The weak in faith apparently believed that they should eat only vegetables. This belief likely came from a desire to maintain Jewish ritual purity while living in a pagan culture.
These Jewish Christians were following an example found in the book of Daniel. Daniel and his friends refused the rich food and wine offered by the king of Babylon (Daniel 1:3–16).
Other Jewish writings show a similar concern. Devout Jews living in pagan cultures often limited their diet because they could not be sure that meat had been prepared according to Jewish requirements.