Is Halal Meat Healthier?

When wondering if halal meat is healthier, we can begin by comparing the taste of halal meat to regular meat; the absence of blood in halal meat makes it taste better, as well as bacteria-resistant which is automatically a plus if you’re concerned about the types of foods that you consume on a daily basis. You want the fuel you provide your body, to do what it has promised – nourish.

Table of Contents

• What Is Halal Meat?
• Halal Meat vs Regular Meat
• Is Halal Meat Healthier?
• Benefits of Eating Halal Meat
  • Safer To Eat
  • Enhances Metabolism
  • It Tastes Better
  • Hygienic
  • Stress Hormone-Free
  • Improves the Immune System
• So Is Halal Meat Healthier?
• FAQs

What Is Halal Meat?

Halal is the Arabic word for permissible. Halal food is that which adheres to Islamic law as defined in the Quran. Halal meat is used for the meat that has been slaughtered in the Islamic way. This involves killing through a cut to the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe.

The animals must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter and all blood is drained from the carcass, during this process a Muslim will recite a small prayer known as tasmiya or shahada. Muslims are allowed to eat meats like: Kosher beef, game, lamb, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and fish as these fall under the halal meat category.

Halal Meat vs Regular Meat

There is a clear distinction between halal meat and regular meat in terms of taste, cleanliness and most importantly the method of slaughtering. In Islam it is very important that the animal is comfortable, and healthy before it is slaughtered, this is to ensure that the animal does not panic or freeze which will affect its meat and naturally those who consume it. People who wish to be a certified halal meat producer or to butcher in a halal manner, they must follow these strict guidelines:

• During the animal’s lifetime it must be treated properly, provided with enough space to spread out and roam, given clean water, vegetarian food, and plenty of fresh air. This includes no use of impure substances such as antibiotics or hormones, and a sick animal must not be slaughtered.
• The slaughter can be done by any Muslim who has reached puberty.
• The name of God must be pronounced before or as the animal is being slaughtered.
• The animals face should be pointed northeast towards Mecca.
• The knife must be sharp without any bumps and it must not be sharpened in front of the animals, nor can other animals witness the slaughter of an animal.
• The killing stroke should be one swift cut across the throat to sever the carotid arteries, jugular vein, and trachea.
• The animal must be allowed to completely bleed out.
• Pork or alcohol must not touch or contaminate this meat.

The typical slaughtering process of regular meat products is as follows:

• Animals are transported from their farm to massive slaughterhouses and placed in a cramped pen
• The animals are then taken from the pen and led to the slaughter room
• Once inside the animals are stunned in some manner; which varies depending on the type of animal
• CO2 gas, a metal bolt is shot into the brain, electric shocks or other similar methods are common
• The blood is drained from the animal and then its cleaned.

This process does vary depending on the animal, for example a chicken and a cow are both very different but nevertheless it is a process that is identical, assembling the animals in a line, which heightens the stress of the animal, as he watches what happens to his buddy, knowing that he’s next.

Is Halal Meat Healthier?

The main purpose behind the halal rules is that people should care for their bodies so what we eat matters. For this reason it is important to adhere to high standards of quality and cleanliness. Part of this means no added growth hormones, antibiotics, chemicals, or animal by-products intended to rapidly fatten up the animals. Sanitation is important as with these practises the meat is less likely to be contaminated because the blood is completely drained, which avoids potential bacteria growth.

Benefits of Eating Halal Meat

A halal certified product is raised in accordance with Islamic law, and must be the acceptable source such as lamb, cow, or chicken and slaughtered according to these laws which makes it halal. There are prominent advantages of eating halal meat, some of them are listed below:

• Safer To Eat
• Enhances Metabolism
• It Tastes Better
• Hygienic
• Stress Hormone-Free
• Improves the Immune System

Safer To Eat

Food safety and hygiene are always prioritised in Halal-certified meat, which reduces the risk of food contamination. Halal meat farmers avoid using antibiotics and pesticides that many other profit-driven farms employ. When it comes to contamination and food poisoning, halal food has a low occurrence rate. In Islamic law, contamination or cross contamination is something that the halal meat farmers must be wary of. The blood must be completely drained from the carcass in the process of Islamic slaughtering as this results in better, fresher meat with the absence of pathogen infestation.

Enhances Metabolism

One of the most important ways to take care of your bodies, is through the food you eat, does it provide good nutrition, and is it of excellent quality? Halal beef, lamb and chicken enhance the immune system, brain and metabolism in your body. When your metabolism is strong, it soaks up all the nutrients and eliminates all the harmful substances from your body, which is a brilliant beneficial factor when looking after your health.

It Tastes Better

Apart from the generous amount of health benefits of halal meat, regular meats that contain a lot of blood is more prone to putrefaction and gives a bad flavour. When compared to other meats, halal meat is considered not only healthier but tastes so much better. This is because of the absence of blood in the meat, which makes the meat more tender, and taste nicer. The absence of blood in halal meat also makes it bacteria-resistant.

Hygienic

Taking care of the contents that enter the essential parts of your body – like your mouth – is quite vital in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is also the important criteria of halal meat regulation. Butchers and farmers who slaughter the meat must adhere to this critical criterion. Animals are given nutritious, clean meals when being reared, and if the animal becomes unfit or unwell it is not allowed to be slaughtered.

Stress Hormone-Free

All the animals are treated with care and respect when they’re being reared. While other living animals are present, no animals are allowed to be slaughtered. This helps to keep the animals as stress-free as possible during the slaughtering procedure. This has additional benefits since the animal’s lack of stress decreases the release of hormones that can change the meat it produces.

Improves the Immune System

Eating halal meat ensures that you are eating food that is safe and nutritious, which ensures that your immune system is being developed much better than when you consume regular meat.

So Is Halal Meat Healthier?

Eating halal meat isn’t reserved for Muslims only, although its religious importance still stands, there is evidence that proves why halal meat is much healthier. Meat that had been kept in a spacious environment, slaughtered correctly, drained of blood, will effectively provide the best taste, with immense nutritional benefits.

FAQs