Chapter Fourteen - Ellen White and Vegetarianism

Theodore Levterov

Seventh-day Adventists are known for their promotion of healthful living and a vegetarian diet. Although not all Adventists are practicing vegetarians, the denomination, in general, has upheld the vegetarian lifestyle as a better option for enhanced health and longevity. Several recent studies have shown that Seventh-day Adventists are significantly healthier and live on average seven to ten years longer than does the general population. ^{1See, e.g., Gary E. Frasier, Diet, Life Expectancy, and Chronic Disease: Studies of Seventh-day Adventists and Other Vegetarians (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003); Dan Buettner, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Whove Lived the Longest (Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2008), 123-165.}UEGW 199.1

Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the movement, has played a crucial role in the formation of distinctive Adventist lifestyle practices. Her major health visions in the early 1860s became a turning point in the Seventh-day Adventist attitude toward healthful living, including the promotion of vegetarianism. This chapter will give a brief overview of the history of Ellen White’s acceptance and practice of a vegetarian diet, and explores her perspectives.UEGW 199.2