Do Seventh-Day Adventists Eat Meat? (The Answer Might Surprise You)

I met an Adventist couple at a restaurant once.

They ordered fish.

I was confused. Because I did not have much idea on Seventh-Day Adventist Diet.

Everything I'd heard about Adventists said they were strict vegetarians.

"I thought you guys didn't eat meat?"

The wife smiled. "Some of us do. But not that," she said, pointing at someone's bacon cheeseburger. "Never that."

That conversation sent me down a rabbit hole about do Seventh-Day Adventists eat meat, and the answer is way more nuanced than most people think.

Do Seventh-Day Adventists eat meat?

Some do. Most don't.

Here's the breakdown:

The church's official position is clear: plant-based is ideal.

But unlike some religious dietary laws, this one has flexibility.

You won't be kicked out of the church for eating chicken.

You might get some side-eye for ordering pulled pork, though.

Adventists believe the Bible lays out humanity's optimal diet.

It starts in Genesis 1:29:

Translation: plants. All plants. Just plants.

No animals in the original menu.

This is the foundation of why Adventists lean vegetarian.

They see meat-eating as a compromise that came later—after the flood destroyed all vegetation and humans needed something to survive on.

Genesis 9:3-4 is when God allows meat:

So meat became permissible, but with rules.

And Adventists who eat meat follow those rules strictly.

This is where it gets specific.

Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 lay out detailed categories of what's "clean" (okay to eat) and "unclean" (forbidden).

Adventists who eat meat follow these biblical guidelines.

It's not optional if you're going to eat meat at all—it's the framework.

Land animals:

Fish:

Poultry:

Insects:

Land animals:

Seafood:

Poultry:

Other:

In practice?

An Adventist who eats meat will order grilled chicken or salmon.

They will never, under any circumstances, order shrimp scampi or pulled pork.

The shellfish and pork restrictions are non-negotiable.

The Adventist explanation:

God designed certain animals as "nature's garbage collectors."

Scavengers. Bottom feeders. Carrion eaters.

Pigs eat anything—garbage, feces, dead animals.

Shellfish filter toxins and pollutants from water.

Catfish are bottom feeders that consume waste.

From their perspective, these animals weren't meant for human consumption.

They're the sanitation workers of the ecosystem.

Eating them is like eating the trash they clean up.

Interesting thing?

Modern food science kind of backs this up.

Pork and shellfish are among the highest-risk meats for foodborne illness.

Trichinosis (from pork), shellfish poisoning, parasites—these are real concerns.

The biblical laws were written thousands of years before germ theory.

But they align surprisingly well with what we now know about food safety.

I'm not saying the Bible predicted microbiology.

But I am saying these weren't random rules.

I've eaten with several Adventists who consume meat.

Here's what I've seen them eat:

Always:

Never:

One guy told me:

"I eat chicken maybe twice a week. Fish once. That's it. The rest is plants. My grandparents were full vegetarian and lived to 96 and 98. I figure even my compromise diet is healthier than what most Americans eat."

He wasn't wrong.

Even though "clean" meats are biblically acceptable, 60% of Adventists avoid all meat.

Why?

They believe the original, ideal diet was 100% plant-based.

Meat was a concession after the flood, not the plan.

Going back to the garden diet is going back to God's best.

Vegetarian Adventists live longer than meat-eating Adventists.

1.5 to 2.4 years longer on average.

Lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity.

The research is clear.

More plants = longer life.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20:

They take this seriously.

Your body is sacred.

Feed it the best fuel possible.

Most believe that's plants, not animals.

Modern Adventists also cite:

These weren't biblical concerns.

But they align with the principle of stewardship and care for creation.

Harvard research shows clear links between red and processed meat consumption and higher rates of heart disease, cancer, and premature death.

Even "clean" meats aren't risk-free.

The healthiest populations worldwide eat minimal or no meat.

Adventists know this.

Most choose plants.

Not all Adventists agree on this.

I've talked to members on both sides.

The vegetarian/vegan camp says:

"Meat was never God's plan. It was a compromise. We should return to the Eden diet. The health data proves it. Why would you eat animals when plants give you everything you need?"

The clean-meat-eating camp says:

"God explicitly allowed clean meats. Jesus ate fish. The disciples ate fish. Paul said not to judge others based on what they eat. I choose to eat chicken and salmon in moderation, and that's between me and God."

Both are accepted within the church.

But there's definitely social pressure toward plant-based.

Church potlucks are almost entirely vegetarian.

Adventist institutions (hospitals, universities) serve vegetarian food.

The official health message promotes plant-based as ideal.

If you're an Adventist who eats meat, you're not breaking rules.

But you're definitely in the minority.

Hypothetically, if an Adventist ordered shrimp scampi or bacon?

They wouldn't be excommunicated.

The church doesn't police individual food choices.

But culturally?

It would be seen as a pretty serious departure from biblical health principles.

Like a devout Muslim eating pork, or an Orthodox Jew eating a cheeseburger.

Technically allowed? Maybe.

Socially acceptable? No.

Most Adventists who eat meat wouldn't even consider unclean meats.

The line is clear.

Clean meats = personal choice, acceptable.

Unclean meats = biblically prohibited, not happening.

Yes, technically.

Liberty of conscience is a core Adventist value.

No one can force you to follow dietary guidelines you don't personally understand or believe.

But the social and spiritual expectation is clear:

If you call yourself Adventist, you should care about health.

If you care about health, you should follow biblical health principles.

If you follow biblical principles, you'll eat mostly or entirely plant-based.

And if you do eat meat, it will only be clean meats, sparingly.

That's the unspoken framework.

You won't be kicked out for eating differently.

But you'll be the odd one out.

I'm not Adventist.

I eat meat regularly.

Sometimes pork. Sometimes shellfish.

But here's what I respect:

When Adventists eat meat, they're intentional about it.

They don't mindlessly grab a fast food burger.

They think about where it came from, how it was raised, what it does to their body.

They eat less of it.

They pair it with vegetables.

They see it as optional, not essential.

That's a healthier relationship with meat than most Americans have.

Even as a meat-eater, I can learn from that.

So, do Seventh-Day Adventists eat meat?

Yes. Some do.

About 40% eat "clean" meats like chicken, fish, and beef.

But they'll never eat pork, shellfish, or other biblically unclean animals.

And most (60%) skip meat entirely, following what they believe was God's original plant-based design.

The church's position is clear:

Plant-based is ideal.

If you eat meat, eat clean meats only, in moderation.

Vegetarian Adventists live longer and healthier lives than meat-eating Adventists.

And meat-eating Adventists live longer and healthier than the average American.

You don't have to agree with the biblical basis to appreciate the results.

These are people who've figured out how to live longer, healthier lives through thoughtful food choices.

Whether you attribute that to God's wisdom or good nutrition science doesn't really matter.

The outcomes speak for themselves.