Written by: Damien Powell
After the blog last week about how followers of YESHUA must observe the dietary laws found in The Torah and that there are certain foods that are not permissible for us to eat; I felt it would be appropriate to talk about pork and other abominations hidden in our foods even when we think we are following His commands. They are even hidden in cosmetics like make-up and lipstick. We as believers have to be careful what we eat because we could be eating unclean foods without even knowing it. Some examples are as follows:
Update: With all of the information listed below; if you are in doubt about what ingredients are in a product call the company and get them to clarify it for you. It may take some time to research it, but it will be worth to know that you are on the right path. The whole goal is to not to indirectly be eating something that YAHWEH said not to.
1. I want to touch on the issue that we discussed last week about staying away from meat that is sacrificed to an idol, especially when you know it has been. So when you see halal meat stamped all over the product or in a restaurant do not eat it. Everyone is familiar with the name Lucifer; however, the original Aramaic/Hebrew says this in Isaiah 14:12 “How you have fallen from the heavens, O Helel, son of the morning! You have been cut down to the ground, you who laid low the gentiles!” So it’s Helel and not Lucifer and when you look at Strong’s Concordance number 1966 the word origin halal. So one of the names of Satan is linked to the word halal, which is more proof that followers of YESHUA should stay away from such meats.
2. Cheese! When you read the label on cheese you will notice there will be listed enzymes or rennet. Many cheeses are made with animal enzymes which are used to thicken milk during the first stages of the cheese making process. Though some cheese brands use cow enzymes, you have to do some deep research to find out which kind of enzymes your cheese brand uses. To be honest most companies that list “enzymes” instead of listing which animal it came from usually means it came from a pig source. Most pizza places for example buy cheese in bulk to make many pizzas to mass produce them and they want the most cost-effective cheese for business to make money. It will cost them a lot more to buy cheese with vegetarian or microbial enzymes UPDATE: Microbial enzymes are produced by bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Therefore, most will opt for cheese with pig enzymes. And rennet is the inner lining of the fourth stomach of calves and other ruminants, be sure to check that it is not coming from an unclean source.
3. Products like Doritos, Cheetos, Welches grape jelly, Dunkin donuts, crest tooth paste, McDonald’s apple pies, and gummy bears contain pig enzymes. Look out for powdered cheese flavoring on chips and store-bought macaroni with cheese which can contain casein, whey, or animal-derived enzymes. SOME Doritos products contain pork.Frito Lay, the makers of Doritos, uses a pork enzyme called porcine in SOME of their products.
The Frito Lay website lists a lot of products they say does not contain pork, although they cannot guarantee that for the products they sell in other countries. My question would be, if they cannot guarantee that pork is not in their products in other countries, then how can they guarantee it in America? I would be cautious with such products, if no other reason than the many artificial colorings and flavorings. Research has shown that many Yellow Lake dyes in food are linked to ADHD in children.
If in doubt always call the company and ask them and get more information. Even better take it to our Father YAHWEH in prayer.
4. Bread! Pre-made loaves of bread from the grocery store, bagels, breadsticks etc. Most bread that is purchased from the store and even bakeries, are made using a dough conditioner called L-cysteine which are certain proteins gathered from the hair and follicles of animals including pigs. Some sources say that L-cysteine contains human hair as well. Make sure you read the labels and if you are unsure call the company because they will use scientific terms to hide the names of the item used. The regulations for our food is so loose that manufacturers are allowed to manipulate terms and lead people astray. If the package said “Contains pig hair follicles” would you buy it then? The same way the word “cellulose” is another word for wood pulp.
5. Fast food grease! Be careful that they do not fry their foods in lard, because lard comes from pork fat. Jiffy corn bread mix is unclean because it contains lard as well. Also, look out for words like collagen (skin and connective tissue) in altoids, gummy candies and Starburst. Keratin also known as (PHK) is pig hairs, feathers, hoofs, claws, horns etc.
6. Marshmallows and Jell-O contain gelatin which comes from a pig source made from bones, cartilage, tendons, and skin of the pig.
7. Mono and diglycerides are food additives used as an emulsifier for commercial foods. They derive it from a fatty acid called E471 produced from vegetable oils, although animal’s fats are sometimes used and cannot be completely excluded as being present in the product. This additive is found in breads, ice cream, margarine (I can’t believe it’s not butter) , some peanut butter, mission tortillas, Nestle cocoa, Country Crock, Blue bonnet, gum, shortening, whipped toppings, marshmallows, and some beverages. Be careful what you pick up and eat and if you are unsure they call the manufacturer to determine if they are using a vegetable or animal fatty acid.
8. Some other items would be seaweed aka carrageenan. Seaweed grows on the rocks in water making it an algae and not a plant. Genesis 1:29 YHWH says we can eat any seed-bearing plant. Most companies that label foods kosher call seaweed a sea vegetable, when algae does not produce seed according to YHWH’s command. Seaweeds are also known as Kelp and is not grouped with plants, however, because it lacks the cellular complexity present in plant cells. (learner.org). Seaweed contains toxins because they help filter the water and keep it clean just like the crabs, lobsters, oysters, and other unclean sea creatures. They also contain microscopic seahorses and sea urchins within them and we know that seahorses are unclean within themselves. Also, seaweed is considered a living organism in the water and YHWH said in Leviticus 11:10 “But all that have not fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, all that move in the waters or any living creature which is in the waters, they are an abomination to you.”
9. A lot of red candies (Natural red 4 or E120 for example) contain a dye made from extracts of dried bodies of the Cococus cacti bugs listed as “carmine” cochineal or carminic acid. This is a scale insect with a shield like scale. These are six-legged bugs known as crawlers. And YHWH says in Leviticus 11:20 “All flying insects that creep on all fours is an abomination to you. Only these you do eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. These of them you do eat: the locust after its kind, and the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. But all other flying insects which have four feet is an abomination to you.” These bugs become immobile when they are mature and their legs are no longer visible, so they don’t leap, they have more than four legs, and they don’t have jointed legs above their feet. They are similar to aphids they sit on the leaves of plants and the carminic acid from their bodies is boiled in ammonia which is unsafe in itself, then use the dye for your candy.
10. Even vitamins that are passed off as whole foods or natural are still synthetic. For example vitamin C is listed as absorbic acid which is actually derived from GMO corn and it’s an isolated version of Vitamin C at that. This form of Vitamin C does not contain the full spectrum of Vitamin C like rutin found in Elderberries and Apples. Other whole food supplements like “Mega foods” are fed to yeast called “cerevisiae” and put into vitamins and passed off as the real food. Real whole food vitamins will be actual freeze-dried fruits and vegetables.
11. Look out for supplements like fish oil that contains a gelatin capsule that contains the fish inside of it. If it doesn’t specify what kind of gelatin they are using like bovine (beef) or vegetable gelatin, it is going to be pig gelatin.
12. Sodium stearoyl lactylate is a cheap ingredient used to increase the shelf life of food products because it keeps mold away. Dough conditioning also requires this ingredient which makes gluten in bread stronger. Vegetable oils are said to be used for sodium stearoyl lactate, but the use of animal fat such as pork cannot be guaranteed. Also known as sodium stellate, sodium 2-stearoyllactylate.
13. Majority of beer and wines use Isinglass which is a gelatin like substance collected from the bladders of freshwater fish like a Sturgeon which is used to clarify the alcohol. Other agents commonly used are egg white albumen, gelatin (pig) and casein. Make sure you look for vegan wine that uses clay or a clean fish to filter the alcohol. It is debated whether a Sturgeon is a clean or unclean fish because marine biologists say they have scales when they are younger but they fall off as they mature; therefore, they would have fins but no scales which is forbidden. This topic is for another blog though, but definitely make sure it does not have the pig gelatin in your drink.
14. Many canned refried beans are made with hydrogenated lard and as discussed earlier, lard comes from pigs. So definitely be careful when you go to Mexican restaurants and order refried beans because they will tell you that it contains lard and egg rolls in Chinese restaurants contain shrimp, so opt for the vegetable spring rolls. Always check the labels and if you are unsure call the company.
15. Some foods with vanilla flavoring (vanilla substitutes) in some alcoholic beverages, puddings, ice cream, candy, and chewing gums might contain Castoreum which is a beaver anal secretion. The beaver is already not fit for a believer in YESHUA to eat, but the anal secretion should raise some eyebrows in itself.
Artificial or natural flavoring?
The FDA says that a natural flavor is one that’s derived from a spice, fruit, or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products. Basically a natural flavor is one that derived from a plant or animal. So when you look on the back of a package and see natural flavoring, check to make sure if it is coming from a plant or animal source. Because if it is coming from an animal source, then what animal did they use? Was it a pig? A horse? A camel? Anything that is an abomination for us to eat? And if they used seafood, then what seafood did they use? Most times when people refer to seafood they are usually referring to the crustaceans of the ocean like shrimp, crab, lobster, oysters, scallops etc. So I would definitely check with any company before consuming these products.
As for artificial flavoring we know that is exactly what they advertise it as, artificial! It is a science project that they cooked up in a laboratory and isn’t natural to begin with. According to Daniel Gritzer a culinary directory says “Artificial? Well, for starters it has the word “artifice” and all its implied deception and trickery practically built right into it.” The root of the word is deception? Hmmmm because it is not real! As always I pray that this has been a blessing to you as you walk with YESHUA and can now stop indirectly eating abominations. Please share this with anyone who is unaware of what they are eating because this is an important topic. May YHWH barak (bless) you in YESHUA’s Name.