholeness.
My Personal Journey With Food
I’ve flirted with plant-based living before. I tried veganism once, but it felt overwhelming. Meal prep took forever, and I leaned too heavily on fake meats and processed replacements.
This time, I’ve simplified things:
- More whole foods, fewer substitutes — fruits, veggies, grains, legumes.
- Less meals, more presence — I find myself naturally eating two meals a day without forcing it.
- Less hunger, more satisfaction — surprisingly, I don’t feel deprived. In fact, I feel lighter and clearer.
The difference is that now I’m not just chasing a diet. I’m answering a spiritual conviction.
Theology Meets Practice
The more I dig, the more I see that I’m not alone in this conviction.
- James the Just, the brother of Jesus, was known to be a strict vegetarian. If Yeshua’s closest family member held to that lifestyle, why wouldn’t Yeshua himself?
- Early church fathers like Clement of Alexandria, Jerome, and Eusebius record voices of faith calling for plant-based living.
- Even in the New Testament, the vision of Peter in Acts 10 is often misread as a free pass to eat anything. But in context, it was about people, not animals.
- And while not part of the biblical canon, the Essene Gospel of Peace records teachings of Jesus that describe a way of eating in harmony with creation. When I read it, it feels strikingly aligned with the Edenic ideal — a rhythm of nourishment that honors both body and spirit.
When I put all this together, it feels less like a fringe idea and more like a thread of faith that was quietly preserved through the centuries.
Living It Out
For me, this isn’t just about what’s on my plate. It’s about alignment.
Every time I sit down to eat, I’m choosing to honor life rather than take it. I’m choosing to live closer to that Edenic ideal. I’m choosing to step into a rhythm that feels more whole, more loving, more true.
And here’s the beauty of it: plants actually invite us into this rhythm. A tree doesn’t die when it offers its fruit. In fact, giving fruit is its gift to the world. And if we don’t eat it, that fruit will just rot and return to the earth. It was always meant to be received and enjoyed.
What if food was meant to be life-giving, not taken from something whose life had to end?
There’s even a way to live in harmony with animals without taking their lives — caring for them in exchange for gifts like milk or eggs. That’s a win-win relationship of protection and provision.
It doesn’t feel like deprivation anymore — it feels like liberation.
An Invitation
I’m not here to guilt anyone or lay down rules. This is my journey.
But maybe it sparks a question for you:
- What would it look like to view food as more than fuel?
- Could the way we eat actually be part of our spiritual walk?
- What if we ate food that was life-giving instead of food that had its life taken?
- What if meals became another way to practice love — for creation, for our bodies, and for God?
That’s where I’m headed. And honestly, it feels like coming home.