Based on Ellen White's writings, yes, you can drink milk, but with important considerations and cautions: ## Ellen White's Guidance on Milk Consumption: **Milk is Generally Acceptable:** "Milk, eggs, and butter should not be classed with flesh meat. In some cases the use of eggs is beneficial. The time has not come to say that the use of milk and eggs should be wholly discarded" (7T 134.6). She also noted that "fruits, grains, and vegetables, prepared in a simple way, free from spice and grease of all kinds, make, with milk and cream, the most healthful diet" (CTBH 47). **Important Cautions About Milk:** 1. **Quality and Safety Concerns:** - "Animals from which milk is obtained are not always healthy. They may be diseased" (2T 368.4) - "Great care should be taken, however, to obtain milk from healthy cows" (MH 320.1) 2. **Avoid Large Quantities with Sugar:** - "Large quantities of milk and sugar eaten together are injurious. They impart impurities to the system" (2T 368.4) - "Some use milk and a large amount of sugar on mush, thinking that they are carrying out health reform. But the sugar and the milk combined are liable to cause fermentation in the stomach" (CTBH 57) 3. **Future Considerations:** - "The time will come when we may have to discard some of the articles of diet we now use, such as milk and cream and eggs; but it is not necessary to bring upon ourselves perplexity by premature and extreme restrictions" (9T 162.3) - "Tell them that the time will soon come when there will be no safety in using eggs, milk, cream, or butter, because disease in animals is increasing" (7T 135.1) **Practical Application:** Ellen White recommended milk especially for those in poverty-stricken areas where fruits and nuts are scarce, and for people whose "blood-making organs are feeble" (MH 320.1). The key is moderation, quality sourcing, and avoiding excessive sugar combinations. So yes, you can drink milk according to Ellen White's counsel, but choose quality sources and use it wisely as part of a balanced, simple diet.

Based on Ellen White's extensive writings, **meat consumption is strongly discouraged** for God's people. Here's her comprehensive guidance: ## Ellen White's Position on Meat: **God's Original Plan:** "Again and again I have been shown that God is trying to lead us back, step by step, to his original design,— that man should subsist upon the natural products of the earth. Among those who are waiting for the coming of the Lord, meat-eating will eventually be done away; flesh will cease to form a part of their diet" (CTBH 119.1). **Health Concerns:** - "If meat eating was ever healthful, it is not safe now. Cancers, tumors, and pulmonary diseases are largely caused by meat eating" (9T 159) - "Animals are diseased, and by partaking of their flesh we plant the seeds of disease in our own tissues and blood" (HL 67) - "The mortality caused by eating meat is not discerned" (HL 67) **Moral and Spiritual Effects:** "Flesh food has a tendency to animalize the nature, to rob men and women of that love and sympathy which they should feel for everyone, and to give the lower passions control over the higher powers of the being" (9T 159). **Practical Reasoning:** "Those who eat flesh are but eating grains and vegetables at second hand; for the animal receives from these things the nutrition that produces growth... How much better to get it direct, by eating the food that God provided for our use!" (MH 313). ## Limited Exceptions: Ellen White acknowledged very specific circumstances where meat might be used: - "In certain cases of illness or exhaustion it may be thought best to use some meat, but great care should be taken to secure the flesh of healthy animals" (CTBH 117.3) - In areas of extreme poverty where other foods are unavailable ## Transition Guidance: "Great care should be taken when the change is made from a flesh meat to a vegetarian diet, to supply the table with wisely prepared, well-cooked articles of food" (HL 80.1). "None should be urged to make the change abruptly. The place of meat should be supplied with wholesome foods that are inexpensive" (MH 316.4). **Bottom Line:** Ellen White clearly taught that meat should be avoided by God's people, viewing vegetarianism as part of returning to God's original plan for human diet. The transition should be made thoughtfully with proper food preparation knowledge, but the goal is clear - a plant-based diet of fruits, grains, vegetables, and nuts.

Ellen White's writings draw a clear connection between meat consumption and the stimulation of sexual (lustful) desires, as well as the weakening of moral and spiritual faculties. Here are key points from her counsels, with direct references: - "A religious life can be more successfully attained and maintained if meat is discarded; for this diet stimulates into intense activity the lustful propensities, and enfeebles the moral and spiritual nature." (HL 102.4, Unpublished Testimonies, November 5, 1896) - "Men and women, by indulging the appetite with rich and highly-seasoned foods, especially flesh-meats and rich gravies, and by using stimulating drinks, as tea and coffee, create unnatural appetites. The system becomes fevered, the organs of digestion become injured, the mental faculties are beclouded, while the baser passions are excited, and predominate. The appetite becomes more unnatural, and more difficult of restraint." (SA 102) - "If ever there was a time when the diet should be of the most simple kind, it is now. Meat should not be placed before our children. Its influence is to excite and strengthen the lower passions, and has a tendency to deaden the moral powers. ... The less feverish the diet, the more easily can the passions be controlled." (2T 352.1; HL 217) - "Meat eating deranges the system, beclouds the intellect, and blunts the moral sensibilities." (2T 64; HL 102.1) - "The butter and meat stimulate. These have injured the stomach and perverted the taste. The sensitive nerves of the brain have been benumbed, and the animal appetite strengthened at the expense of the moral and intellectual faculties. These higher powers, which should control, have been growing weaker, so that eternal things have not been discerned." (2T 485.2) In summary, Ellen White taught that eating meat excites and strengthens sexual desires (the "lower passions"), making them harder to control, while also weakening the moral and spiritual faculties. She strongly counseled that a simple, plant-based diet is best for those seeking purity and self-control, especially in the context of preparing for heaven. **References:** - White, E. G. (1896). Unpublished Testimonies, November 5, 1896; Healthful Living (HL 102.4) - White, E. G. (1890). Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene (CTBH/HL) - White, E. G. (1890). Counsels on Diet and Foods (CD) - White, E. G. (1870). Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2 (2T 64, 352.1, 485.2) - White, E. G. (1890). Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 4a (SA 102)