Halal food is often thought of as something that matters only to Muslims. But many of the principles behind halal eating—cleanliness, discipline, mindful consumption and animal welfare—are values that can appeal to just about anyone.
You don’t have to be Muslim to appreciate what halal brings to the table.
The Ethics of Eating Meat
For Muslims, eating halal is first and foremost an act of faith. But halal isn’t simply a list of foods that are allowed and forbidden. It encourages people to think carefully about what they consume, where it comes from, and how it is produced.
That mindfulness can have benefits beyond the spiritual.
Halal slaughter includes practices intended to minimize unnecessary suffering. The animal should not be frightened or mistreated, a sharp blade is used to make the slaughter as swift as possible, and animals should not be slaughtered in the sight of one another.
These principles may sound distinctly religious, but they also fit comfortably within modern conversations about ethical food production and animal welfare.
A Lifestyle That Makes You Think Twice
There is also something to be said about the discipline that comes with eating halal.
When you regularly choose to skip something you want because it doesn't align with your values, you practise restraint. Over time, that can make mindful decision-making feel more natural—not just when choosing what goes on your plate, but in other areas of life too.
And sometimes, avoiding non-halal food has an unexpected bonus: you end up avoiding a lot of ultra-processed fast food along the way.
Many major fast-food chains don't offer halal meat, which can make it easier to break the habit of automatically reaching for the nearest burger and fries. Instead, you may find yourself exploring local restaurants, cooking more often or simply paying more attention to what you're eating.
What You Leave Off the Menu Matters Too
Some of the most recognizable halal restrictions involve alcohol and pork. Interestingly, both have become increasingly relevant to mainstream conversations about health.
Alcohol is a good example. While drinking is often portrayed as harmless in moderation, the World Health Organization notes that there is no level of alcohol consumption that can be considered completely safe for health. Alcohol consumption is associated with a range of health risks, including several types of cancer and liver disease (source).
As Muslims continue to avoid alcohol entirely as they have for roughly 1400 years, following a religious principle that involves avoiding harm, the rest of the world is now growing aware of some of these same harms.
Pork is more complicated. It is not accurate to say that pork is inherently unhealthy or that eating pork causes specific diseases. However, countries that consume pork have been found to be linked with higher rates of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a devastating autoimmune condition involving the central nervous system (source). For example, the rate of MS in Canada is 0.25%, while in Saudi Arabia the rate of MS is about 0.04%. Of course there are other factors at play than just pork consumption, but this trend has been known since the 1980s (source).
That doesn't mean everyone who eats pork will become sick. However it does highlight another reason why the halal emphasis on avoiding pork can have practical health implications.
Halal Is Having a Moment
Halal principles aren't as foreign to mainstream Western culture as they might seem.
People today are increasingly interested in knowing where their food comes from, how animals are treated, what goes into their meals and whether their consumption reflects their values. They're cutting back on alcohol, seeking healthier options, questioning highly processed foods and paying more attention to ethical sourcing.
Muslims have been practising many of these principles for centuries.
Of course, halal food isn't automatically healthier just because it is halal. A halal doughnut is still a doughnut, and a halal meal can absolutely be unhealthy. Halal certification isn't a magic health label.
But the halal lifestyle encourages something valuable: intentionality.
It asks us to pause before we consume and consider not only “Can I eat this?” but “Should I eat this?”
And in a world where we're constantly encouraged to consume more, faster and without thinking, that's a pretty cool principle for everyone.
Sources
- World Health Organization — “No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health” (4 January 2023)
- Nan H et al. — “Causal effects of dietary composition on multiple sclerosis risk and severity: a Mendelian randomization study”, Frontiers in Nutrition (2024)
- Nanji AA, Narod S — “Multiple sclerosis, latitude and dietary fat: is pork the missing link?”, Medical Hypotheses (1986)
