As a Muslim, we have to eat halal food. However, it is not easy to identify foods that are considered halal. Yet, every Muslim has to make sure that they only eat halal foods every day, whether it is at home or a restaurant. Therefore, in this article, we will give you a great and useful halal food guide. Every Muslim needs to pay attention to the following guides.
The Standards of Halal Food Guide
Halal food is food that is safe, not prepared harmfully, and does not contain unclean & non-halal ingredients. Besides that, halal food is also prepared by following the dietary laws of Islam. For halal food guides, you have to understand that foods are considered halal if they only contain permissible ingredients according to the Islamic faith. Also, the food or ingredients do not come in contact with any non-halal food.
Here are all that you can consider as halal foods:
- Meat and poultry (Meat can be lamb and beef)
- Fish with scales
- Animal-derived products that are extracted from halal animals
- Eggs and milk from permissible species of animal
- Grains and fruits except those which cause intoxication
- Vegetable ingredients but those which cause intoxication
- Non-alcoholic food
Haram Foods
For halal food guidelines, it is also important to know what foods are considered haram. So, you can avoid them. Here are all that you can consider as haram foods:
- Pork & its by-products such as gelatin
- Alcoholic drinks & intoxicants
- Insects & reptiles
- Carnivorous animals except for fish
- Foods that contain the following ingredients: questionable flavours, emulsifiers, enzymes, and gelatine
- Pig and dog
- Blood
- The by-product of the human body
- Birds with talons or those that feed by tearing and snatching like an eagle
- Amphibian animals such as crocodiles, frog, etc
- Dead animals without slaughtering based on Islamic law
- Repulsive animals like spiders, rats, mice, maggots, lice, etc
- An animal that are not slaughtered according to Islamic law
- Spirits, ethyl alcohol or wine
- Hazardous and intoxicating plants
The Kosher Diet
Still related to halal food guide, you also need to understand about the kosher diet. For your information, foods are considered kosher when they meet dietary requirements that are outlined by Jewish law. Not all kosher foods are haram, but some of them are halal. So, as a Muslim, you have to be able to differentiate which kosher foods are considered halal and which kosher foods.
Some kosher foods are halal. One of the examples is meat such as kosher fish, goose, duck, turkey, chicken, lamb, game, and beef. The next example is dairy food, such as kosher-certified yoghurt, cheese, and milk products. Parve fruits, grains, nuts, cereals, fish, eggs, and vegetables also belong to kosher foods that are halal.
However, you must know that the following kosher foods are haram. Some of the examples are insects, amphibians, reptiles and pork. Any product that is made from non-certified animal also belongs to haram kosher foods.
Halal Diet
In this halal diet guide, you have to be careful to differentiate what foods are allowed to eat and what foods are not allowed to eat according to Islamic law. There are halal cereal products such as pasta, rice and any cereal product that does not contain haram ingredients. However, some cereals are haram since they contain haram ingredients like vanilla extract and alcohol animal fats.
Some fruits & vegetables are also halal, but some others are haram. Fruits & vegetables that belong to halal foods include oil, vegetables, butter, boiled, raw, canned, and frozen foods. Besides that, the juice is also halal. However, some fruits & vegetables processed food are haram since they contain haram ingredients such as bacon, gelatin, animal fats and alcohol.
For your halal food guide, you can also find milk & dairy foods that are halal and haram. Halal milk & dairy foods that are halal include milk, cheese, yoghurt, and ice cream made of bacterial culture with no animal rennet. On the other side, haram milk & dairy foods include yoghurt, cheese & ice create made of lipase, pepsin, gelatin, vanilla extract, and animal rennet.
This halal food guidance also tells you what meats & alternatives, which are halal and haram. Meats & options that are halal include legumes, halal deli meats, tofu, peanut butter, eggs, nuts, seafood, and certified meat & poultry. On the other side, meats & alternatives which are haram include pork & port products, non-certified poultry & meat, and any product which is prepared with animal fats or alcohol.
How to Prepare and Avoid Cross-Contamination
If you want to eat foods, make sure that the foods you will eat are prepared, processed, packaged and distributed according to Islamic laws. Besides that, the foods also must be free from najs or unclean materials. So, the same foods can be halal or haram depending on some aspects. It does not only about the elements but also relates to the preparation, processing, packaging, and distribution.
Common Ingredients and Additives of Foods
Food ingredients & additives are made from different sources. Some of them are made from plant or animal sources and produced synthetically. For your information, components that are made of plants and produced synthetically can be considered halal.
On the other side, food ingredients & additives produced from animals that are not slaughtered based on Islamic rite are surely haram. Foods made from pig and dog are also haram. Besides, food products where the ingredients & additives contain alcohol are haram, too. So, every Moslem cannot consume them.
That is all about halal food guide that you have to understand. Now, you have to be more careful before eating foods. Today, you can find many restaurants that serve halal foods, even in countries where Islam becomes a minority of religion. Hopefully, this guide can help you as a useful reference.
