Keto (or ketosis) refers to a daily diet of less than 50g of net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus fiber and sugar alcohol). Unlike other diets, fats make up the most considerable portion of the diet. While you might think high fat equals unhealthy (and it can in some cases), our body can actually use fat for energy after our storages of carbohydrates are depleted.
You may have arrived at this article if you’re wondering how to integrate the keto diet into your Islamic way of eating. Keep reading to learn about incorporating a halal keto diet into your lifestyle, and maintaining the keto diet during Ramadan.
Foods That are Halal and Haram
Muslims are bound by God and their holy book, the Quran, to consume only Halal foods in their diet. They are forbidden to consume certain foods and beverages in their diet, especially unhealthy and intoxicating foods.
The following sections list all the halal and haram foods consumed by Muslims globally. But first, let’s check what halal and haram exactly mean.
What Do Halal and Haram Mean?
Halal and Haram are Arabic terms mentioned in the Holy Quran regarding daily Muslim practices.
First, halal means lawful and permissible as per Islam. The term is used for all lawful activities in a Muslim’s life, including food. Second, haram refers to unlawful, sinful, or forbidden actions, practices, and foods in Islam.
What Food Preparation Practices are Considered Halal?
Islam is very particular about what you eat and how you prepare your meals when it comes to halal food. Besides using only Halal ingredients, you need to follow a specific list of rules to prepare fresh food for your diet, including rules for cleanliness, preparation techniques, and more.
First, cleanliness is an obligation: You need to use clean utensils and foods. This includes washing your meat and vegetables thoroughly to remove filth and prevent cross-contamination between halal and haram foods.
Secondly, Muslims apply certain techniques while slaughtering halal animals. Therefore, if you are purchasing any meat, you need to make sure that they are halal-certified for Muslims.
List of Foods That are Considered Halal
As a general rule, any food that is not haram is permissible to eat by Muslims. The following list mentions some of the common halal foods for Muslims.
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Dairy products without animal rennet
- Certified meat and poultry
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Nuts
- Legumes
- Tofu
List of Foods That are Considered Haram
Islam has restricted many foods, including some meats, specific types of animals, and toxic plants. Typically, these ingredients are quite unhealthy, dirty, or cause intoxication in humans. Therefore, all the products that can harm humans, promote diseases, or affect their quality of life are banned from consumption under Islam.
Some of the most common Haram foods are listed below in the following section.
- Any product from pigs
- Carnivorous animals, like dogs and alligators
- Scavenger birds (examples: vultures, condors, ravens, crows, eagles)
- Toxic or poisonous plants
- Intoxicants like drugs and alcohol
- Frogs
- Animal-based gelatin
- Toxic or poisonous water animals
Keto-Friendly Halal Meal Plan
Since keto includes only a minimal amount of carbs but high-fat content for each meal, you need to pick the right food for your halal keto-friendly meal plan. Here are some foods that fall under these categories.
Halal Vegetarian Foods That are Keto-Friendly
Starchy vegetables, condiments, fruits, sugar, cereals, rice, pasta, beans, legumes, and most baked items do not fall under the keto diet because they most likely contain more than 50g of net carbs per serving (but not always). However, foods with high fat content or low carb counts usually meet keto standards:
- Avocadoes
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Cauliflower
- Tofu
- Assorted nuts and seeds
- Peppers
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Healthy oils like olive and coconut oil
- Dairy products like cream, cheese, and butter
- Leafy greens like kale, spinach, lettuce, and arugula
- Eggs
Halal Meats That are Keto-Friendly
A keto diet encourages eating fatty meat cuts like beef instead of opting for lean meats like chicken breast. Hence, opt for belly cuts of halal meats and include oily and greasy seafood in your meal plans.
- Beef
- Lamb
- Turkey
- Poultry
- Fatty fish, like tuna and mackerel
Halal Beverages That are Keto-Friendly
Although alcoholic beverages are keto-friendly, they are haram for Muslims. As a result, you are left with only a few low-carb beverages that are both keto-friendly and halal for consumption. However, you can always opt for sugar-free diet sodas in your diet occasionally.
Halal Keto Flu Relief
While the keto diet benefits your overall health, there are a few initial cons that tempt you to go back to your old diet of high carbs. One of them includes the keto flu.
Keto flu, or carb flu, occurs when your body adapts to changes in your diet to reduce carbohydrates. As the name suggests, this condition presents many flu-like symptoms, including cough, runny nose, sore throat, aches, nausea, and vomiting.
Some people might suffer mental symptoms like depression, brain fog, and insomnia as they transition to a keto diet.
Usually, the keto flu does not return after you have recovered and the symptoms recede. Although they can disrupt your daily activities for a short period, you can take electrolyte supplements and drinks like bone broth and Gatorade Zero, along with keto-friendly dairy milk and caffeine.
How Do I Make Sure Products are Halal-Compatible?
With over a billion Muslims worldwide, many companies produce halal-certified products to cater to Muslim people globally. Such companies are reviewed by a halal certifying agency, which assesses them and their supply chain for halal ingredients and production methods.
In return, such products are marked halal-certified for Muslims. If you want to purchase only halal products, it is a good idea to look for a halal certification on the food’s packaging. You can even compare labels on the internet to make sure they are not a knock-off.
Halal Electrolyte Supplements
Since electrolyte supplements are excellent at providing keto relief, you might be on the lookout for some halal-certified supplements to make you feel better. Below we have listed some halal-certified supplement brands to help you find the best one for your health.
Keto-Friendly Halal Foods That Help With Keto Flu Relief
The symptoms of keto flu result from multiple micronutrient deficiencies, including lack of sodium, magnesium, heme iron, potassium, and vitamin K. To treat this, you should try eating yogurt, halal fatty red meat, nuts, seeds, green leafy vegetables, avocados, and others.
All these keto-friendly foods are rich in the aforementioned micronutrients. Apart from this, you can take halal electrolyte supplements, which are listed in the previous section.
Keto during Ramadan Fasting
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when Muslims observe fasting for a month from dawn to dusk. They abstain from food, water, and otherworldly pleasures including drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse.
Between the period of dusk to dawn, Muslims can eat and pray as usual. They usually break their fast with dates, water, and all sorts of food at dusk, also called iftar. When Muslims start their fast with a meal at dawn, it’s known as suhoor.
Keto-Friendly Foods That are Recommended Before Sunrise and After Sunset
You need to eat a nutritious meal before sunrise at suhoor if you want to remain energized the whole day. Hence, you can opt for keto-friendly cheese omelettes, lemonade, and milk to start your day.
Greek yogurt and chia seeds are also excellent examples of keto foods that you can enjoy every morning at dawn. Besides offering high nutrients, they keep you full and reduce thirst throughout the day.
Moving on to iftar, you can prepare salads, butter chicken, spinach cheese, pesto chicken, beef kebabs, roasted chicken, vegetables, and fish among many others. Just make sure to cook your keto food in olive oil or butter.
Can You Eat Keto at Night?
Everyone gets late-night cravings for delicious food. However, you do not have to eat unhealthy snacks to satisfy these carvings. This is especially true for Muslims who observe fasts in Ramadan and can only eat during the night.
In such instances, it is better to indulge in keto snacks to keep you full and energetic while fasting the next day. These include pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, cheese, milk, eggs, celery, and avocados.
For late-night snacks, it is beneficial to choose foods with low-calorie count, high nutrition, low sugar, and those that promote sleep. You can opt for high-calorie foods at iftar and suhoor.
Conclusion
Keto is an extremely healthy diet that can help you lose weight without giving up delicious food. It contains all essential nutrients and a well-balanced portion of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, but with a much higher fat content.
The keto diet is extremely beneficial for Muslims during Ramadan. You do not have to eat unhealthy food during the fasting period and you can maintain weight loss by eating delicious, keto food.