Why Meat Was Shunned in the Medical Field – The 7th Day Adventists

The Hidden Role of the Seventh-day Adventists in Shaping Modern Dietary Guidelines—and Why It Matters

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, which began in the 1860s, has played a surprising role in shaping modern dietary guidelines, and that’s part of the problem we face today with nutrition and health. It’s a story that starts with a woman named Ellen G. White, a self-proclaimed prophet who claimed to have received over 2,000 visions of Jesus Christ. But it doesn’t just stop at her religious messages. Over time, her teachings have influenced much of the dietary advice that we hear today, including the promotion of veganism and the anti-meat rhetoric that pervades health culture.

“She claimed that Jesus instructed her not to eat red meat … those who ate meat were not only unhealthy but also spiritually compromised”

White’s teachings and visions, which are still available online in their entirety, fundamentally shaped the Adventist Church’s approach to health and diet. She claimed that Jesus instructed her not to eat red meat, particularly from warm-blooded animals. Her reasoning was that consuming meat made people “animalistic” and, by extension, less capable of understanding spiritual truths. This was not just dietary advice—it was part of the Adventist mission to “save humanity” through better eating. In their view, a meat-based diet would corrupt the mind and soul, impeding one’s ability to connect with God.

As part of this religious mission, White advocated for a plant-based diet, which she referred to as the “Garden of Eden” diet: fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds. The idea was simple: If you wanted to be spiritually healthy, you needed to eat the foods that God intended for mankind to consume in the Garden of Eden. According to the Adventists, those who ate meat were not only unhealthy but also spiritually compromised—an idea that flew in the face of much of Christian scripture, particularly a passage from Matthew 15:17-18, where Jesus himself clarifies that it’s not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out. In other words, it wasn’t about the food you ate but the state of your heart and mind.

Yet, Ellen G. White and her followers twisted this Biblical teaching to justify their dietary guidelines. They promoted the idea that eating meat led to a spiritual deficiency, a lack of understanding of God’s word, and even a lessened ability to be saved. It was a bold claim, but one that would go on to influence not just the Adventist community but also the wider world of health and nutrition.

“She literally wrote the book on diet and nutrition for 30 years. For decades, doctors and nurses were taught that meat consumption was harmful to health and that plant-based foods were superior.”

The Adventist Influence on Modern Medicine and Dietetics

The reach of the Seventh-day Adventist teachings didn’t remain confined to their church community. Their influence began to seep into broader medical and dietary practices over time, primarily through their involvement in the founding of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). One of the key figures in this movement was Lena F. Cooper, a dietitian who co-founded the ADA and played a significant role in shaping the curriculum for medical and nutrition education. Cooper also helped establish a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focused on dietetics and nutrition. She literally wrote the book on diet and nutrition for 30 years. For decades, doctors and nurses were taught that meat consumption was harmful to health and that plant-based foods were superior. This wasn’t necessarily driven by solid scientific evidence but by a religious agenda to promote vegetarianism as part of the Adventist salvation message.

This religious-driven nutritional ideology gained further momentum in the 1940s when the Adventists helped launch the vegan movement. With the advent of synthetic B12 production, it became possible to create plant-based diets that could, in theory, meet all of a person’s nutritional needs. The stage was set for the modern push towards plant-based eating—an ideology that gained traction within medical circles despite the lack of evidence supporting its widespread benefits.

“… the idea that “meat is bad for you” and “plants are the healthiest foods”—has not only failed to improve public health but has, in many cases, made it worse …”

However, the promotion of plant-based diets, initially rooted in religious dogma, has had real-world consequences. It has contributed to the rise of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, as people embraced low-fat, high-carb diets that often substitute processed grains and sugars for more nutrient-dense animal products. The modern health narrative—dominated by the idea that “meat is bad for you” and “plants are the healthiest foods”—has not only failed to improve public health but has, in many cases, made it worse.

The Problem with the Anti-Meat Narrative

Gary Fetke, an Australian orthopedic surgeon, has criticized certain dietary practices, highlighting a significant issue within the medical community. After losing his medical license for advising diabetic patients to reduce their sugar and carbohydrate intake, it took him five years to regain his license, during which the Australian government publicly apologized to him. Fetke argues that the dietetic movement, heavily influenced by Adventist beliefs, has shaped contemporary medical guidelines. He contends that much of the current nutrition advice—which often condemns meat and promotes plant-based diets—is driven more by ideology than by sound scientific evidence.

“… a growing body of evidence suggesting that nutrient-dense animal products—particularly meats, eggs, and dairy—are not only safe but essential for optimal health.”

Fetke’s point is crucial: The Adventist teachings, which initially emerged as a religious mission to promote spiritual health, have been deeply embedded in medical and nutritional advice. The movement that began with a religious group’s attempt to save souls through diet has evolved into a widespread cultural shift that harms public health. This is especially evident when we see a growing body of evidence suggesting that nutrient-dense animal products—particularly meats, eggs, and dairy—are not only safe but essential for optimal health.

Moreover, the global push for plant-based diets has ignored the importance of essential nutrients that are difficult or impossible to obtain from plants alone, such as vitamin B12. This has led to deficiencies in vulnerable populations, especially those following vegan or vegetarian diets without proper supplementation.

The Bigger Picture: A Religious Agenda Gone Global

It’s important to recognize that the anti-meat agenda promoted by the Seventh-day Adventists wasn’t solely about health—it was about salvation. For them, diet wasn’t just about improving physical well-being; it was a matter of spiritual purity. Over time, however, this moral crusade against meat has morphed into a widespread health and dietary narrative that has far-reaching consequences, many of which we’re still grappling with today.

The Seventh-day Adventists’ religious teachings on diet have not only shaped personal and spiritual practices but have profoundly influenced modern dietary guidelines. The result is a culture where meat is often vilified, and plant-based diets are exalted—despite the fact that this advice is based more on a religious belief than on sound scientific evidence. If we’re ever going to fix our broken approach to nutrition, we need to look critically at the roots of this dietary narrative and re-evaluate the scientific basis for our health decisions.