A divine messenger appears to a woman with a set of strict dietary rules. These instructions are not mere suggestions but a demand for an immediate lifestyle shift, preparing her body and soul to carry a child with an extraordinary destiny. His holiness begins before he is even born. The command carries a sense of urgency, requiring the mother to alter her habits on that very day, as she is already pregnant [מצודת דוד, אברבנאל]. Alongside the spiritual significance, there is a practical concern. The mother must avoid substances that could harm the proper physical development of the child [מלבי״ם].
The restriction against wine and strong drink specifically targets intoxicating beverages produced from grapes [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Commentators explain this includes both new and old wine [רש״י, מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Alternatively, it distinguishes between wine diluted with water and strong, unmixed wine [רד״ק].
Regarding the warning against eating anything unclean, there are several layers of meaning. On a basic level, it is a straightforward prohibition against consuming inherently non-kosher foods [אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. It also requires eating even ordinary everyday food in a state of ritual purity [מצודת דוד] and avoiding impurity from contact with the dead or being in the same physical space as a corpse [רד״ק]. However, the primary approach among commentators is that the concept of uncleanliness here is rooted in the laws of a Nazirite. Because the child is destined to be a Nazirite to God from the womb, the mother is forbidden from consuming anything that a Nazirite is not allowed to eat, such as grape seeds, skins, and any grape infusions.
A unique perspective connects this dietary restriction to the customs of that era. Women who struggled to conceive often ate the stomach of a rabbit as a charm for fertility. According to this view, the angel explicitly warns the mother not to eat this unclean meat, assuring her that God will bless her with a son without any need for such charms [צאינה וראינה].