What Do Seventh-day Adventists Choose to Eat?

Food blogs overwhelm the internet; food fads are all the rage; and copycat and healthy versions of food are the subject of many a get-together.

Eating—and eating the best way—is a big deal.

And everybody has a different idea about it.

Seventh-day Adventists have their own way of eating, too, although it doesn’t stem from all the food craze of modern times. We have been eating in a specific way since the 1800s.

So what do Adventists eat? Do we eat meat or shellfish? Or eggs?

We’ll cover all those questions in this article, and more, including:

• What Adventists eat
• How we choose what to eat
• Where Adventist health principles come from
• Why these choices matter to Adventists

So, let’s get into what Adventists fill their plates with.

What Adventists eat

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Adventists try to live a healthy lifestyle, and that includes eating as many natural, whole foods as possible while avoiding processed foods.

It looks different for different cultures within Adventism, but, in general, here’s how Adventists interact with some basic food groups:

Meat: While some Adventists do eat animal products, many leave them on the shelf, opting instead for plant-based foods. Of those who do eat meat, they typically stick to clean meat as described in the Bible (we’ll get to that more in a bit).

Dairy: Many Adventists (about 90%¹) eat at least some form of dairy, whether eggs, milk, cheese, or butter. Some eat all of it, while others eat a mixture of dairy and plant-based products like soy milk, almond milk, or non-dairy spreads. A smaller group of Adventists don’t eat any dairy products at all—either because of allergies or personal choice.

Caffeine: Depending on availability, culture, and personal conviction, Adventists may or may not choose to drink caffeinated beverages,² such as sodas, coffee, or tea.

Alcohol: The church’s official beliefs discourage the use of alcoholic beverages, and most Adventists avoid them because of their well-known damaging effects on physical and mental health.

Grains: Adventists try to eat whole grains—whatever is available or common—as much as possible.

Vegetables: Adventists understand the crucial health benefits of vegetables! We try to eat a wide variety and plenty of them.

Fruit: We also try to incorporate a lot of fruit into our meals for their wonderful flavor and health benefits.

Legumes (Beans): For Adventists, especially those who are vegetarians or vegans, beans, lentils, and other legumes are a staple in our cupboards and an important source of protein.

Based on this, what might an Adventist meal look like?

Adventist meals

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While every culture will serve different meals, here are some typical meals for Adventists in North America:

Breakfast:

• Plenty of fruit
• Oatmeal or some other grain like pancakes or bread
• A healthy cereal
• Eggs

Lunch: Some Adventists make lunch their biggest meal of the day. In this case, they have a couple of the following at the meal:

• A cooked vegetable or salad
• A whole grain bread or rolls
• A main dish, such as a casserole, a rice with curry, a hearty soup, or a pasta dish

Some Adventists also eat haystacks, a traditional taco salad-like dish.

If lunch is not the main meal, we might opt for something simple—sandwiches, salads, fruit, or vegetables and dip.

Supper: This is the same idea as lunch. If the main meal was eaten at lunch, supper is typically a lighter meal. If lunch was lighter, supper would be the biggest meal.

Desserts: Adventists love desserts, just like anyone else! Depending on their specific food choices, they may make cakes or pies and simply omit animal products. They may also cut down on sugar or butter if the recipe calls for a lot.

Drinks: Water is the beverage of choice for most Adventists, though they also enjoy fruit juices, sparkling water, smoothies, and other similar drinks. As noted above, most Adventists avoid alcoholic drinks, and some avoid caffeinated ones.

Now that you have a broad picture of what Adventists eat, you might be wondering, why are so many Adventists vegetarian—or vegan? Why do they stay away from caffeine or alcohol? Let’s look into the reasons behind these choices.

How Adventists choose what to eat

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Many Adventists are careful about consuming meat, caffeine, alcohol, and even dairy because they desire to care for their bodies as temples (dwelling places) of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are temples because Jesus Christ created them and saved them through His death, so our goal is for our bodies to reflect and glorify God and what He’s done for us. By keeping our bodies as healthy as we can, we can think more clearly and serve God more effectively.

But this doesn’t mean Adventists are required to eat a certain way.

About half of Adventists do eat meat. And many Adventists will sprinkle cheese on their potluck dinner or drink a cup of coffee at breakfast.

The decision is up to each individual person, and what they eat is between them and God.

The Bible contains some guidelines about food, which helps Adventists form their conclusions.

Where Adventist health principles come from

Adventist health principles come from verses like 1 Corinthians 6:19–20:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (ESV).

In the same epistle, Paul offers this advice, too:

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, NKJV).

Regardless of what shoulds or shouldn’ts society places on food and drinks, the Bible calls us to approach these decisions through its guiding principles. Principles like caring for our bodies in the best way possible and living to honor God.

Here’s what that might look like:

Is eating a cheeseburger and fries better for our bodies than a homemade sub sandwich on whole-grain bread? Probably not. But this doesn’t mean we never eat a cheeseburger and fries. Rather, we might save it for a treat instead of eating it often.

What about a six-pack at a football game? All the guys might be having a beer, but knowing that it can impair judgment and harm physical health might lead an Adventist to opt for juice or water instead.

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Though the Bible doesn’t give us a long list of instructions for what to eat, it does offer some guidelines.

For one, it presents us with the original food God gave Adam and Eve—fruits, nuts, and grains (Genesis 1:29). These were God’s choices for the ideal function of our bodies, though, after the flood, He permitted people to eat meat as well (Genesis 9:3).

In allowing the eating of meat, God gave some specific guidelines to distinguish between clean and unclean meat. They can be found in Leviticus 11. One of these guidelines reads:

“‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth: Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat” (Lev 11:2–3, NKJV).

Clean animals have a cloven (or split) hoof and chew the cud. Cows have a cloven hoof and chew their cud, so beef would be considered a clean meat. Pigs, on the other hand, have a cloven hoof but do not chew their cud. So pork would fall in the category of unclean meat.

Today we can see why God gave these instructions. Cows typically eat grass or grain, but pigs are scavengers that often eat undesirable leftovers and can carry diseases.

And while God gave these principles to the Israelites, He had these dietary laws in place before formally giving them to the Israelites. When God asked Noah to build an ark and prepare for a worldwide flood, He told Noah:

“You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female” (Genesis 7:2, NKJV).

Noah knew the difference between clean and unclean animals about 2,000 years before God gave the Israelites dietary instructions.

Ultimately, these instructions were designed to bless everyone with good health. Now, we have the added benefit of modern research, which is confirming the health benefits of eating the way God intended.

Why healthy eating choices matter to Adventists

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Regardless of the exact diet we choose, Adventists care about healthy living because it helps us to experience the most fulfilling and satisfying life. After all, God created us and knows best what can fuel our bodies and make us truly happy.

Healthy eating helps us think clearly, gives us more energy, and even increases our life expectancy. It helps prevent sickness—either general or serious problems like heart disease—promotes lower cholesterol, and helps prevent obesity.³

Of course, this doesn’t mean that if you follow a healthy diet you won’t get sick.

At times, we have to deal with the effects of simply being in a sinful, broken world. But we still have the choice to do all we can to fortify ourselves and enjoy the greatest amount of benefit.

However, we are not made righteous through eating habits. A person who follows a biblical diet isn’t “more holy” than one who doesn’t. We are holy because of Christ’s righteousness—and following His guidelines out of love is just a way to experience the abundant life He wants for us (John 10:10).

To find out more about how Adventists eat and why,

1. “Adventist Health Study-2,” Loma Linda University Health, https://adventisthealthstudy.org/studies/AHS-2. [↵]
2. “What Adventists Believe About Christian Behavior,” The Seventh-day Adventist Church, https://www.adventist.org/christian-behavior/. [↵]
3. “Healthy Lifestyle Reduces Risk of Disease, Death,” Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, https://www.bumc.bu.edu/camed/2020/03/13/healthy-lifestyle-reduces-risk-of-disease-death/. [↵]

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