All praise to Allah, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth and everything inbetween, including you all and I !!!
He allowed us to have an amazing program about food & medicine…. here are the take-homes from it….
we await your comments and feedback….
Food & medicine (qaleel al taam wa qaleel al noum)
food (soul, mind & body)
prayer / zikr / food (grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meats)
Health is more than wealth…..
food is medicine – – medicine needed, if food is not right (quality / quantity) / exercise (lifestyle)
you are what you eat – so dont be cheap, fast or easy food ! whatever and how much one puts in his or her both defines the results.
“O’ Believers! Eat of the good and pure (lawful) that We have provided you with and be grateful to Allah, if you truly worship Him.” (2:172)
Foods: Organic – processed – GMO
organic: cultural / biological / mechanical techniques – organic farming movement arose in the 1940s in response to the industrialization of agriculture
No chemicals fertilizers / pesticides / more expensive / higher perception
“O People! Eat of what is lawful and good on the Earth and do not follow the footsteps of Shaitaan, for he is your open enemy.” (2:168)
processed: Convenience – transformation of raw ingredients, by physical (mechanical process) or chemical means into food, or of food into other forms.
started for special cases (military) … we got lazy – tv dinners – pre-cooked meals –
Good: cheap / increase life / long distance / disaster zones / profits for corp!
Bad: nutritional density / addiction / bad for digestive system / contamination (milk scandal 6 died) – Pesticides residues, antibiotic use in animals
The Jungle is a 1906 novel written by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair where he exposes the practices in the meatpacking industry during the early 20th century, based on an investigation he did for a newspaper.
GMO/GMF: organism! 1994 (tomato with long shelf live) / in animals also / or animals fed GMO
frankoo-food – 1998 research showed effects like cancer in lab mice eating GMO
produced from organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering. (processed / unprocessed) / cash crops /
bad: safety, environmental impact, some seeds = subject to intellectual property rights and owned by corporations / control of the food supply by GM seed companies (have to be planted each year – normal crops can be used over and over)
growth stun / diseases / infertility / allergies / cancer / even death
genetics (DNA transfer) – 1946 – – DNA is blueprint of all living things – molecule lives inside the nucleus of a cell – messing with it changes the ‘nature’ or ‘characteristics of the food – once consumed, it can mess up DNA of the animal & /or Humans!
Labelling of GMO foods! ONLY 64 countries require it (mostly in EU) –
‘seeds of death’ documentary!
“And eat and drink, but waste not in extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not those who waste in extravagance.”
(7:31)
While most parents are very concerned about what their kids’ ‘food for mind is’ – from the kind of TV program to the syllabus of their school…. however, few pay attention to what their ‘food for body is’….
“Eat to live, not live to eat”
Obesity is being defined not only as a diseases but as one of the fastest growing disease……
“And eat and drink, but waste not in extravagance, certainly He (Allah) likes not those who waste in extravagance.”
(7:31)
“A human does not fill any container worse than his stomach. It is enough for a human to have some morsels to strengthen his back (keep his back straight). If he must eat more, then it should be one-third of his stomach for food, one-third for drink and one-third for breathing.” (Ahmad)
Halal, Healthy, Hygenic – – in one of the previous episode
Ramadan:
“The difference between our fasting and that of the people of the Book is eating shortly before dawn” [Muslim].
“Taking the pre-dawn meal in Ramadan is a blessing, so do not leave it, be it just drinking a mouthful of water. For Allah the Noble and the Mighty, and His angels send blessings over those who have taken the pre-dawn meal” [Ahmad].
”How excellent are dates as the believer’s suhoor” [Abu Dawood, Ibn Hibban and al-Baihaqee; Sahih].
productivemuslims.com
remembrance of Allah
Whole-wheats (OATS) – carbohydrates (take time to break) as opposed to Refined products …
Avoid fried foods – heartburn
Fruits & vegetables – go green!
milk & honey
avoid salty foods – salts suck water out of your cells
water / water / water
Medicines:
Prevention is better than cure
islam is big on diet & hygiene (halal and tayab)
ablution / ghusl (bath) / bad odors / call of nature / clothes / food /
medicine for soul, mind and body
“No one will be allowed to move from his position on the Day of Judgement until he has been asked how he spent his life, how he used his knowledge, how he earnt and spent his money and in what pursuits he used his health” Related in Tirmidhi
scientific medicine vs. alternative/traditional medicine
a balance should be sought for both!
a medicine man would apply herbs and say prayers for healing –
reciting quran – Quran is also called SHIFA (healing)
Jesus (pbuh) performed a lot of miracles and most of them were ‘medical’ in nature…. they are preserved in Quran,
plants were grown as food or medicine – srilanka example (with a much smaller proportion of animal and mineral origin)
knowledge of whose healing powers have been transmitted from generation to generation
– acupuncture / cupping
– blood letting / Hijama
Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) said, “Indeed the best of remedies you have is cupping (hijama)…” [Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (5371)].
SUM: health – diet / nutrition / exercise / moderation /