Health Responsibility
Allah loves His creations so much that He is concerned even with what we eat and put in our body.
Our muscles, bones, lungs, liver, brain and secretions are made from the raw product we feed it. If we provide the factory with junk raw products, the factory will not produce tough bones, strong muscles, good pump (heart) and clean pipes (vessels).
"O mankind: Eat of what is lawful and good on earth" (Quran 2: 168).
Forbidden to us are dead meat, blood and flesh of swine (see Quran 5:3) and intoxicants (Quran 5:91, 92, and 2:219).
Science so far has not confirmed any beneficial effects to the prohibitions.
The blood and meat of the dead could be full of germs and other harmful elements like antibodies. Pork meat is high in cholesterol, salt and may have worms, and alcohol and other intoxicants that cloud our mentation, our inhibition and interfere with our normal capacity of judging good and bad.
The second component in nutrition (after permission of the lawful and probation of the unlawful) is the moderation in the lawful.
Obesity is a major American tragedy, a form of malnutrition, affecting millions of people, of all ages. Ninety-nine percent of obesity is due to overeating. Allah advises as to be moderate in quantity.
"But waste not by excess for God loves not the wasters" (Quran 7:31).
Eat of the good things we have provided for your sustenance, but commit no excess therein, lest my wrath should justly descend on you, and those on whom descends my wrath do perish indeed" (Quran 20:81).
According to one Hadith of Prophet Mohammed we are advised to leave one third of our stomach empty after finishing the meal.
Certain types of food i.e. fruits are especially emphasized in Quran (36:57, 43:73, 16:67)
"And from the fruits of date palm and grapes you get wholesome drink and nutrition: Behold in this is a sign for those who are wise" (Quran 16:67).
Fruits are low in calorie, high in vitamins and minerals, and fiber and sugar is fructose and not sucrose. In a recent study by Dr. Anderson fructose has been shown to cause no rise in blood sugar and even lowers the high blood sugar of diabetics. Honey is fructose.
GUIDELINES FOR HEALTHY EATING
Raw Fruits and Vegetables:
Fruits and vegetables have high amounts of water, fiber, vitamins and minerals making it easy on your digestive system. Eating more raw than cooked vegetables are better for you because the more they are cooked the less the nutrients there are. Cook vegetables with as little water or fat as possible.
Meat and Seafood
Eat fresh meat and seafood with skin and fat removed. Also, eat less of red meat and eat more chicken and fish. This helps in controlling cholesterol.
Food Combinations
Do not eat fruit after any other food or on an empty stomach. Fruits take 20 minutes to digest whereas other foods take 1-2 hours. When eaten one after another fruits ferment in the stomach while waiting for other foods to digest. This can cause bloating, belching and other non-desirable side effects. It is therefore recommended to eat fruits 20 minutes before your meal or 1-2 hours after your meal. Also, eating protein (dairy foods, fish) and carbohydrates (bread, pasta) with salads or raw or lightly steamed vegetables will help prevent or eliminate many common digestive problems.
Drinking Water
Drinking plain water and not fluids is best to keep the body healthy and functioning properly. Flavored water(e.g. lemon juice added) requires digestion by the body causing extra work to be done by your system. To know how much water you need to stay healthy follow this simple formula: -divide your body weight by 3 -the answer is the number of ounces of plain water you need to drink daily to help your body stay properly hydrated Thus, by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, cutting fat in your meat and fish and drinking plenty of water you can maintain good health Insha Allah. Also, by eating foods at the right time and combining certain foods you can help to decrease or eliminate many digestive problems. Exercising regularly also helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
As Muslims we should we thankful that Allah (swt) has blessed us with guidelines on every matter in life. We all know prevention is better than the cure so it essential for us to take care of our physical health. With the guidelines from the Quran and Sunnah we must remember that after the permission of the lawful and prohibition of the unlawful we should observe moderation (refraining from excess). Moderation will encourage us to thank Allah as well as remember those who have less than us and who are struggling for the bare necessities of life. It is just as crucial for us to help those in need as it is for us to feed ourselves.
