In case this is your first time here, our family has been eating a Biblically clean diet (a.k.a. “kosher”) since 2016.
No, we aren’t Jewish (though we do get that question a lot). We just want to live like our Messiah whom we claim to follow. He was Jewish, and therefore would have eaten a Biblically clean diet. (It’s not a Jewish thing; it’s a Yeshua thing!)
What is a Biblically Clean / Kosher Diet?
In today’s world (for those of us who need it broken down in the simplest of terms) it basically means no pork and no shellfish. (Though in some of ‘these here Southern parts,’ there are those who eat rabbit, which is also unclean.)
Biblically clean does not always equate to being “kosher” by modern standards, though.
In Judaism, the concept of kosher foods has evolved significantly over time. The dietary rules are outlined in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and are based on whether animals are cud-chewing and/or cloven hoofed. In order to be considered clean, they must be both.
As Jewish law developed through the centuries, additional rabbinical interpretations and rules were established, leading to the modern concept of “kosher” which includes not just the types of animals that can be eaten, but also how they must be slaughtered, processed, and even how foods must be prepared and served.
It’s important to note that many such additional standards are not actually laid out in Scripture. In fact, I’d be willing to bet they’re the types of man-made traditions that the Pharisees were rebuked for elevating above God’s commandments (e.g. the handwashing scene in Mark 7 … but I digress.)
When we first started eating Biblically clean, we quickly realized how much unclean foods – especially pork – are in so many things we wouldn’t expect. It’s evident that the enemy does not want us being obedient to our Father’s commands and goes to great lengths to make doing so much more difficult than Yah ever intended for it to be.
I’m thankful that He opened our eyes to these things early on though. There was a time in my life when I’d fry up some pig bacon without thinking twice. Now, I can’t even stand the smell of it, especially knowing that it’s most likely riddled with parasites. It’s also insane to me that people are willing to pay top dollar for shrimp, lobster, oysters and the like. Those poop-veined bottom feeders are basically the cockroaches of the sea. No wonder we need to douse them in butter and cocktail sauce to make them taste even remotely edible!
It’s so cool to look back on our journey and see how God brought us here. Jereme was led into a Biblically clean diet before he even knew what that meant. Due to some health struggles, he had to stop eating pork and shellfish way before we became Torah-observant. Once we learned that those animals were considered unclean and were never actually meant to be food for God’s people, it was truly an eye-opener.
“But didn’t Jesus declare all foods clean?”
That question also comes up quite a bit around here and would require an entirely separate discussion. The quick and simple answer is that the verses used to make that claim are often twisted and taken out of context. For more info, check out these posts, where I’ve discussed this in more detail:
Now, let’s get into the topic of this post:
Common Foods That Are Surprisingly Unclean According to the Bible
#1: Marshmallows
Most of the traditional marshmallows that you can buy at the grocery store are made with gelatin, which is a product derived from collagen obtained from various animal by-products like skin, bones, and connective tissues. Most gelatin is made from pork, so for marshmallows to be clean, they must be made with beef gelatin (which is difficult to confirm), or a vegan alternative like agar-agar.
Store-bought marshmallows often contain other additives like artificial flavors, which are often chemically synthesized or derived from unclean animals or insects.
#2: Gummies & Candy
Again, gelatin is often the biggest culprit here, but artificial flavors and colors are common too. For this and many other reasons, we often turn down gummy bears and candy when they’re offered to our kids. Except for Juice Plus, they rarely eat gummies or candy, but when they do, we make sure there’s no gelatin. (Fruit pectin a popular gelatin substitute that’s often used.)
#3: Supplements
Unless they’re explicitly labeled vegan, supplement capsules are often made with pork gelatin as well. Some food-based supplements, like zinc, may also be made from oysters.
#4: Jello / Pudding
Many store-bought jello and pudding mixes are also made with gelatin, most likely derived from pigs. With more people choosing a vegetarian / vegan diet these days, it’s probably easier to find alternative options, but if I’m going to eat jello or pudding, I’d much rather make it myself using healthy ingredients anyway.
#5: Refried Beans
Traditional recipes for refried beans may include lard, which is pork fat. I rarely eat refried beans for that reason, but I’ve found that a lot of Mexican restaurants these days have revamped their recipes to include a more vegetarian / vegan-friendly option, which is good.
#6: Cheese
Enzymes are used to coagulate milk in the cheesemaking process, the most popular of which are pepsin, lipase and rennet. These may come from animal, vegetable or microbial sources. Some popular store-bought cheese brands may use enzymes obtained from unclean animals. Unless the label specifies “microbial rennet” or explicitly states that no animal-derived enzymes were used in its production, cheese can often be difficult to verify 100% as being kosher. But from my brief research when writing this post, it does seem that pig-derived enzymes are much more rare these days.
(Great news for all of us cheese lovers!)
#7: Wine
If your jaw is on the floor right now, don’t feel bad. That was my reaction too, when I first learned that many wineries use pork gelatin as a clarifying agent during wine production!
We currently buy our wine from Scout & Cellar, but we’ve also purchased from Dry Farm Wines. Both of these offer clean wine, sourced from reputable vineyards that don’t use pork gelatin or any other unclean ingredients. Red wine used to give me a headache, but that doesn’t happen anymore – and I can definitely taste the difference!
What about you? Were you surprised to learn that any of the foods on this list could be unclean according to the Bible? Can you think of any other common unclean foods that we didn’t mention?
Leave a comment below and let us know!
