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Traditionally, Muslims only eat meat that has been slaughtered and prepared according to the rules of Halal.

Some people claim that leads to meat that is healthier to eat.

  • Halal for Health

    Halal meat tastes better, is more tender, is healthier and stays fresh longer because the absence of blood makes it resistant to bacteria.

  • Times of India

    Dr Modi has support from Dr Karuna Chaturvedi, consultant nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. "Halal is considered healthier because after slaughter, blood is drained from the animal's arteries, ejecting most toxins because the heart continues to pump for a few seconds after slaughter. In jhatka [i.e. the Sikh tradition], not all the blood is drained, leaving the meat tougher and drier."

Is there any scientific evidence of a nutritional or health benefit for Halal meat?

Oddthinking
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Kinjal Dixit
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  • Related question: http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/2330/is-eating-cloven-hoofed-animals-bottom-feeders-or-ruminants-bad-for-you – ESultanik Dec 09 '13 at 19:00
  • Please give examples of people making scientific claims of benefit (I.e. measurable in the natural world, as opposed to religious/supernatural) – Oddthinking Dec 09 '13 at 23:02
  • Would vote to close, no reputable claim here, only conjecture. Never heard a Muslim claim there's a scientific basis for their slaughter practices, in fact the entire process is a religious ceremony, to the point a priest must be on site or it's not considered to have been correctly performed. – jwenting Dec 10 '13 at 06:17
  • The links posted in other comments show the claims and argue 'science'. The problem is those are all focused on the quality of meat or suffering of animal. What I am asking is "is there a scientific evidence on NUTRITIONAL difference". Does one have more or less proteins or fiber or X than the other? – Kinjal Dixit Dec 10 '13 at 07:39
  • Do you know of (can you find and reference) any notable claim that there is a nutritional difference? The problem with *this* question is that you have not quoted any notable claim. – ChrisW Dec 10 '13 at 13:08
  • I am actually asking, as a skeptic, IF there are any sources for NUTRITIONAL difference. All the 'science' in the differences is talking about stuff which is not actually pointing to NUTRITION. I am actually asking IF there is ANY such study. I am asking because I have not been able to find any source for this. – Kinjal Dixit Dec 10 '13 at 13:23
  • Thanks for clarifying: I'm going to vote to close in that case. [FAQ: Must all questions be notable?](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/864/2703) The purpose of this site is to reference a 'notable claim' and to ask 'is that claim true?'. If there is no notable claim that there is any nutritional difference, then it is not on-topic for this site. – ChrisW Dec 10 '13 at 14:00
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    That is okay. I will try to find a claim and the post another question. – Kinjal Dixit Dec 11 '13 at 06:10
  • It's going to be difficult to compare since commercialization possibly drastically changes meat nutrition. Of all the factors that affect our health, they also affect animal nutritional composition so it's hard to compare but pubmed shows a few results. I have considered limiting meat to Kosher since I had the same question, and possibly will. Ideal could be wild omnivores, and then inspecting in some traditional way like Kosher that possibly many traditional people had to ensure the animal had a healthy diet and was disease-free. – empedocle Mar 24 '16 at 05:43

1 Answers1

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There is a common misconception that Halal meat is "healthier" than non-Halal meat, because it is often confused with it's parent, Kosher. The practice of Halal, like a large number of Islamic practices, was born from Judaism, specifically Kosher. However, many of the restrictions of Kosher were not included in Halal, including the restrictions that add health value.

For example:

  • To be Kosher, after slaughter the animal's lungs must be checked for any holes or serious imperfections. Halal does not require this.
  • To be Kosher, the animal's intestines (again, after slaughter) must be inspected for any blockages, holes or illnesses. Halal does not require this.
  • To be Kosher, the animal must have been in good health and comfort externally before being slaughtered. Halal does not necessarily require this (there are opinions that do).
  • Kosher meats do not included certain parts of the animal, like some fats and organs. Many people prefer Kosher meat for this reason.

Adherents to Halal are permitted, by all opinions, to eat Kosher, however adherents to Kosher are not permitted to eat Halal. In other words, Halal is a subset of Kosher.

More about Kosher More about Halal

CodyBugstein
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    [Welcome to Skeptics!](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1505/welcome-to-new-users) Please [provide some references](http://meta.skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/5) to support your claims, especially sensitive and contentious claims. – Oddthinking Dec 15 '13 at 12:41
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    Wikipedia directly contradicts your last sentence: [For most Muslim sects, Kosher is subset of Halal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Islamic_and_Jewish_dietary_laws). You have failed to show that Halal is confused with Kosher. You have failed to show Halal is derived from Kosher. You have failed to show Kosher is healthier. – Oddthinking Dec 15 '13 at 12:43
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    @Oddthinking First of all, Wikipedia is not an authority whatsoever - it's laughable that you would tell someone that Wikipedia says their wrong. Regarding your claim; that sentence in Wikipedia makes no sense and should be changed. If B is a subset of A, all of B is also in A. If I follow B, I could use A too, because A includes everything I need - plus more. If I follow A, I can't necessarily follow B since some things I need from A are not included in B. – CodyBugstein Dec 15 '13 at 12:59
  • Thank you for your lesson about Wikipedia. Please note that, to this point, the strength of my references outweigh yours, and you are the one making the positive claim, so please take this as an opportunity to reference your specific claim. – Oddthinking Dec 15 '13 at 13:22
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    Thank you for your lesson about subsets. By your argument "Vegetables are a subset of Food. All vegetables are food. If I am a vegetarian, I could eat all food, because all food includes everything I need - plus more." Obviously, that is not true. I suspect the confusion is here: All kosher FOODS are also halal, so kosher FOODS are a subset of halal FOODS. All halal RULES are also kosher RULES, so halal RULES are a subset of kosher RULES. This should be clarified in the text. [Note: This argument accepts your premise, which hasn't yet been referenced, that kosher is the parent of halal.] – Oddthinking Dec 15 '13 at 13:30
  • I don't see the point of that answer. It's comparing halal and kosher, while I'd interpret "is halal healthier" as comparison with "normal", as in non-halal, non-kosher. – vartec Dec 16 '13 at 10:37
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    One correction: not all Kosher meat is halal. In fact none of it is as no Muslim priest is present when slaughtering according to Kosher standards but a Jewish Rabbi, and in Halal slaughter the presence of anyone who's not a Muslim is prohibited. – jwenting Dec 17 '13 at 07:00
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    I have anecdotal evidence in support of the answer. One muslim gentleman who was in Canada for a while told me that they would look for the star of david when buying in the supermarket. It seems that kosher is more widely available than halal in most places. – Kinjal Dixit Dec 17 '13 at 08:58
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    @Oddthinking - Wikipedia is confusing directions due to lack of qualifier. Kosher **food** is a proper **subset** of Halal food. Kosher **rules** are a **superset** of Halal rules. No contradiction between this answer and Wiki. – user5341 Dec 30 '13 at 02:34
  • @DVK: Yes, that's consistent with the comment I made on Dec 15. This answer remains both unclear and missing any evidentiary support. Not sure it has any upvotes at all. – Oddthinking Dec 30 '13 at 05:05
  • @Oddthinking - ack ;) – user5341 Dec 30 '13 at 05:17