Health Benefits of a Kosher Diet

The Kosher diet is followed by Orthodox Jews who adhere to certain dietary laws, but this diet has spread globally and has become increasingly popular during recent years. Kosher is not a type or style of food, rather it refers to the ingredients, preparation process and inspection of the foods. This can lead to an increasingly healthy lifestyle. How healthy is the kosher diet and what are the benefits?

Only 8% of kosher consumers are religious Jews. Most kosher consumers choose kosher for reasons, which relate to health, food safety, taste, and vegetarianism.

What is Kosher?

For those who have never heard of kosher, you must be asking what is it? The Hebrew word kosher is mostly used to describe food and drink adhering to Jewish religious dietary law. It means fit, proper or correct, and for a product to be kosher certified, each ingredient, food additive, and process used in its production must also be kosher compliant.

What is a Kosher Diet?

Kosher foods are divided into three categories, meat, dairy and pareve. Meat products must meet the following requirements:

• Must come from an animal that chews its cud and has split hooves. Examples include cows, sheep, and goats.
• Slaughter and all processing must be done in accordance with Jewish law and under strict rabbinical supervision.
• Portions of the animal and fowl must be properly prepared before cooking.
• All utensils used for the animals must be kosher.

All foods which are derived from, or contain milk are classified as dairy. These include milk, butter, yoghurt, and cheese. Dairy products must meet these following criteria:

• Must come from a kosher animal.
• Must be produced, processed, and packaged on kosher equipment.
• All ingredients must be kosher and free from meat derivatives.

Pareve are foods that are neither meat nor dairy, such as eggs, fish, fruit, vegetables, grains, pasta, coffee, and tea.

The Health Benefits

Kosher foods are highly beneficial for the consumer, because of the strict rules under which they are produced, and because of the close inspection and monitoring that certification requires. Vegetables and fruits are carefully monitored ensuring they do not contain any bugs, thereby ensuring the safety and healthiness of the product.

With dairy, the dietary law forbids the mixing of meat and dairy foods, requiring they be processed separately. The equipment used for dairy is never used for meat production unless it is kosherised.

Vegetarians are assured that those kosher products that are labelled as “pareve” are processed on  equipment free of any dairy foods or meat. Meatless foods cannot contain any form of meat, which is helpful for those on a vegetarian or vegan diet. Three in five kosher food buyers purchase for food quality.

Popularity of Kosher

Kosher food and drink has increased in popularity since the 1990’s, with the enjoyment of the food going beyond the enjoyment of the traditional Jewish staples. This increased popularity purchasing kosher is driven by the perception that the food is healthier, safer, and produced without certain ingredients.

Here at KLBD Kosher, we are Europe’s largest kosher agency, delivering the highest standard of service to our clients. If you would like to find out more about the benefits of a kosher diet, do not hesitate to contact a member of our team today by calling +44 (0) 20 8343 6255 or emailing us at info@klbdkosher.org and we will be happy to offer you more information.