While there are too many diets and ways to eat meat and animal products today to list them all, the Bible gives us accurate information about what a person should eat and how much of each food to eat to stay healthy. Below we discuss the various Meat Laws found in the Bible.
Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 talk about the various animals that are clean or unclean.
In the Adventist church the health message is nearly as old as the church itself. A time when people didn’t know much about basic health, nutrition, and hygiene, the church taught many people a new, healthier way to live.
Adventists today encourage a vegetarian diet. Adventists also know that the health laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy are still in effect. These laws were not meant to be ceremonial, but rather to set rules for clean living and healthy living. As Christians, we know that God made the health laws because he wanted the best for us. The health laws don’t have anything to do with salvation, but Adventists follow them to stay as healthy as possible.
As a Seventh-day Adventist myself, I often get asked whether Adventists can eat tuna. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no – it depends on your interpretation of the church’s health message. In this article, I’ll take a close look at Adventist dietary guidelines and the reasoning behind them to help shed light on this question.
A Brief History of the Adventist Health Message
Seventh-day Adventists believe in living a holistic healthy lifestyle as part of our faith. This includes getting adequate rest exercise, sunlight, fresh air, and trust in God. A key component is also following a plant-based diet.
The foundations of the Adventist health message can be traced back to the mid-1800s. God gave Ellen G. White, one of the church’s founders, visions about health reform and the importance of treating our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Her writings aimed to steer people away from harmful substances and toward a simple, wholesome diet centered around grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
The Adventist stance on diet was progressive for its time. While society ate a lot of meat, rich foods, caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco, Adventists advocated for moderation and more plant-based eating. Science has since caught up and confirmed many benefits of this way of eating.
Adventist Guidelines on Meat, Fish, Eggs, and Dairy
The Adventist health message recommends a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, meaning vegetarian with the addition of eggs, dairy, and sometimes fish. Exactly which animal products are permitted comes down to interpretation of Ellen White’s writings.
Here are the basic Adventist guidelines when it comes to animal products
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Pork, shellfish, rabbit, reptiles, and amphibians are prohibited as “unclean” meats, based on Old Testament doctrine.
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Poultry, beef, and lamb are allowed in moderation. Red meats have been linked to certain health risks, so limiting consumption is advised.
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Fish and eggs are permitted by more liberal Adventists, as long as they are of good quality and freshness. Ellen White did appear to sanction the eating of eggs and clean fish.
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Dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are generally allowed and even encouraged, ideally in low-fat or non-fat form.
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Overall, the diet should focus on grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes. Animal products should comprise a small portion. Processed and refined foods are discouraged.
The Murky Waters Surrounding Fish Consumption
When it comes to fish, things get a bit murky within Adventism. There are a few differing perspectives:
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Some Adventists avoid all fish and seafood due to ambiguity in Ellen White’s writings. She never outright banned or permitted seafood, leaving room for debate.
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Many Adventists permit fish but avoid shellfish like shrimp, lobster, crab, and oysters as they are called “unclean” in the Bible.
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More liberal Adventists permit any fish, since they are generally considered very healthful. Tuna and salmon provide beneficial omega-3 fatty acids for instance.
There is no universal Adventist consensus on fish. It often comes down to personal choice based on one’s interpretation of the health message. Let’s take a closer look at the tuna debate.
Analyzing the Arguments Around Tuna
When evaluating whether tuna is permitted within the Adventist lifestyle, here are some key considerations:
In favor of tuna:
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Most species of tuna are not listed as “unclean” in scripture
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Tuna provides high-quality, lean protein
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It contains beneficial omega-3s and nutrients like B12, selenium, and potassium
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Tuna is linked to reduced heart disease risk when eaten in moderation
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Many Adventist pioneers likely ate tuna occasionally
Against tuna:
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Ellen White’s writings suggest limiting fish consumption, though she did not prohibit it
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Some types of tuna contain modest amounts of mercury that can accumulate over time
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Larger species like bluefin are high on the food chain and consume other fish, so toxins accumulate
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Overfishing of tuna can damage marine ecosystems when not sustainably caught
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Eating plant-based protein like beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains is considered most ideal
As we can see, there are good arguments on both sides of this issue. For most Adventists, tuna falls into a bit of a gray area. Some avoid it altogether, while others feel comfortable eating it in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
My Personal Stance as an Adventist
Personally, I occasionally include tuna in my diet a few times a month when I’m in the mood for a hearty sandwich, salad, or tuna casserole. For me, the benefits outweigh the potential risks when consumed in moderation.
I do try to choose responsibly caught, lower mercury tuna like skipjack. I balance it with plenty of plant-based protein sources like lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, tofu, nuts, and seeds. And I aim for variety in my diet instead of relying on tuna as my sole protein source.
While I believe God designed our bodies for an optimal plant-based diet, I don’t think He would condemn the occasional can of water-packed tuna. But as with all personal health choices, every Adventist must follow their own convictions and the Spirit’s leading.
Guidance for Adventists on Making Dietary Choices
As Adventists navigate the matter of tuna consumption, here are a few principles to keep in mind:
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Make health your guiding motivation, not just adherence to doctrine. Focus on fueling your body with nutrient-dense whole foods.
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Study inspired writings for yourself rather than relying on hearsay. Check the context and time period of Ellen White’s counsel.
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Aim to follow the spirit behind White’s health message, even if details are unclear. She advocated for simplicity, temperance and wholesome plant foods.
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Consider your diet as a whole. An occasional tuna sandwich alongside a nutrient-rich plant-based diet can be reasonable.
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Let the Holy Spirit impress upon your conscience. God meets each of us where we are and customizes guidance to our needs and convictions.
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Do not judge or condemn other Adventists for their personal diet choices on debatable matters. Extend grace.
As with many issues, there are two sides regarding tuna consumption within Adventism. Through study, prayer and grace for each other, we can each find the diet that aligns with our health needs, ethics and personal relationship with God.
What are the laws concerning eating meat?
“Every living thing that moves will be meat for you; I gave you everything like a green herb.” But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. ” Genesis 9:4. We see here a deviation from the original diet after the flood. Everything in the area was destroyed by the flood, so people could eat animal food until the plants could grow back. However, here we recognize the first law concerning meat eating. Below are the laws outlined in the bible concerning meat eating.
- Animal food was not to be consumed with the blood.
- Animals that died naturally or were killed by another animal were not to be eaten. Leviticus 22:8.
- Animals were not to be eaten with their fat. Leviticus 3:17.
- No unclean animal was to be eaten. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
What animals are clean and unclean?
When the Israelites left Egypt, they missed the fleshpots they had been using while they were there. In his kindness, God let them eat meat, but he told them exactly which animals were clean and which were not. This is found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. He made it easy for them to tell the difference between clean and dirty meats by giving them clear instructions in the form of categories.
- Pets that have split or divided hooves and eat cud (e.g. g. gazelles, roebuck, wild goats, ibex, antelopes, mountain sheep, and sheep and goats
- Fish with fins and scales ( e. g. tuna, salmon, codfish, mahi mahi, sardines, etc. ).
- Most birds except birds of prey and scavengers (e. g. chicken, turkey).
- Insects with four jointed jumping legs that leap (e. g. such as crickets and grasshoppers).
- Mammals with divided hoof but does not chew cud (e. g. pig-pork in all its forms).
- Mammals that chew cud but hooves are not divided (e. g. camels, rabbits, rock badgers, etc. ).
- Ocean animals that don’t have fins or scales, like caviar, all shellfish, all sea mammals, all soft-bodied water animals, and so on. ).
- Specific unclean birds especially birds of prey and scavengers (e. g. eagles, vultures, falcons, crows, owls, hawks).
- All other insects without jointed jumping legs
As nutritionist David Meinz observes:
“Could it be that God, in His wisdom, made some animals whose only job is to clean up after each other? Their whole “calling” may be to be the sanitation workers of our ecosystem.” God might just be telling us that it’s better for Christians not to eat the meat of these garbage collectors. Eating by the Book,1999, p. 225.
It should be clear that a big part of an animal’s job, including scavengers, is to keep the environment clean. Bible passages talk about the difference between “clean” and “unclean” meats. This isn’t just a religious or arbitrary rule; it’s based on health concerns that help keep people from getting sick.
Want To Live Long? Try The Seventh-Day Adventist Diet
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