How to Eat Clean with a Kosher Diet

I believe I have found the cleanest bodybuilding diet out there. Kosher foods are renown for their purity and high quality standards. Kosher foods are also some of the ‘cleanest’ foods you can eat. Eat clean with Kosher to build muscle and live healthier.

What is Kosher?

Kosher means ‘fit to eat’. What better way to get fit than to eat foods officially deemed fit to eat?

Seems like a no-brainer:

No more having to worry about what’s clean or not clean. Kosher foods are the cleanest foods. I’m talking super-clean, right down to a spiritual and metaphysical level. Through and through, the Jews have mastered clean eating. We can all learn a thing or two from their Kosher food laws and apply them to our lives to live better.

Kosher food laws dictate how foods are processed and prepared to make them fit for eating. Kosher food laws are strict. The utmost care is taken to uphold Kosher standards of cleanliness and humane treatment of animals. Processing plants are inspected closely and foods are processed in a way to ensure the highest quality foods available to eat. The goal is to reduce and eliminate the possibility of negative side effects from eating and making food as clean as possible for eating.

Eat Clean with the Kosher Bodybuilding Diet

In today’s world Kosher foods are a sanctuary for people who don’t know where to turn for diet advice. A common supermarket has 40,000+ food items and most of them are garbage. They can be tempting to buy but most should be avoided if you want to stay healthy and especially if you want to build muscle and stay lean.

I’m calling this the “Klean” Bodybuilding diet.

Following a Kosher diet plan is the simplest way to know you’re eating clean.

It’s the easiest way in the world to eat clean because all of the guess work and thinking has been done for you. You don’t have to worry if a food is clean or not because it’s printed right on the label – Kosher foods are identified by symbols on the packaging. A Kosher “K”, “U” encompassed by a circle, or a “K” within a star:

The Kosher bodybuilding diet is easy to follow. When deciding if the food is clean or not it needs to pass through two ‘filters’:

The first filter:

Ask yourself,  “is the food I’m about to eat Kosher?”

If the answer is yes then ask yourself the follow up question, “Is this food lean?” or “does this food fit my nutrition and calorie needs?”.

If it has the right mix of protein, carbs, fat and vitamins and minerals to meet your requirements then it’s good to eat! You know it’s clean as can be and will fuel your fitness goes.

The Kosher Food Laws

I found a list of the Kosher food laws an copied them here in full as to not lose anything in translation. the titles and italic text represents the copied texted regarding Kosher Food laws. I also added my notes in blue text below each section.

The Kosher Food Laws are as Follows:

[Source: http://www.koshercertification.org.uk/whatdoe.html]

Kosher Dietary Rules and Regulations

Introduction

As it says in the German, Man ist was man isst! Man is what man eats. The word kosher is familiar and, at the same time, foreign. One may think of strict rules and religious regulations.
In Hebrew, “Kashrus,” from the root kosher (or “kasher”), means suitable and/or “pure”, thus ensuring fitness for consumption.
The laws of “Kashrus” include a comprehensive legislation concerning permitted and forbidden foods. There are several aspects to these dietary rules. We will consider each aspect in turn.

“You are what you eat.”

This is absolutely true. Your body is constantly regenerating itself. Cells are dying and rebuilding as you read this sentence. Within 20 years your body is completely new. Every cell in your body is different from when you were born right down to and including your bones!

Your body rebuilds itself using the food you eat. You want to use the best foods to rebuild your body otherwise things can go haywire and lead to heath problems. 

“Take Care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.”

If you build a new house you want to spend your life in, are you going to cut corners and use cheap building materials? You might be tempted to in order to save a few bucks, but the result is that your hime will wear down. It will become delapitated and not hold up well to the elements. You can try to repair it as things go wrong but you will constantly have problems because the foundation and structure were built with cheap materials. So issues will happen often.

Now image the house is your body. In fact, your body is even more important than that house because your body is the one place you will truly ever live your entire life. Food is the material used to build your body. The quality of the food will determine your condition and health over time. Low quality food, processed foods with artificial ingredients, preservatives, animal product with hormones, empty calories and junk food in general will cause your body to work hard to use the little energy provided within the food. Eat bad food and you will have problems that need repair just like the house. Problems that may have been prevented if you had eaten better.

This is why you should stay away from cheap foods made in a lab. It’s why you should stay away from fast foods too. So what if you can get two big cheeseburgers for $5 in less than five minutes. Convenience has a cost. And the cost is your health. Spend a little extra on quality foods and prepare meals yourself. In fact, focus on quality, nutrient dense foods over quantity, if you want to live a long and happy life.

Meat and its derivatives

Kosher meat must comply with certain rules.

Kosher Species of Animals:

According to the laws of the Torah, the only types of meat that may be eaten are cattle and game that have “cloven hooves” and “chew the cud.” If an animal species fulfills only one of these conditions (for example the pig, which has split hooves but does not chew the cud, or the camel, which chews the cud, but does not have split hooves), then its meat may not be eaten.
Examples of kosher animals in this category are bulls, cows, sheep, lambs, goats, veal, and springbok.
According to the laws of the Torah, to be eaten, a kosher species must be slaughtered by a “Schochet,” a ritual slaughterer. Since Jewish Law prohibits causing any pain to animals, the slaughtering has to be effected in such a way that unconsciousness is instantaneous and death occurs almost instantaneously.

“The Properties of the food you eat transition to you upon consumption.”

Let’s think about this for a minute.

The animals fit for consumption all eat vegetation. 

unfit animals, like pigs, eat anything. Pork is a “dirty meat” because pigs will literally eat anything. Pigs are literally fed ‘slop’. If you eat pork, you get the properties from the garbage they eat as it passes right through the food chain.

Big cattle farms, hen houses and slaughterhouses treat animals like crap. that pack them into tight spaces and . This environment is stressful for the animals. Humans know that stress can kill. Stress hormones can literally change organic chemistry instantly and overtime. Before an animal is slighted it releases stress hormones due to natural “fight or Flight” response. The animal is shortly after killed while their body is flooded with these hormones. These hormones are like exhaust from your car. except the exhaust, and all the chemicals and poison within it, is now trapped in the animals body because it was killed before it had a chance for it’s body to rid the toxins. The toxins stay in the meat and are put in you when you eat it.

Animals in Kosher slaughter houses are treated humanely and when their time comes, they don’t even know what hit them. Animals raised by Kosher standards are live in conditions much closer to their natural habitat so they are healthy, happy and stress free. They are knocked unconscious before slaughter. Techniques vary but they are humane and reduce stress before death and ensure no pain is felt by the animals. It takes more effort to do this but the result is higher quality food that’s more nutritious and less toxic.

Kashering (Removing the blood) & removing the veins and skin (‘Porschen’ or ‘Nikkur’):

After the animal is slaughtered, the Kosher Supervisor and his team treiber the carcass by removing certain forbidden fats and veins. After the meat has been treibered, it is soaked in a bath in room temperature water for a half hour. To draw out the blood, the soaked meat is then placed on special salting tables where it is salted with coarse salt on both sides for one hour.

The idea here is to remove the blood because blood is the ‘life-force’ of the creature.

Fowl/Poultry and their derivatives

Some birds may not be eaten. These include the eagle, owl, swan, pelican, vulture, and stork – as well as their brood and clutch of eggs (Lev. 11:13-20).
Only birds that are traditionally considered kosher, such as the goose, duck, chicken, and turkey, may be eaten.

Birds of prey should not be eaten because they have predatory tendencies. and some believe the ‘essence’ of the animal will transfer to you if you eat it. Plus these birds of prey eat other animals that are not fit for consumption.

Dairy Products and their derivatives

All kosher milk products must derive from kosher animals. In addition, the milk of impure cattle and game (e.g. donkey milk) is prohibited. Dairy products, of course, also may not contain non-kosher additives, and they may not include meat products or derivatives (for example, many types of cheese are manufactured with animal fats).
Additionally, a number of pre-processed foods contain small portions of milk products, such as whey. According to food product regulations, such tiny additives do not have to be declared on the packaging but may nevertheless render the product non-kosher. This applies especially to bread.

The prohibition of combining meat and milk

The Torah says: “You may not cook a young animal in the milk of its mother” (Ex.23:19). From this, it is derived that milk and meat products may not be mixed together. Not only may they not be cooked together, but they may not be served together on the same table and surely not eaten at the same time. This rule is scrupulously upheld in observant Jewish households, even in the handling of utensils, which are carefully separated into “fleishig” (meat) and “milchig” (dairy) and separately labeled. By strict observance of these laws, they become an everyday habit. After meat meals, one must wait one, three, or six hours – depending on one’s custom – before eating dairy. After dairy consumption, no interval is required before meat may be eaten.

This makes sense from a health standpoint. Milk and meat are high in saturated fat and cholesterol. Eat them both and you’re likely to over do it and too much saturated fat and cholesterol is linked to many health issues including heart attack. Not cooking an animal in the milk of it’s mother is a good queue to remind you to think before doing it. It sounds cruel and you might lose your willingness to combine meat and milk when you look at it that way.

Eggs

The eggs of kosher birds are permitted as long as they do not contain blood. Therefore, eggs must be individually examined.

Again, blood is the life force of the animal and according to Kosher law shouldn’t be ingested.

Fish

Only fish with fins and scales may be eaten, for instance, tuna, salmon, and herring. Shellfish such as shrimps, crabs, mussels, and lobsters are forbidden.

This is an interesting one. One reason that makes sense to me is that shellfish are filter feeders and eat anything. Even the dead bits of other animals. They are called bottom feeders because they are scavengers and will eat anything. Including waste of other animals.

I got into a discussion with my Jewish friend from work regarding shellfish being an “abomination”. One reasoning that could be true is that some people are allergic to shellfish. People would die if they ate it. Over time, as cultures developed they may have seen a pattern with people eating shellfish and subtly getting sick or dying. They may have drawn conclusions that shellfish are the reason and should be avoided as a result.

Either way, they thought of shrimp munching on fish feces is enough for me to never want to eat it again.

Fruits, vegetables, cereals

All products that grow in the soil or on plants, bushes, or trees are kosher. However, all insects and animals that have many legs or very short legs are not kosher. Consequently, vegetables, fruits and other products infested with such insects must be checked and the insects removed.
A vegetable prone to insect infestation (e.g. cauliflower) must be carefully examined.

Don’t eat bugs. They could carry parasites and make you sick.

Fruits and Green plants

Certain laws apply specifically to the planting and sowing of vegetables, fruits, and grains. Hybridization of different species: One may not sow two kinds of seeds on a field or in a vineyard. (Lev.19:19/ Dtn.22:19)
Forbidden fruit: Fruits from trees planted within the past three years may not be eaten. (Lev.19:23) New grain: Biblically, no new grain may be eaten, or bread baked from it, before one brings an “omer” of the first fruits of the harvest on the second day of Passover (Lev.23:14)

Hybridization could allow for unpredictable and unintended consequences. Like when killer bees bread with honey bees. The result was a fast breeding, dangerous insect that invaded large areas quickly and had lethal consequences. Uncontrolled hybridization could cause mutations in the fruit or vegetable that make it dangerous for humans to eat.

Fruit from trees planted in the last three years may not be eaten. This one could be because the trees grow in soil and the soil provided nutrients to the tree and it’s fruit. If the tree bears fruit for three years it means the soil is good and therefore the fruit is good to eat. This is my guess. Don’t quote here. but it makes sense to me.

Kosher Wine

Gelatin, casein, and bull blood are inadmissible in the kosher wine-making process. Only the bacteria or kosher enzymes from the bowl may be used for fermentation. All devices and utensils used for the harvest or the processing of the grapes must be cleansed under supervision. Bottles may not be filled multiple times.
In addition, all processing steps must be implemented in agreement with the requirements of “Halacha” (Jewish Religious Law). For example, in the vineyard no other plants may be cross-bred with the grapes (because of the prohibition of hybridization).

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness” is what some people say. Purity and quality is priority number one. Any contamination leads to problems.

Beverages

Beverages manufactured from grape or grape-based derivatives may only be drunk if the grapes come from a kosher winery, prepared under strict Rabbinical Supervision.

Kosher laws are strict and taken seriously. And for good reason: “You are what you eat!” So you better eat well.

Overall I think the Kosher food laws are reasonable and not too difficult to adhere to. The only one I have a challenge with is compiling meat and cheese. I love cheeseburgers too much.

Kosher Foods List for Clean Eating

Almonds, Chia Seeds, Oats, beans, Lentils, Fruits, vegetables. Meat like beef, chicken, turkey and fish. Eggs, peanut butter, etc. There are a lot of foods you can eat on a Kosher diet. Just look for the symbols of your food that indicate they are Kosher. Anything that follows the rules mentioned above is Kosher and ‘fit to eat’.

My favorite Kosher snack is raw un-salted almonds. I keep a 3-pound bag at work and munch on them throughout the day for energy.

Final Thoughts on Kosher Foods for a Clean Diet for Bodybuilding:

If it ain’t Kosher, it ain’t clean. And if it is Kosher, make sure it has a lot of protein and the right macro and nutrition profile to meet your nutrition needs so you reach your fitness goals!

If fitness and health are your short and long term goal then the Kosher food laws are worth considering.

Kosher foods are perfect for natural bodybuilders and people interested in overall wellbeing, fitness and health. anyone can benefit from eating Kosher. People have lived long happy lives eating healthy like this for many years.

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