To Eat or Not to Eat – "Does God Care About What We Eat?"
All my young life, I had been taught that food was anything the "world" classified as food. But is that really true? After all, we are supposed to be the temple of Yah. And if a temple, shouldn’t we keep it clean and not pollute it with unholy things? Or should we profane the temple like Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who brought a pig and sacrificed it in the temple of YHWH?
I have found that there are two topics that become major points of contention when the veil is lifted, and people realize that much of what they have been doing, the Holy One hates. The first is secular holidays (which I won’t go into here), and the second is dietary changes. People LOVE their food—to the point that it is slowly killing them, becoming an obsession that borders on idolatry, or even a form of witchcraft as people rely on it for comfort and power rather than seeking Yah. The Holy One didn’t establish dietary laws for His health, but for OURS. He desires that His people live long, healthy lives. Yet, in our stubbornness, we often ignore His wisdom.
For those interested in seeing why eating clean is not only biblical but also scientifically beneficial, I recommend watching the following video:
Science Behind Eating Clean
A few years ago, after five years of eating biblically clean, my husband and I went to a Mexican restaurant. As always, we asked all the necessary questions about how they prepared their food. I ordered chicken nachos and specifically requested shredded chicken. The waitress told me they didn’t have shredded chicken, so I said, "Fine, then just chicken."
When the order arrived, it had shredded meat on it. I assumed they had figured out how to shred the chicken after all. Fifteen minutes into the meal, I started feeling ill and pushed the food aside. Later, it occurred to me that they must have put shredded pork on the nachos. Because pork is white in color like chicken, I hadn’t realized I had been food poisoned. Over the next three days, I was horribly ill. My body expelled the unclean food from every orifice, and the suffering didn’t end until I cried out, "Abba, I asked for chicken. It’s not my fault they gave me unclean things!"
This is an important lesson for those who are new to walking in obedience and think they can backslide. IT’S NOT WORTH IT. After a few years of living biblically clean, your senses change. Even just the smell of unclean foods makes you gag. To me, they smell like rotting corpses—because that’s literally what they are. Yet, I can be around raw beef or lamb without detecting that same decaying stench.
What Does Scripture Say?
Many believe that dietary laws were abolished, but Scripture says otherwise. In Isaiah 66:15-17, Yah gives a prophetic warning about the end times:
"For behold, YHWH will come with fire, and His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will YHWH plead with all flesh; and the slain of YHWH shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith YHWH."
This passage makes it clear that those who continue to eat unclean animals will face judgment. The dietary instructions given in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 are not just for Israel; they are part of Yah’s eternal standards of holiness.
Clean vs. Unclean Foods in Modern Terms
Clean Foods (Permitted by Yah):
- Beef, lamb, goat, venison, bison
- Chicken, turkey, quail
- Fish with fins and scales (salmon, cod, tilapia, tuna, trout, etc.)
- Eggs from clean birds
- Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds
Unclean Foods (Forbidden by Yah):
- Pork (bacon, ham, sausage, pepperoni, pork rinds, lard)
- Shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, oysters, scallops, mussels)
- Catfish, shark, eel, sturgeon, and other fish without scales
- Rodents, bats, reptiles, frogs
- Processed foods containing gelatin (often from pork), mono- and diglycerides, enzymes, and rennet unless specified from a clean source
The Hidden Ingredients
Once you make the decision to eat biblically clean, shopping will take longer because you will start checking the ingredients of everything. Manufacturers sneak pork products into many items, even where you wouldn’t expect it. Some hidden sources of pork include:
- Gelatin (found in marshmallows, gummy candies, some yogurts, and certain medications)
- Lard (used in pie crusts, tortillas, refried beans, and some baked goods)
- Enzymes and rennet (often in cheese, unless from a clean source such as Tillamook, Cabot, Organic Valley, or cheeses specifically labeled as using vegetable or microbial rennet)
- Mono- and diglycerides (found in breads, margarine, ice cream, and processed foods—often derived from pork unless specified as vegetable-based.
Final Thoughts
The Torah’s dietary instructions are not burdensome; they are a loving guideline from our Creator, designed for our well-being. We may not always understand the deeper reasons behind His commands, but history and science consistently prove that Yah’s ways are higher than ours. When we set apart our lives—including what we eat—we honor Him in both body and spirit.
Challenge
Take a moment to evaluate what you allow into your body. If you haven’t yet embraced biblical eating, research the health effects of clean versus unclean foods. Check the labels on your groceries and see how many contain hidden unclean ingredients. Ask Yah to give you the strength to walk in obedience, not just for your physical health but as an act of worship and faithfulness to Him.
**For a researched list of clean products, visit The Israel of God Research Center https://www.theisraelofgodrc.com/CUPL.html