An estimated 90 percent of Orthodox Jews and 20 percent of Conservative Jews follow the ancient Hebrew diet, according to PBS.org. The ancient Hebrew diet is a combination of foods mandated in Leviticus, the third book of the Old Testament. It says that God gave Israel strict dietary laws on Mount Sinai referred to today as kosher foods.
Meat and Dairy
Only animals with cloven hooves that chew their cud, according to Leviticus, are clean. This classification of animals includes cow, goat, deer and sheep. When meat is processed, the animal slaughter must occur a particular way for the meat to qualify as kosher. The hind quarters are never used; if cancer, diseases or impurities are found within the animal during its slaughter, it cannot be classified as kosher. Dairy and meat must be processed, stored and eaten separately. The health implications of these dietary rules include reducing animal food sources and meat consumption that provides fewer grams of saturated fat in the diet.
Cheese
The ancient Hebrew diet prohibits cheese consumption if it contains an enzyme called rennet, necessary for transforming milk into curds and whey during the cheese-making process. Rennet comes from a cow's stomach lining and most Jews classify it as meat. Since meat and dairy cannot be eaten concurrently, cheese that contains rennet is not allowed. Reducing cheese consumption has positive health significance because it contains saturated fat that contributes to cardiovascular disorders.
Fish, Seafood and Bread
The kosher dietary laws instruct Jewish people to consume fish with scales and fins but no shellfish, octopus, shrimp or squid. Eggs from chickens, duck, goose, chicken, turkey and guinea foul are allowed. Whole grains are kosher. Consuming leavened bread products during Passover, a Jewish holiday in April, is prohibited. Eliminating refined grain products is healthy because whole grains provide more nutrients. Reducing shellfish may be positive for health because it often carries contaminants; shrimp contains a high level of cholesterol.
Philosophy
The dietary laws the Jewish people followed both in antiquity and today add ritual and spiritual significance. The Bible refers to the animal products chosen for the diet as clean; however, many Jews attempting to explain the dietary laws claim the animal products the diet prohibits are not comparatively unclean, according to BasicJudaism.org. Instead, the predominant theory behind keeping kosher is that defining food choices results in a distinction or separateness important for relgious ritual and purity.
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