1. A Process Not a Blessing
People often make the mistake of thinking that if something is kosher it's been blessed by a Rabbi. Although many in the Jewish community say blessings over their food, it isn't the blessing that makes the food kosher. Jewish tradition requires dietary restrictions, limits on certain foods and guidelines for processing meat and other items. Following the kosher process guidelines and choosing kosher foods is what being kosher is all about.
2. Many Health Benefits
Although Jewish people remain kosher out of obedience to Jewish law, there are many health benefits to the kosher diet. Many kosher butchers and slaughter houses are so clean and sanitary they are exempt from USDA regulations. So, when you buy kosher meat you know you're getting the cleanest and the best. Restricted foods like pork are high in fat, so eliminating them from any diet is a healthy choice. Fruits and vegetables are kosher, but those contaminated with bugs or worms are not. Staying away from fruit and veggies that have obvious pest damage is always a good idea, especially if you don't know where they've come from.
3. Please Pass the Meat
Keeping kosher means many animals are completely off limits. Kosher cooks prepare animals and birds on the permitted list according to Jewish law. Even the by products of forbidden animals aren't allowed. Utensils and cookware that come in contact with non-kosher food can't touch kosher food. Seafood is restricted to things that have fins and scales, so shellfish and shrimp aren't kosher.
4. Meat and Dairy Don't Mix
The kosher menu keeps meat and dairy separated. This even applies to cookware. Kosher cooks keep meat cookware and dairy cookware separate. Even a small amount of dairy in food or a small amount of meat makes it all dairy or all meat. This includes things containing animal fat. People who keep kosher have to wait a while after eating meat before they consume any dairy. This is because meat residue can linger in the mouth for several hours after eating. The same isn't true for dairy, especially if you drink something or eat something like a piece of bread right after a dairy product.
5. Keeping Kosher Simple
Advances in labeling systems help people keep kosher. Kosher labels come from kosher certification organizations and mean the food, meat processing plant or prep kitchen keeps kosher laws. Food with the right kosher label makes decision making easier for those keeping kosher. There are even detailed labels that include kosher for Passover, and identify a food's appropriate food group.
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