There is no doubt that the demand for halal-certified food continues to grow as more people adopt this diet. If you are new to it, the following are a few tips that’ll help you adopt the diet without any problems.
What are Halal Foods?
Halal means permitted in Arabic and is linked to Islamic Law. It is important for folks who consider themselves Muslims, but the reality is the diet is reaching beyond the religion.
Folks are looking at the practices involved to qualify as halal certified and are falling in love because it means they’ll be eating cleaner. Halal foods cannot include things like chemicals and other man-made materials. The animals had to be killed humanely. With the clean-eating movement, it is easy to see why many are flocking to this diet.
Where Can You Find Halal Food
One of the most difficult things you’ll end up dealing with is a lack of halal-certified foods at your local grocery store. In larger grocery stores, you might be able to find halal-certified foods, but there may not be a lot of choices. If the only store near you happens to be a smaller one, then it might be even more challenging.
You can talk to the store manager, but it may take a while before you see halal-certified foods in that store. If all this fails, you still have a few options like finding local halal butchers and grocers. Most likely, you’ll have to seek out Muslim grocery stores, and you may have to drive a few miles away from your home. If you can’t do so, then it might be a good idea to just have your halal foods delivered to your home using an online grocery store.
Learn What You Can Eat
The first thing you should know is that the food group most regulated under halal is meat. Fruits, legumes, and vegetables are usually permissible within this diet. This diet does allow folks to eat domestic birds, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, buck, rabbits, fish, locust, and shellfish. You’ll also be able to eat dairy and eggs.
When an animal is slaughtered for food, halal dictates that the animal has to be treated well before being killed. The animal cannot be sick, unhappy, and has to be killed quickly. A prayer is also spoken beforehand to honor the animal’s sacrifice. It is important to point out that halal meat won’t have any blood because the animal is drained. Specific organ meats are prohibited, such as the bladder, the testicles, and the pancreas.
You also won’t be able to eat products that come from pigs, carnivores, birds of prey, reptiles, mules, and donkeys. This diet will also prohibit you from eating pests and insects.
Granted, most of these foods including insects are not part of a regular American diet, but it’s important to point out just so you know. You might also notice that many of the foods you can eat won’t have things like calcium phosphate, rennet, and L-Cysteine. All of these come from parts of the animal that aren’t permitted.
It may seem restrictive, but observing this kind of diet means you’ll be eating much cleaner.
Eating Out
Everyone loves to eat out and that’s okay. The problem is figuring out where you can eat. There are Middle Eastern restaurants opening around the nation, but that doesn’t mean you’ll find one close to you.
If you are lucky enough to find some, then you know where to go. If you can’t, then consider driving far away or look for vegetarian restaurants. These types of restaurants are probably not going to expose you to foods that aren’t halal friendly.
It is okay to ask questions since your adventure into halal eating has just started. Hopefully, this guide makes it easier for you to observe this helpful guide, but if you have more questions, it might be a good idea to talk to a Muslim who observes this diet.
