Vegetarians, especially vegans, are often dismayed at The Weston A. Price Foundation's emphasis on animal foods as essential for health. This website tour will give you an overview of our position in light of the scientific evidence that humans need animal foods, particularly animal fats, for optimum health.

The Foundation supports raising animals on pasture as much of the year as possible, and opposes confinement operations, feedlots, debeaking, growth hormones, routine antibiotics in feed, inappropriate feed such as soy, and other practices that harm animals' health and well-being, harm the environment, and result in animal foods that are not optimally nutritious for humans.

The Foundation believes that strict vegetarianism (veganism) is detrimental to human health. Vegetarianism that includes eggs and raw (unpasteurized) dairy products, organic vegetables and fruits, properly prepared whole grains, legumes, and nuts, and excludes unfermented soy products and processed foods, can be a healthy option for some people. However, some people have difficulty assimilating vitamins, minerals, protein, and other factors from plant foods. These individuals may need a higher proportion of nutrients from animal foods to achieve optimum health.

Before taking the standard tour, vegetarians may wish to read the following articles:

The Vegetarian Tour

1. Open Letter to Vegetarians: Foundation member Jim Earles presents an open letter to vegetarians, outlining those goals we share with most vegetarian groups.
2. Our basic brochure, "Principles of Healthy Diets." We have a 28-page introductory booklet that offers an excellent introduction to the foundation and the work of Weston A. Price. The booklet is recreated on this web page.
3. Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children: This article will get you better acquainted with the work of Weston A. Price.
4. Vitamin A Saga: This article refutes the common misconception that humans can satisfy their need for the crucial Vitamin A with beta carotene from vegetables.
5. The Ethics of Eating Meat: Charles Eisenstein considers the moral implications of killing animals for food.
6. Myths & Truths About Vegetarianism: Stephen Byrnes examines 15 arguments against eating meat.
7. Myths & Truths About Soy: This short piece examines common arguments in favor of consuming soy.
8. The (Vegan Ecological) Wasteland: Mark Purdey discusses the environmental devastation that would result from eliminating livestock from farming.
9. Vegetarianism and Nutrient Deficiencies: Chris Masterjohn looks at the hard facts.
10. Twenty-Two Reasons Not to Go Vegetarian: Sally Fallon Morell responds to arguments for vegetarianism.
11. The Gorilla Diet: What Can It Tell Us about a Healthy Diet for Humans?: This article refutes the notion that humans should eat a vegetarian diet like that of the gorillas.
12. Out of Africa: What Dr. Price and Burkitt Discovered in their Studies of Sub-Saharan Tribes: These researchers noted the greater strength and health of the meat-eating tribes vs. the vegetarian tribes they examined.
13. The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith: This Thumbs Up book review summarizes Keith's arguments against moral, political, and nutritional vegetarianism.

After reading these articles, you may want to continue with the regular tour.

Comments (3)

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Vegetarian and Weston Price
written by mh, Feb 03 2010

I can relate to your stress feeling as if your values as a vegetarian are being attacked. I was a vegan for 8 years, and although I had serious health and hormonal problems as a result of my vegan diet, I cried when I read a book that attacked the vegan/ vegetarian diet (not a weston price book by the way). I have eventually gone back to eating meat and dairy in my diet and do so in an ethical, sustainable and healthy way.As a result, I no longer have hormonal problems, my acne cleared up, my brain was no longer fuzzy and I regained energy. Note: I was a very healthy vegan eater it is just simply my body type needed meat. I have found that the Weston Price practice is very compassionate to vegans and vegetarians as the values are in alignment with one another regarding the belief in the importance of eating for health in an ethical and nutritious way.

Now to answer your question regarding b12 supplements, etc. There is a big difference between a vegan diet, a Weston Price diet and a standard diet. The majority of the western world is currently on a standard diet and consumes low quality meat and cheeses which are harmful to their health, environment and are cruel to animals. As a result of this unhealthy diet, they are in fact not getting enough of the important nutrients they need and that is why good companies are legally required to supplement their poor quality food with vitamins and why many who think they eat a healthy diet of conventional fruit, veg and meat are in fact not getting the nutrients they should from this poor quality food.

If being a vegan/vegetarian is important to you, I respect that and believe that some people are able to eat a healthy vegetarian diet, but please don't think Weston Price is attacking your choices, because they are only offering another perspective on health that is relevant for the rest of us. "One man's food is another man's poison" We are all different and have different needs for nutrition.

Best wishes on your journey to good health.

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Reply to Donovan
written by Tim Boyd, Feb 02 2010

Yes, do follow the money. You can do that at:
http://www.westonaprice.org/Funding.html

You might also want to read what we say instead of making assumptions about who we are attacking ...

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Why the hate on vegetarians and vegans?
written by Daniel Donovan, Feb 01 2010

Why does this have so much misinformation about the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle? What do you guys stand to lose/gain from people becoming vegetarian or vegan? Like take B12 for example, if omnivore's got plentyful B12 in their diet why is practically everything fortified with B vitamins? Why is milk, cereals and every other product fortified with extra B vitamins?? Do they do this for the vegans and vegetarians who make up less and 1% of the western population??? I seriously doubt it??? Why do body builders and olympic athletes take monthly B12 infections??? Why???? I mean to my knowledge there is no other vitamin that vegans or vegetarian's can not get if they do the research and get educated. So why does this site attack such a small minority of the population?? Well folks follow the money....

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