It’s no secret that diet plays a role in many religious traditions. Westerners west understand that certain foods aren’t kosher and know Muslims fast during Ramadan. Adhering to these rules is an important part of showing faith for many of the devout. 

However, some traditions also confer decided health benefits. It’s likely most originally did. After all, eating practices arose from indulging in locally available foods that made you feel better while shunning those that make you sick. Early people may not have known about trichinellosis, but several faiths prohibit eating pork, the meat most likely to infect you with the parasite. It’s possible early religious leaders made the connection between consuming the flesh and illness and enacted the ban to protect their people. 

Many westerners don’t know much about Buddhism, but making food choices like a monk could help you improve your overall health. Here’s how to eat like a Buddhist and some traditional Buddhist food recipes to get you started on your journey. 

How to Eat Like a Buddhist 

Buddhists adhere largely to a plant-based diet. Such meal plans are rich in nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes and may include limited animal products such as dairy and eggs. Therefore, your first stop to adopting this eating plan is to start with meatless Monday and reduce your consumption of beef, pork and chicken from there.  

Why do Buddhists choose such a diet? While Buddhists accept that suffering is a part of life, they also believe that the goal of dharma is to reduce the greed, anger and delusion that give rise to samsara. This belief extends to all living beings, including animals. Therefore, they don’t participate in practices like hunting or consuming products of factory farms that cause harm to those with fins and fur. However, traveling monks may accept offerings of meat.  

While some biologists argue that humans would never have evolved without consuming meat, modern intake increases health risks. WHO considers processed meat a carcinogen and red meat a probable one. They recommend eliminating foods like bacon or reducing them to prevent colorectal cancer. 

Buddhist Diet: Foods to Eat and How to Prepare Them | Beth Rush (patheos.com)