Kosher and halal lifestyles often get lumped together. But while they do have some similarities, theyre very different diets.
Heres the 411 on all things kosher and halal.
Kosher and halal lifestyles are rooted in religious traditions that go back thousands of years. Both regulate what foods to eat along with how meat should be killed and prepped.
Kosher is a way of eating that follows Jewish dietary law. The word itself comes from the Hebrew word Kashrut, meaning proper or fit.
Halal means permissible or lawful in Arabic. Halal food follows the Islamic dietary law as described by the Quran. Foods that arent halal are haram (meaning prohibited or unlawful).
To be kosher, a mammal has to have split hooves and chew its cud (semi-digested food thats regurgitated and chewed a second time).
Kosher mammals:
Other approved animals:
Meat vs. dairy
Kosher peeps dont mix meat with dairy. The amount of time between eating meat after dairy (or vice versa) varies from person to person. But the standard is to wait 6 hours after eating meat before you eat dairy.
To eat meat after eating dairy, you have to:
Only certain types of meat are halal. Its OK to eat:
FYI: Mixing meat and dairy is allowed .
Each diet has a list of off-limits meats.
Eating any of these animals (or their byproducts) isnt kosher:
Haram (nonapproved) meats include:
Certain parts of a halal animal are also a no-go, including the animals:
Side note: According to kosher and halal rules, you cant eat an animal if it died of natural causes. (Bummer we were really craving roadkill cuisine.)
The way an animal is butchered is uber-important in kosher and halal households.
For meat to be 100 percent kosher, it needs to be slaughtered and cleaned under this set of rules:
For meat to be considered halal, it has to be slaughtered and cleaned within these guidelines:
The packaging of kosher and halal foods is labeled to let you know the foods have met all the necessary requirements. There are various certification agencies that give kosher or halal products the stamp of approval.
In the United States, the largest halal certification agency is the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA).
Kosher foods are certified by lots of different agencies across the country. The main five are Star-K, OK, OU, KOF-K, and CRC.
It isnt just about meat. Kosher and halal diets also offer guidelines for other types of food and how they should be prepared.
Since meat and dairy cant be eaten at the same time, you need to invest in two separate sets of utensils. That way theres no chance of cross contamination. Some Jewish households also have two separate kitchens, one for meat and one for dairy.
Fruits and veggies are cool for kosher folks as long as the produce doesnt contain any bugs.
PSA: Grape products have to be made by observant Jews. Otherwise, theyre not kosher .
Islamic dietary law states that dairy, yogurt, and cheese should be produced from halal-certified animals only.
You also have to ditch products that contain:
Halal folks also avoid alcohol and other intoxicants (sorry, fam this includes weed).
Different rules for holidays
More rules apply to kosher and halal lifestyles during certain times of the year.
For example, Jews cant eat chametz foods that contain leavened grains during Passover.
In Islam, Ramadan is a holy month of fasting. Observant Muslims abstain from eating and drinking (even water) from dawn till dusk.
Both kosher and halal can be hella healthy lifestyles. Just make sure you maintain a balanced diet full of vitamins, proteins, and other key nutrients.
Theres little to no research that proves a kosher or halal diet is better for you than a nonreligious diet but these styles of eating do have a few perks.
One of the best benefits of keeping kosher is that you know exactly how your meat has been processed, which might ensure better quality. In fact, lots of non-Jewish folks opt for kosher meat because of the way the animals are killed and processed.
Its also nice knowing there arent any unwelcome worms in your morning apple, since kosher produce is inspected for insects .
As with a kosher diet, sticking to halal means you know where your meat comes from. Some folks claim that animals suffer less under halal slaughter guidelines, but theres little proof of this.
Also, an alcohol-free lifestyle might be better for you in the long run. But more research is needed to find out whether occasional or moderate drinking leads to major health issues as compared to no drinking at all.
Read the rest here:
Kosher vs. Halal: What's the Difference? - Greatist
