You're probably thinking, well, what about Peter's dream? Didn't God show Peter it is ok to eat these things? Peter didn't think so and it was his dream. Peter did NOT say, “Oh, this dream means that any unclean animal God has created is now food. So, I can eat it if I want!” His interpretation of HIS OWN dream was that he could not call Gentiles unclean and exclude them from the fellowship of the LORD.
Jordan S. Rubin, founder of the Bible Diet and author of The Maker’s Diet, points out that a Biblical Diet is based on the teachings from the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. In these two particular books, it states that certain kinds of animals are forbidden to eat because they’re said to be unclean. We don’t eat them because God said not to and He NEVER changes the rules according to:
• Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
• Heb 13:8 Yeshua, the Messiah, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
God's Word never contradicts itself and if there seems to be a problem, it lies in our interpretation or in the translation from its original context or language. Animals that are considered acceptable (ritually clean) and proper for ceremonial offerings (Gen 8:20) are the only kind that should be eaten by man as well. (If it's not good enough to offer Him, it seems clear that it's not food for His people either--He's a holy God looking for a holy people.) The only type of fish that is considered food must have fins and scales.
So, are food additives safe to eat? Probably not and if it hasn’t been used as food or in food preparation for thousands of years, it’s probably not fit for human consumption.
What are Clean and Unclean foods?
When the Bible describes it as food, lists it as an ingredient (like flour) or talks about it being prepared and served together in the scriptures, then we can be sure it is congruent with other teachings throughout the Bible. The original translation of the words Tamei and Shequets was "unclean and abomination" but perhaps today a better description for these words would be "ritually unfit and idolatrous". (Again, if it's not good enough to go before Abba, He doesn't want His children exposed to it.) Below is a breakdown of acceptable Biblical foods:
1. Trees—whose edible yield is bearing seeds or is seed. To make it simple, this kind of food is mostly fruits. All “produce” is acceptable in the Biblical diet, just as long as they come from seeds. Fruits from fruit trees are okay to eat, as well as anything that grows on a vine, a shrub or anything with a woody bark tissue.
2. Plants whose edible yield is bearing seeds or is seeds – This classification refers to anything that may grow on plants that are not necessarily trees. Examples of this are squash, tomatoes, corn, rye, beans and lentils.
3. Field Plants—which can consist of herbs, roots and green, leafy vegetables.
4. Fish or seafood—everything with fins and scales are allowed, but whatever doesn’t have fins, like alligator, shrimp etc., is prohibited because these are the garbage crew in aquatic life. They dispose of the dead things in the water. We avoid touching death and they not only touch it, they belly up to it—wallow in it and eat it.
5. Animals that crawl and run – Actually, permission to eat meat goes back to the time of Noah. In Genesis 7:2, Noah was tasked to take 7 pairs of every animal fit for sacrificing (clean) and 1 pair of all other animals (unclean). God told him when it was time to leave the safety of the ark and what to do when he left it. How did he know what was clean and unclean? Once again, God told him because in Gen 8:20, we see Noah build an altar and took a sacrifice of every clean animal. The Bible explains to us in detail that clean meat is known as the meat of every animal that has the hoof cloven in two, and chews the cud—the ox (cattle), buffalo, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, and antelope. A couple unclean examples are the pig, the camel, the hare, dogs, cats and reptiles. It's interesting that the predator and opportunistic species are generally not fit for ceremony or human consumption.
6. Birds—scripture only lists the hunters as exceptions to what can be eaten: eagles, vultures, kites, ravens, ostriches, seagulls, pelicans, owls, etc. It is also noted that most insects are considered unclean, except certain jumping kinds: locusts and grasshoppers.
What is Kosher?
Kosher literally means “Permitted, fit or proper” and is followed primarily by Jews. In the orthodox Jewish culture, the only time you get to bypass the kosher guideline is if it’s necessary to eat something un-kosher to save your life and avoid starvation. Many believers follow a Biblical diet without the additional precautions of Rabbinical Kosher guidelines. These guidelines are defined in Leviticus 11:1-47 with a couple of protective fences around some hotly debated points, particularly mixing dairy and meat.
Biblical instruction leads the Kosher guideline to ensure we do NOT to eat the blood of the animal by the method used to slaughter animals. Kosher slaughtering guidelines provide that the process be painless, fearless and without suffering. Also, Biblical instruction requires that we are not to eat an animal that was diseased or died of natural causes and we are also forbidden to eat something that is still alive. A product that is “certified kosher” is supposed to mean that a rabbi supervised the slaughtering procedure or has ensured the food production process follows kosher methods.
