Vegetarian Tour

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.
14. An Inconvenient Cow by Matt Rales: The truth behind the UN assault on ruminant livestock

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