Do Kosher Foods Cause Weight Gain? Since kosher foods are supposed to be purer than nonkosher ones, I always assumed they’re good for you and chose them when I could. But a friend told me these foods contain ingredients I’m trying to avoid, like trans-fats. No wonder I can’t lose weight! What’s the deal?
It’s a common misconception that all kosher foods are healthy and slimming. Kosher simply means that food is made in accordance with specific religious rules, so it doesn’t include pork or combine meat and dairy. As a result, certain fats can’t be used. The problem: To maintain taste, manufacturers often replace non-kosher fats with trans fats or partially hydrogenated oil. And these unhealthy fats have been linked to metabolism slowdowns and the redistribution of fat to the belly from other body parts. To avoid this, simply read kosher food labels as you would other labels, limiting intake of items that list partially hydrogenated oil in the top three ingredients.
