The Holy Qur’ân also offers useful tips regarding a balanced diet, a diet which contains the useful ingredients required for the growth, strengthening and repairing of the human body. These ingredients include animal protein, fat, calcium, iron, salts, etc.
The foods mentioned in Quran:
- Dates (22)
- Fruit (14)
- Grapes (11)
- Grains in general (7)
- Olives (6 or 7)
- Buckthorn (4)
- Pomegranate (3)
- Mustard seed (2)
- Onion (1)
- Herbs, beans and vegetables (1)
- Cucumbers (1)
- Garlic or wheat (1)
- Lentil (1)
- Gourd (1)
- Banana (1)
- Herbage, or Abb (1)
- Fig (1)
- Cattle (34)
- Birds in general (18)
- Camels (11)
- Calves (10)
- Cows (9)
- Sheep (8)
- Seafood (5)
- Quails (3)
- Goats (1)
- Hoopoes (1)
- Meat in general (1)
Firstly, Muslims are only permitted to eat halal meats. Halal is a term that means "lawful," but when applied to food, it means the animal had to be slaughtered with the term, "In the name of God" recited over the animal beforehand. There is also a very specific method in which the animal must be slaughtered before it is deemed "halal".
Secondly, Muslims are not permitted to eat meat that has been dead already -- meaning it wasn't slaughtered -- animal blood, any form of pork, or any carnivorous animal.
The foods mentioned in the Quran: olive, fig, dates, grapes, pomegranate, honey etc, all ensure you emotional stability and make your immune system more resistant to diseases, especially heart and cancer diseases.
And the Quran emphasizes the importance of eating natural foods. Analysis of various verses from the Holy Qur'an clearly show that the foods spoken about in it, will fulfil one's daily protein, carbohydrate, fat and vitamin requirements.
Qur'anic verses speak about the importance of, among other things:
meat (6 : 118) dates (6 : 141) milk (16 : 66) olives (wat-Teen) pomegranates (6 : 141) figs (wat-Teen) fish (16 : 14) honey, etc.
Other than Qur'anic verses, muslims have the authentic Sunnah of Prophet (PBUH) which also testifies to the importance of a balanced diet. The fact that Prophet would at times eat cucumber together with dates in order to balance the opposing hot and cold effects in these foods is a proof of this.
As Islam is heavily influenced by the cultures that reside in the Muslim world, many of meals in muslim families are traditional despite of the fact that they prefer to include the foods mentioned in Quran and Hadith to their diet.
More links for useful information:
* 'Quranic food' pdf