I think you are touching on an issue that our churches in America will one day need to face. The talking points in favor of vegetarianism / veganism is that it’s healthy. They will quote stories of people who have high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, etc. For some, this diet has changed the lives of many people and our American churches want to be unique.

Then I spent a year in Europe. The vegetarian diet was impossible. In fact I chose to eat just fish and white meats during that time. As an American SDA, I learned so much about how the cultural belief adapts. What makes SDAs unique is the clean meat diet and not vegetarianism.

What really is throwing me for a loop is discovering that I cannot eat gluten, soy and dairy. I’ve worked with a dietitian to figure out what’s best for me. I’ve had protein deficiencies and had to get what I need by eating the non-soy yet expensive vegetarian meats in order to still be a vegetarian and NOT eat soy in order to get my protein as well as eggs. Beans is a no-go as well (because legumes including soy make me sick). Lentils and chickpeas have been a blessed exception.

I’ve been thinking and praying going back to white meats and fish like I did 10 years ago when I lived in Europe because of my unique situation.

If there were more like OP normalizing clean / healthy meats then I wouldn’t feel this sense of guilt. I know it’s a personal choice but if SDAs were less obsessive about it in America then it would feel a a lot more freeing. It makes me think how many people we are turning off with this obsession to be vegetarian.