In ancient times, ancestors had to consume mainly plant foods because it was not as easy to get meat as we can get it now. But this wasn't the only reason to be vegetarian. History tells us that vegetarianism has its beginnings in ancient India and Greece. At that time, the vegetarian diet had close ties to the idea of ​​nonviolence towards animals and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers. Ancient Hindus and Buddhists advocated a vegetarian diet for ethical reasons. One of the most important reasons why people have decided not to consume meat is the “Do no harm” principle. People should not make animals suffer and feel pain because animals deserve the same level of respect as people. Although people began thinking about vegetarianism and animal rights movements a long time ago, these movements only became popular in the early 1970s. In the United States, people became interested in vegetarianism after the American writer Frances Moore Lappé published her bestseller entitled “Diet for a Small Planet”. Around the same time, a group of postgraduate philosophy students at Oxford University, now known as the "Oxford Group", founded an animal rights movement in the United Kingdom. The reason they did it wasn't just sentimental. Their approach was based on the moral rights of animals. This was the beginning of these movements that are now so popular. Even though they were founded by different people and in different countries, they still have a lot in common. The connection of these two different movements such as vegetarianism and animal rights is characterized by identical beliefs, common goals and similar hopes. Originally founded in ancient India, Hinduism and Buddhism have strong ties to plants...... middle of paper . .....nism." Philosophy 53.206 (1978): 481-505. Francione, Gary L. The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation? New York: Columbia UP, 2010. Web. p. 62. Narayanan, Vasudha. “The Hindu Tradition.” A Concise Introduction to World Religions, edited by Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Ryder, Richard Animal: Changing Attitudes Toward Speciesism. 1989, ed. Berg, 2000, p. 5. Tähtinen, Unto. Non-Violence in Indian Tradition, London 1976, p. Retrieved July 12, 2006. "Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare." World Society for the Protection of Animals. Web."Vegan diets become more popular, more widespread," Associated Press/CBS News, January 5 2011.