Healthy and Halal Choice

By Nazia Ali

Healthy and Halal Choice introduces readers to a simple, consistent lifestyle that advocates the middle ground. It delves into the branches of food and hygiene in a holistic approach. It introduces the small steps one can take to living happy, healthy, and halal. Taking the essentials of life and making it a daily practice. In this book readers will delve into the world of healthy choice in terms of food, drink, exercise, and pampering oneself. It also encourages people to love themselves and become closer to their loved ones eat together as a family, engage in fun family activity, pray to Almighty as a family. Living a balanced life and showing others how to live a balanced, consistent and disciplined lifestyle is what this book is all about.

This book provides readers with improvements and small adjustments to their daily lifestyle and finds something that they enjoy. In a balance d fashion, it focuses on their spiritual development as to their physical and intellectual development. It shows a lifestyle that may be different, but easily achievable.

Healthy and Halal Choice is not also about losing weight or dieting. Its more about battling binary categories such as overweight and underweight versus the healthy weight, or happiness versus sadness, or relaxation versus stress. It is about investing in health and feeling good. Given this awareness, readers are provided with a suggested track to avoid negative lifestyle choices and make the transition into happy, healthy eating. Ali hopes that those of other faiths will also try her healthy and halal choice in food and for them to know the joy of following the footsteps of her beloved Prophet (PBUH) who is the leader of happiness and the adviser to success.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris UK
• Release date: May 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477177136

Nazia Ali

After attracting a wave of local media attention due to her first published book called Healthy and Halal Choice, Nazia Ali discovered that writing is more than a hobby. It is her passion for health and desire to benefit from her roots that led her to writing. Her book offered readers a glimpse into Ali’s practicality of everyday choices related to diet and well-being, while providing delicious fusion-style recipes for a variety of simple everyday meals. Ali quickly went on to become a local health icon in her community, including her neighbouring high school to teach students about the benefits of healthy eating. She inspired many young adults to spend more time in the kitchen and explore the art of cooking. Throughout the book, Ali's depiction of lifestyle choices reflects her own sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being that underscores the need to live a balanced life. It is no surprise that Ali’s latest publication, Into the Light from the Darkness, embraced this very concept – a riveting novel that explores the trials and tribulations of life as the main character (Naila) transforms herself and finds guidance she sought her entire life. Born in Bangladesh in 1977, Ali was the oldest of four children and grew up shadowing her mother, an author & her father, a business man and a charity worker. Her family moved to the USA in 1988 where she studied and was raised for a better part of her life. Ali later found the love of her life and moved to the UK where she is now a property developer, charity worker, and community champion. She enjoys cooking, writing, and travelling with her husband and four children.

Book preview

In the name of Allah (God), the All-Compassionate and All-Merciful.

Photography: Mutahir Ali

Copyright © 2012 by Nazia Ali. 303405-ALI

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012903912

ISBN:       Softcover              978-1-4691-7781-6

                 Hardcover            978-1-4691-7782-3

                 ebook                    978-1-4771-7713-6

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris Corporation

0-800-644-6988

www.xlibrispublishing.co.uk

Healthy and

Halal Choice

Nazia Ali

All praise is for Allah, the Exalted.

May Allah’s peace and blessing be on Muhammad,

on His family, and on His companions.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my loved ones. I’m very fortunate to have the support system I have been blessed with and will continue to strive in perfecting my craft for my family. My family have been my best critics yet and have encouraged me to enter deep into the world of culinary and the art of food.

To my respected parents; my beloved father, Mohammed Shanur Choudhury, and my dearest mother, Manoara Shanur Buli.

My honourable father-in-law, Mokbul Ali, and my admirable mother-in-law, Aysha Khatun.

My remarkable and amazing husband, Mutahir Ali.

My astounding brothers, Habib Choudhury and Shakil Choudhury, and my dear little sister, Amina Choudhury.

Of course, my strength and my world; my children, Raihan, Shahamat, Shaneeha, and Siyana Ali.

Thank you for being my best critics! Thank you also to those who have shown a great deal of support in my progression.

Contents

Introduction

Food pyramid

Vitamins and mineral

Food and Hygiene

Importance of Healthy Eating

Healthy Eating Means a Balanced Diet and It Should Be a Permanent Part of Your Life

Benefits of Drinking Water

Healthy Tips

Importance of Breakfast

Innocent Sweet Treats

Go Fruity and Veggie

Growing Your Own Fruit and Vegetables

Fasting and Food

Downfalls of Wasting Food

Easy Cooking Tips

Drinks

Cocktails

Juices

Milkshake

Lassies

Dips

Chutneys

Salsas

Raitas

Salads

Soups

Stuffed Vegetables

Kebabs

Main Dishes

Savoury Party Bites

Guilt-free

Sweet Treats

Maintain Regular Exercise

Make the Chores Work for You

Instead of You Working for Them

Downfalls of Smoking

Downfalls of Chewing Betel Nut

Downfalls of Caffeine

Breastfeeding

The Joy of Being a Woman

Introducing Homemade Baby Food

Recipes for

Baby Food

Pampering at Home

Consideration of Others

Overweight and Underweight

Versus the Healthy Weight

Happiness Versus Sadness

Relaxation Versus Stress

Spiritual Relaxation

Conclusion

Introduction

We live in a world where mass consumption is the centre of our lives. We are swayed by false advertisement – fast food, dieting plans and pills, and fallible weight loss gadgets. We indulge ourselves in supplementing our diets with vitamin and mineral pills, as a kind of insurance policy. We have desensitised ourselves to trends such as eating out most nights, sitting in front of the TV, and ruling out cooking in the kitchen. By condoning these habits, we have immunised ourselves to laziness. In doing so, we miss out on the biggest investment of our lives – our health.

As a child growing up, my family has adopted many unhealthy food rituals from generations prior, such as eating at a late hour and overcooking the beneficial nutrients in our food. I’ve been accustomed to the array of greasy, fried foods in Asian culture. Rice is the staple food of my country and therefore is eaten regularly in large portions. Some of the biggest trends yet are the traditional get-together where Asian families have several different appetisers fit to be a main course and several different main courses fit for seven get-togethers! The amount of wasted food is enough to fit several families as excess is such a habitual trait when it comes to food. All these things are real-life examples of why health has descended down the priority ladder.

My fascination with food spawned from a young age. Kitchenware was my first toy. The kitchen was my first home. The art of cooking was my first love. My fondest memory in the art was making my first dish – meat potato curry. I call to mind the sweet smell of the onions at the top of the curry swimming afloat in the giant pot of boiling water – I had added too much water! However, my parents were very optimistic in my interests and encouraged my craft. When they came home the afternoon of my debut in the kitchen, I recall their positive auras upon tasting my dish. My mother claimed it to be the best meat potato curry she had ever tasted and my father agreed. I begged to differ. I thought it was a disaster! The meat was raw, the potatoes were overcooked, the onions had risen above the dish, and I had also forgotten to add the salt. I was at awe at my parents’ reaction. Although my kitchen debut was not how I had hoped for it to be, what drove me to where I am right now is the encouragement I had received from my parents. The appreciation my mother and father expressed in my work gave me the drive to excel.

Today as a mother, wife, and daughter I take responsibility in the wants and needs of my family. My job is to keep the best interest of my family at hand. Healthy eating is a vital component in my family’s complacency. Though time is not on a busy mother’s side, we must not use this as an excuse to fall into the trap of laziness and unhealthy lifestyle. My family friendly meal plans are successful in bringing my family together in harmony as we share each others’ company and catch up on our days. While bringing the family together in the dinner table, we establish a flourishing family unit. Research has found that family unity in the dinner table is crucial for mental and physical well-being. In creating several simple dishes that are fit for any family, I find that being healthy and satisfying our taste buds can be accomplished equally. In accomplishing such a task, I include my family’s input for a pro-health lifestyle. Cooking is a family activity in my household as well as eating. My style of cooking invokes a healthy lifestyle, one that we were taught by our Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the beginning of time. But since we are so consumed in convenience, we dismiss the natural simplicity in life. Coming from a naturalistic faith, we believe in the gift of nature as a healthy lifestyle choice. My passion for different cuisines came from travelling different countries and tasting different foods. Delving into this book, you will hopefully find various orders of food selections best fitted for your personal needs, wants, and preferences. Together, we will explore the different tastes of food while balancing a healthy eating habit. This book is not about losing weight or dieting. It is about investing in our health and feeling good. As we transition into happy, healthy eating in this book, I invite my respected brothers and sisters from other faiths to try my healthy and halal choice in food.

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Food pyramid

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Vitamins and mineral

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Food and Hygiene

Food hygiene is an imperative part of Islamic dietary law. Slaughtering in Islam is highly regarded as the animal must be slaughtered by a Muslim or the People of the Book. Please note that according to Islamic law, animals that are food should not be killed by being electrocuted or boiled and the carcass should not be held upside down in order to drain the blood.

According to Islamic tradition, the animal is to be brought to the area of slaughter and gently laid down so it is not injured. The blade must be concealed till the last moment of the process. Meanwhile, the jugular of the animal must be felt. The conventional method involves cutting the main arteries in the neck along the oesophagus and vertebrate trachea with one slit of the blade after reciting bismillah (in the name of Allah). Caution must be taken on account of the nervous system to not be damaged as it may lead to the animal to die before exsanguinations has taken course. Any other method of slaughtering but the aforementioned is not considered to be halal (permitted).

Cleanliness in Islam is a key in living healthy. Purity was put into practice by all our Prophets (PBUT) and is now practised daily by millions of people worldwide. One thing to keep in mind is the importance of washing hands. One of the easiest ways for bacteria to spread is through the exchange of hands. That is why you must wash your hands religiously before entering the food area and before touching any food. You must keep them clean after handling raw meat, poultry, fish, eggs, vegetables and after coughing, touching your face, or hair. It doesn’t stop there; all around hygiene is encouraged throughout. It is very common to disregard cross-contamination in respect to food although dismissing such a thing can oftentimes be harmful. Handling raw food