What does Scripture say about what we eat?

Does YHWH care what we eat? I admit this was initially a very hard idea to swallow for me. Doesn't God care more about what kind of person I am? Before you get to hung up on that question remember humanity's very first sin. Adam and Eve ate something they weren't supposed to. They were kicked out of Eden because of something they ate.

YHWH cares about every part of our lives. He gave us instructions for food for a reason. And he cares very much if we are willing to be obedient to his word.

Many teach that Yahusha “made all foods clean,” but did He?

Mark 7:19 is the verse that is used to say that, “All foods are clean.” However, that statement was added by translators who misunderstood the text. That sentence is not in original copies of the manuscript. Taking a closer look at the context of the verse helps to clarify this. Chapter 7 isn’t focused on what is being eaten; it discusses eating with unwashed hands.

We should also understand that in the Scriptures if something is not Biblically clean, then it is not called food. Nowhere in the Scriptures will we find something unclean or forbidden referred to as food.

Mark 7:5, The Pharisees and the Torah-teachers asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?”

Please note: if Yahusha had in fact taught that it was okay to eat any type of meat their question would have been, “Why do you let your followers eat shrimp and bacon?” But that is not what they asked! They inquired why Yahusha and his disciples weren’t following oral tradition—doctrines of men, which required a ceremonial hand-washing before a meal. Yahusha taught that this practice was not required, as it is not written in the Torah. Yahusha never taught against YHWH's directions on what to eat. We know since he never sinned (1 Peter 2:22) he never violated any dietary commandments.

What does Scripture permit us to eat?

-Certain meats including cows, sheep, and goats.
-Milk and milk products from permitted animals.
-Fish with fins and scales. Salmon, cod, tuna, tilapia, perch, etc.
-Certain poultry including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, pigeon, and dove.
-Eggs from permitted poultry.
-Locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.
-Fruit, vegetables, grains, and nuts.

What does Scripture tell us not to eat?
-Pigs, rabbits, camels, and horses. (Leviticus 11)

-Ostriches, eagles, bats, swans, pelicans, vultures, and herons. (Leviticus 11)

-Milk or eggs from unclean animals. (Leviticus 11)
-Blood (even from permitted animals) (Deuteronomy 12:23)
-Fat from cows, sheep, or goats. (Leviticus 7:23)
-Meat sacrificed to idols. Including 'halal' certified chicken, beef, etc. (1 Corinthians 10:28)
-Swarming insects. (Leviticus 11)
-Beef, lamb, or goat cooked with dairy. (Exodus 23:19)
-GMOs. (Leviticus 19:19)

The majority of food instructions are found in Leviticus 11, and it's a little gross. Mostly a list of things most of us would never think about eating. Bats, ravens, camels, vultures, uhh no thanks! While it's a little hard to fathom in this culture, YHWH has the same thoughts about pork and shellfish. Gross.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that eating a lot of these unclean animals is bad for us. Be it from high levels of toxins in shellfish to trichinosis in pigs. But that is really not the point. The point is simply to follow YHWH's instructions. There is some cost to it, perhaps you'll need to give up something you've grown up eating; it takes effort to eat as Scripture instructs. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it to be obedient to the Creator.

More about what Scripture says about what we eat:
10 Times Scripture Talks About Clean Eating

Why Daniel Refused the King's Meat
How to Start Eating a Biblically Clean Diet
A Hebraic Perspective on Peter's Vision of Eating Unclean Animals