Mediterranean diet concept - meat , fish , fruits and vegetables .

warnings to remember God and avoid the sworn enemy of humankind , Satan , suggesting the connection between physical and spiritual health with what we eat ( Aisha , 2013 ).

“ O mankind , eat from whatever is on earth [ that is ] lawful and good and do not follow the footsteps of Satan . Indeed , he is to you a clear enemy .” [ Qur ’ an , 2:168 ]

In principle , the halal and toyyib diet is varied , balanced and moderate . Halal food can be observed to be coming from across all food groups . There are more than 30 main food components ( e . g . cattle , poultry , vegetables , and fruits ) are revealed in the Qur ’ an ( Tarighat-Esfanjani & Namazi , 2016 ).

In terms of dietary intake , it is a prophetic practice ( sunnah ) that we should not overeat and that we should observe what should enter the stomach .

“ A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach . It is sufficient for a human being to eat a few mouthfuls to keep his spine straight . But if he must ( fill it ), then one third ( 1 / 3 ) of food , one third ( 1 / 3 ) for drink and one third ( 1 / 3 ) for air ”. ( Ibn Majah )

The Qur ’ an also stipulates the importance of moderate serving and portion size .

“ Eat and drink , but avoid excess ” [ Qur ’ an 20:81 ]

Although Islam has always advocated

a healthy diet to maintain a good state of health and well-being ,( physical , spiritual , emotional and “ ecological ” well-being ) healthy diet is not something commonly associated with Muslims realities .

The prevalence of obesity and many other diet-related diseases in many Muslim communities and Muslim countries shows otherwise . A 2015 study has shown that about 37.4 per cent of adults in 46 Muslim countries are either overweight or obese ( Kahan , 2015 ).

The statistics came as no surprise given the propensity of majority Muslims to emphasise on the permissibility aspect while downplaying the importance of toyyib diet .

This may point to our failure as a Muslim to fully embrace the holistic concept of halalan toyyiban as part of our lifestyle .

It is about time for Muslims to subscribe and promote our own halalan toyyiban diet , a regimen that is not only halal but also tayyib . As a part of faith-based diet built on sound Islamic principles , halalan toyyiban has high potential in driving the behavioural change among Muslims to subscribe better and healthier dietary practice .

However , compared with other healthy diets , such as Paleo diet , keto diet , Okinawa diet and Mediterranean diet , the presence of halalan toyyiban diet has been well beneath the mainstream dietary radar .

Without scientific studies to back up halalan toyyiban diet compared to , say , other healthy diets , it won ’ t be easy to promote halalan toyyiban diet to a wider audience .

There are also many questions need to be answered before we could empirically assess the benefits of halalan toyyiban diet to health and well-being . What are the main components of halalan toyyiban diet ? How to best define the scope of halalan toyyiban diet ?

Can we further characterise halalan toyyiban diet ? Perhaps , we could learn from the emergence of other prominent healthy diets to help us answer these questions .

HealTHY diet model as a way of life

Among the well-known healthy diets , notably , the Mediterranean diet has been highly recognised for its positive impacts on health and well-being . The diet was named by the US News and World Report as the top diet for overall health in 2020 , for the third consecutive year ( U . S . News , 2002 ).

The Mediterranean diet incorporates the traditional healthy living habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea , such as Greece , southern Italy , and Spain .

The diet is distinguished by lots of fruit , vegetables , fish , and use of olive oil . It recommends the moderate consumption of dairy , poultry , seafood , and simple sugars .

The effects of the Mediterranean diet on health and well-being has been long corroborated by studies published in peer-reviewed journals articles , rendering it to be one of the most scientifically characterised and well-defined diet .

Until now , the diet has continuously been the subject of much research . World Health Organization ( WHO ) even urged countries to embrace Mediterranean diets to reduce the risk of chronic illnesses , such as heart disease , stroke , diabetes and some cancers .

This could also potentially reduce the national health system cost . In the cultural aspect , the diet has been recognised by UNESCO as an intangible heritage . These combinations have helped in building a

By Yumi Zuhanis Has-Yun HaSHim

Anis Najiha Ahmad

and

Prof Dr Hamzah Mohd Salleh

International Institute for Halal Research and Training ( INHart ), International Islamic University Malaysia

reputation of the Mediterranean diet as a way of life .

How is it possible for the Mediterranean diet to turn from the ancestral diet to be the number one healthy diet ?

Mainstreaming the diet using pyramid

The Mediterranean diet has been popularised through a pyramid form which has helped to simplify and summarise the diet pattern ( Bach-Faig et al ., 2011 ). The Mediterranean diet pyramid suggests the optimal number of servings to be eaten each day , from each of the primary food group .

The pyramid also highlights physical exercise and the beneficial social aspects of eating meals together .

Historically , the first Mediterranean diet pyramid was presented in 1993 at the International Conference on Mediterranean diets . It was developed via collective efforts of Oldways , a food and nutrition nonprofit organisation , together with Harvard School of Public Health and WHO .

The team met for several years ahead of the conference to discuss how they could describe the Mediterranean Diet and how it would be best communicated to consumers worldwide .

Realising the difficulty to push their message forward to mass media with an extensive list of characteristics , they decided to turn these characteristics into the pyramid , the idea borrowed from USDA Food Pyramid 1992 ( Oldways , 2020 ).

The Mediterranean diet pyramid continues to be revised and improved until the present time , acknowledging that information visualised in graphical form could contribute to much better adherence to the healthy dietary pattern .

The new pyramid is the result of international consensus . It is based on the latest scientific evidence , thus contributing to the harmonisation of educational tools used in the promotion of the Mediterranean diet . The 2010 updated pyramid has been adapted , translated and edited in 10 different languages ( Bach-Faig et al ., 2011 ).

For halalan toyyiban diet to be universally adopted , and promoted as a way of life , one could draw many lessons from the Mediterranean diet , particularly on how it emerges as the number one healthy diet . First and foremost , a concerted and collective effort of experts to define and characterise the diet should be mobilised . Second , more evidence-based approach should be in place to support the universal and continuous adoption of the diet . And finally , effective communication and media use should be explored and practised to encourage adoption of the diet by the public .

To accomplish this , Muslim scholars and scientists need to work together to explore and lay more groundwork on halalan toyyiban diet . We also need to stimulate multidisciplinary dialogues among our Muslim scientific community , authority , and mass media to advocate the adoption of halalan toyyiban diet in the Muslim regions and beyond .

Conclusion

Halal and tayyib diet and the development of its effective advocation and promotional tools shall be one of the means to manifest Islam as a universal way of life .

We may have a long way to go in developing our own “ Halalan Toyyiban Dietary Pyramid ” version , and ensuring the diet is universally adopted as a way of life . But we need to start somewhere .