Halal in Arabic actually means permissible. Generally, all foods are regarded as halal in Islam and the only exception is if they are specifically forbidden by Islam. If you are shopping from a halal supermarket San Francisco, there are a few things you should know first.
How is Halal Slaughter Determined?
Halal foods, by actual definition, are those foods that are:
- Made, manufactured, processed, produced, or stored using equipment, machinery, or utensils that have been washed as stated by Islamic law.
- Free of any substance that Muslims are forbidden from eating based on Islamic law.
The following foods are considered haram:
- All intoxicant and alcoholic drinks
- Birds of prey, carnivorous animals, and certain other animals
- Enzymes with Microbial Enzymes being the only ones allowed
- Gelatine that comes from a non-Halal source with fish gelatine as the only exception as this is considered halal
- Lard
- Animal lipase
- L-cysteine if it comes from human hair
- Non-halal animal fat
- Non-halal animal shortening
- Pork, bacon, or ham, and everything that comes from pigs
- All forms of rennet should be avoided except for microbial, synthetic, and plant. Rennet acquired from a halal slaughtered animal is permitted.
- Unspecified meat broth
Top Reasons to Eat Halal
The following are some of the many reasons to switch from other forms of meat to halal meat:
- Halal causes less pain for animals. It has been proven that the animals that are slaughtered with this method experience less pain.
- A halal animal is fed on vegetarian grass and food all the time. Thus, this type of meat is rich in omega-3 fat, antioxidants, and vitamins which are healthy and beneficial for the human body.
- Aside from being healthy for your body, halal meat is also more pocket friendly. All you need to pay for is the meat alone because the presence of blood just adds to its weight.
- Since halal meat doesn’t contain blood, it also tastes compared to other meats. Blood has lactic acid content that has a negative effect on the meat’s taste.
- Everything you eat affects your brain and your thoughts. This means that eating halal food doesn’t pose any harm to your brain. Halal food is free from dangerous substances and bacteria that otherwise would have affected your brain. Halal meat is also free from growth hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives. These things can all have an adverse effect on the human body and can make a person ill.
- Animals slaughtered using non-halal ways might contain bacteria, e-coli poisoning, and other filthy and harmful substances. The sacrifice of animals that use the halal method doesn’t harm the organ of the animal, which means that the organs also don’t have any contaminated blood in them.
These are only some of the many reasons why halal meat is also recommended even for non-Muslims. With all the different benefits it has to offer, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you start loving these halal foods soon enough.
