Keeping "Kosher" (i.e. vegan AND gluten-free)

When I was teaching the 7th Grade at Wilshire Boulevard Temple back in 2007, we had a lesson about kashrut that I was responsible for teaching. I knew nothing about what it meant to actually observe kosher laws, but I did not feel right about teaching them if I did not learn myself. I did some studying and ended up really being affected by what I learned: clean animals killed in the kosher method, keeping the animals as happy as possible while they are still alive, environmental impact while eating more vegetables, etc. I ended up keeping kosher for 3 whole years and turning into a vegetarian for 6 months after continuing to learn about how we impact the Earth through our diets. During this time I also visited Spain for 2 weeks which proved to be extremely difficult and tested my dedication as the food there was not kosher/vegetarian-friendly. However, it all came to a screeching halt in the summer of 2010 after a camp tradition had me eating 3 whole steaks after a 3-day hike. My desire to keep kosher and vegetarian completely went out the window all because of a tradition at camp in which I could not help but be a part of. Since then, I have eaten pork, shellfish, meat, cheese, meat and cheese -- you name it. However, my time keeping kosher and learning about how to eat healthier did not go to waste. I am much more mindful about what I am putting into my body, how it affects me, how it affects the animals, the ingredients in the food and where they come from/how they are made, and what my diet is doing to the environment. This has even crossed over into a bit of an obsessiveness about the contents of cosmetics/toiletries as well, but that can be saved for a separate conversation.

For this past week, I wanted to keep the mindfulness and intention, but was having a difficult time figuring out what exactly I would need to do. Keeping kosher as it is written in the Torah and how it has been translated through rabbinic tradition was going to prove to be too easy - as would keeping vegetarian. These are both ways of living I have tried before and I wanted to challenge my notion of kosher. I decided that going vegan for the week was going to be the right challenge for me and I ended up loving it. I was also unintentionally keeping gluten-free at the start of the week and just kept it up for the remainder of the week. Figuring out what I could and could not eat in my own home was actually pretty easy as I went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods when I made this decision. However, eating at the few restaurants I did this week proved to be much more difficult than anticipated. It was not as vegan+gluten-free friendly as I would have guessed with so many today choosing both of these as viable options for their lives. I am still keeping vegan+gluten-free for one more day (Sunday to Sunday). 

This week has actually opened my eyes to some important health-related food habits that I am considering going forward. The vegan thing is not really for me...yet. It is very respectable and I would definitely strongly think about it as an option as I get older. However, the gluten-free portion of my week has proved to be much less difficult than anticipated (and planned) but also probably much healthier. I eat a ton of carbs only because they are there and having this restriction or mindfulness about what I put into my body is something that I am going to try to keep going as long as I can - maybe permanently...maybe.