What Can't Seventh-Day Adventist Eat?

December 10, 2025 •

4 min read

Approximately 40% of Seventh-Day Adventists follow a vegetarian diet, but even for those who do eat meat, specific biblical prohibitions apply. Understanding what can't Seventh-Day Adventist eat involves exploring both scriptural dietary laws and the denomination's emphasis on general health principles.

Quick Summary

This guide details the specific foods and substances that Seventh-Day Adventists avoid based on biblical teachings, church health principles, and personal conviction. It covers unclean meats, restricted beverages, and other dietary guidelines.

Key Points

Unclean Meats: Prohibited foods include animals without both a cloven hoof and cud-chewing, and marine life without both fins and scales, as defined in the Bible.
Pork and Shellfish: Specifically prohibited meats are pork and shellfish, alongside other seafood lacking fins and scales like eels and catfish.
Alcohol and Tobacco: Abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, and other mind-altering substances is a key aspect of the Adventist health message.
Caffeine: Many Adventists avoid stimulants like coffee, black tea, and caffeinated sodas due to health principles promoting temperance.
Emphasis on Vegetarianism: A large portion of the church embraces vegetarianism or veganism, although this is a highly encouraged ideal, not a mandatory rule for all.
Avoidance of Excess: Temperance and moderation extend to practices like consuming excessive sugar, fats, or overeating processed foods.

Understanding the Seventh-Day Adventist Health Message

Seventh-Day Adventists adhere to a health message grounded in biblical principles, which emphasizes caring for the body as the "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). This philosophy guides many lifestyle choices, including diet, with many members adopting a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. While vegetarianism is the encouraged ideal, strict rules based on passages in Leviticus and Deuteronomy determine what foods are acceptable for those who choose to eat meat.

Meats Considered "Unclean" and Prohibited

The most well-known dietary restrictions for Adventists relate to "unclean" meats, as defined in the Old Testament. These are entirely prohibited for consumption among all church members who eat meat. Unclean animals are often considered scavengers or carry diseases, which Adventists believe is a key reason for the biblical prohibition.

Land animals without both a cloven hoof and cud-chewing behavior:

Pork: Pigs have a cloven hoof but do not chew the cud, making all pork products, including bacon, ham, and sausages, forbidden.
Rabbit: Rabbits chew the cud but do not have a cloven hoof.
Camel: Camels chew the cud but do not have a cloven hoof.
Other examples include badgers, bears, and many predators.

Marine life without both fins and scales:

Shellfish: All shellfish, including shrimp, crabs, clams, mussels, and lobsters, are prohibited.
Eels and Catfish: These fish lack scales and are therefore considered unclean.
Other examples: Squid, octopi, and swordfish.

Specific birds and flying creatures:

Birds of prey and scavengers, such as eagles, vultures, and ravens, are explicitly listed as unclean.
Most insects are prohibited, with a few exceptions like locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers.

Restrictions on Beverages and Other Substances

The Adventist health message also extends to what people drink. These restrictions are based on principles of temperance and the avoidance of stimulants that can harm the body.

Alcohol: All forms of alcoholic beverages are strictly avoided. This is rooted in scriptural counsel that warns against strong drink (Proverbs 20:1) and recognizes its damaging effects on physical and mental health.
Caffeine: Stimulants like coffee, black tea, and caffeinated sodas are generally avoided. Church co-founder Ellen G. White wrote about the harmful and addictive nature of these substances, and many Adventists continue to abstain.
Tobacco and Drugs: The use of tobacco and other mind-altering substances is prohibited, aligning with the church's commitment to holistic health.

Other Discouraged Foods and Practices

Beyond the strict biblical prohibitions, a significant number of Adventists follow an even stricter diet based on a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. For all members, regardless of their dietary type, there is a strong emphasis on moderation and healthful choices.

Dairy and Eggs: While not strictly prohibited for all, high-fat dairy products are discouraged, and many Adventists choose a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet that limits or avoids these, or a vegan diet that excludes them entirely.
Refined Foods: The consumption of highly processed foods, excessive sugar, and additives is discouraged in favor of whole, natural foods.
Overeating: The principle of temperance also applies to quantity. Overeating is discouraged to maintain a healthy weight and optimal digestive function.

Comparison of Adventist Diet Variations

Seventh-Day Adventist dietary practices are not monolithic. Here is a table comparing the different dietary paths members might follow.


Feature	Vegan	Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian	Non-Vegetarian (But Compliant)
Animal Products	Avoids all animal products, including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy.	Avoids meat, poultry, and fish, but includes eggs and dairy in moderation.	Avoids only "unclean" meats, but eats clean meats in moderation.
Unclean Meats	Prohibited.	Prohibited.	Prohibited (e.g., pork, shellfish).
Alcohol	Prohibited.	Prohibited.	Prohibited.
Caffeine	Discouraged, often avoided.	Discouraged, often avoided.	Discouraged, often avoided.
Focus	Whole-food, plant-based diet for optimal health.	Balanced diet rich in plants, supplemented by eggs and dairy.	Adherence to biblical clean meat laws, with a focus on healthy choices.

Conclusion

What Seventh-Day Adventists can't eat is a combination of direct biblical commands and church health principles promoting wellness. The strictest prohibitions apply to unclean meats, such as pork and shellfish, as well as substances like alcohol and tobacco. Many adherents extend these principles by adopting vegetarian or vegan diets and avoiding stimulants like caffeine, emphasizing a holistic approach to health. These dietary choices are a personal expression of faith and a commitment to honoring the body as God's temple. The individual decision allows for a spectrum of eating habits within the church, from strict veganism to a compliant, non-vegetarian diet, all guided by the same core beliefs.

Adventist Health Ministries provides additional resources on the health principles that guide Seventh-Day Adventist lifestyle choices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Seventh-Day Adventists avoid pork because the Bible, specifically Leviticus 11, categorizes pigs as unclean animals. Pigs have a cloven hoof but do not chew the cud, violating one of the dietary conditions for clean land animals.

Yes, but only certain kinds of fish are considered 'clean'. According to Leviticus 11, fish must have both fins and scales to be eaten. Shellfish, such as shrimp, clams, and crab, are therefore prohibited.

No, being vegetarian is an encouraged health ideal rather than a mandatory requirement for all members. While a large percentage of Adventists are vegetarian, the choice is a personal one. For those who do eat meat, they must follow the biblical guidelines for 'clean' meats.

Yes, most Seventh-Day Adventists abstain from caffeinated beverages like coffee and black tea. This is based on health principles that discourage the use of stimulants and other harmful substances.

Adventists abstain from all alcoholic beverages, citing biblical references that warn against intoxicating drinks. The practice is part of the church's health message, emphasizing temperance and the care of the body as a temple.

Adventist dietary beliefs are rooted in their interpretation of the Bible, drawing heavily from the 'clean' and 'unclean' animal classifications in Leviticus 11 and an emphasis on the original, plant-based diet from Genesis.

Beyond specific food restrictions, Adventists are encouraged to eat a balanced, whole-foods diet and practice moderation. They typically minimize or avoid processed foods, high-sugar items, and excessive fats.