Is Diet Soda Tayyeb?

February 5, 2008
Symptoms: Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels — and elevated blood pressure.

The scientists gathered dietary information on more than 9,500 men and women ages 45 to 64 and tracked their health for nine years.

Over all, a Western dietary pattern — high intakes of refined grains, fried foods and red meat — was associated with an 18 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome, while a “prudent” diet dominated by fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry correlated with neither an increased nor a decreased risk.

But the one-third who ate the most fried food increased their risk by 25 percent compared with the one-third who ate the least, and surprisingly, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none.

“This is interesting,” said Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and a co-author of the paper, which was posted online in the journal Circulation on Jan. 22. “Why is it happening? Is it some kind of chemical in the diet soda, or something about the behavior of diet soda drinkers?”

Source: New York Times

Milk from Clones: Is it Tayyeb?

Alhamdulillah that Muslims care a lot about consuming halal food, but other than halal, Allah also asked us to consume good and healthy food, i.e. Tayyeb.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ


O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil One, for he is to you an avowed enemy. [2:168]

Just like milk from cloned cows, is it tayyeb or based on changing the good nature of Allah's creations?

لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًا مَفْرُوضًا

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُبِينًا

يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا


Allah did curse him, but he said: "I will take of thy servants a portion marked off;

"I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah." Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes Satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest.

Satan makes them promises, and creates in them false desires; but Satan's promises are nothing but deception. [4:118-120]

So, next time before you get something down your pipes, make sure it's tayyeb.


Additional Resources About Food from Clones:

FDA Cloning Myth
The Center For Food Saftey
NPR Story: FDA Finds Meat, Milk from Clones Safe to Eat


Tags: Halal milk, milk from clones, cloned milk, food from cloned animals, organic food, organic milk, Muslim for organic, don't spoil what Allah has created.

EatingHalal: In Defense of Food

A nice NPR story about eating better.

Author Michael Pollan summarized it nicely, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Eat Food: As Muslims, when we eat, it's not just about Halal, but it has to be good too. As mentioned in the Quran.

[16:114] So eat of the sustenance which Allah has provided for you, lawful and good; and be grateful for the favours of Allah, if it is He Whom ye serve.

Not Too Much: Most of us know the statement of the Prophet (peace and prayer be upon him): "There is no worst container a person can fill other than his stomach. It's enough for one to eat a few bites, but if you have to eat/can't resist, then 1/3 for your food, 1/3 for your drink, and 1/3 for your breath." -Collected by Ibn Majah.

Mostly Plants: We can learn this from the story of Ibrahim/Abraham (peace be upon him) when he supplicated for the food of Makkah. In the authentic narration collected by Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (peace and prayer be upon him) said, if people only eat meat, they will get sick, except in Makkah (because of the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

قال اللهم بارك لهم في اللحم والماء قال النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏ولم يكن لهم يومئذ حب ولو كان لهم دعا لهم فيه قال فهما لا يخلو عليهما أحد بغير ‏ ‏مكة ‏ ‏إلا لم يوافقاه

The author also mentioned about eating animals that consume green/pasture. Notice that in Islam, we can't eat meat/milk from animals that consume filthy diet (e.g. ground dead animals like the one being used in today's industrial farming).

So, the bottom line, if you want to eat better, follow Islam!

Here is the book cover of "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.




-

Some News about Honey

[16:68] And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations;

[16:69] Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.

Honey works best to calm kids' coughs, study finds
Mon Dec 3, 2007 4:00pm EST

By Michael Conlon

CHICAGO, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A spoonful of buckwheat honey quells a child's nighttime chest cold coughing better than the most common cough suppressant in nonprescription medicines, researchers said on Monday.

"Honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection," a team of investigators from Pennsylvania State University said.

Their study, paid for by the National Honey Board, an industry-funded U.S. Agriculture Department agency, compared honey to dextromethorphan -- or DM -- the most common cough suppressant in over-the-counter remedies.

Honey is not recommended for children under the age of one. Buckwheat honey is a dark variety that tends to have more compounds associated with honey's antioxidant properties, the researchers said. In addition, they said honey can sooth the throat and thus help control coughing.

The report said that neither the American Academy of Pediatrics nor the American College of Chest Physician backs the use of DM for childhood cough.

In addition the substance has been implicated in drug abuse among teenagers who use cough medicine to get high.

The study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, comes just weeks after a government advisory panel recommended that many nonprescription cough and cold medicines in use for decades should not be given to children under 6 until their efficacy can be proven.

That move came after a group of pediatricians and public health officials petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to restrict sales for children younger than 6 because of reports of deaths, seizures, hallucinations and other problems.

Makers have said the products are safe and effective, when given as directed, to children aged 2 and older.

The new study involved 105 youngsters age 2 to 18 who had been battling upper respiratory tract infections for seven days or less. Some were given 10 milliliters -- about one tablespoon

-- of buckwheat honey 30 minutes before bedtime, others got DM -- of buckwheat honey 30 minutes before bedtime, others got DM and others nothing at all.

Honey was found to make the best improvements in cough control and sleep followed by DM, while doing nothing showed the least improvement.

"Parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their children's nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty," the study concluded.

"While our findings and the absence of contemporary studies supporting the use of DM continue to question its effectiveness for the treatment of cough associated with upper respiratory tract infections, we have now provided evidence supporting honey, which is generally regarded as safe for children older than 1 year, as an alternative," the authors said.

(Editing by Andrew Stern and Eric Walsh)

Source link

Burger King: Halal or Haram?

First of all, even if a product is halal, it doesn't mean it's healthy.

The following image is taken from BK's menu for their fried products (anything other than French Fries). Click on the image to enlarge it.



LivingHalal friendly reminder: Calories always count! Check this site.

Ramadan & Water

Keeping yourself hydrated is essential for your health, especially in Ramadan.

So here are some tips for you:

1-Drink water gradually throughout the night (keep a bottle of water by your bed, in your car, and take one to the masjid.)

2-Avoid drinking a big amount of water in a short time (it may overload your kidney also distract you during Taraweeh or while sleeping).

3-Avoid salty, fried, and baked food (e.g. crakers/cereals)

4-Avoid resturant food (they usually add MSG)

5-Eat food that contain a lot of water, such as soup, oatmeal, and "watery" fruits.

How much water should you drink?
Check these links:
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/NU/00283.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Everyday