There is no denying that scientists and doctors continue to emphasize the urgency of reducing our meat consumption as a global society, for both our health and the planet. But have we ever considered the supporting religious evidence from the teachings of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
While eating meat is not prohibited in Islam, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) emphasized during his lifetime that meat should be eaten on special occasions and not over-consumed. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that Muslims throughout history followed a plant-based diet, with the most fortunate including meat in their meals only once a week. Nowadays, despite the global decline in meat consumption, Muslims consume 20% of the 4.1 million tonnes of meat produced in the UK, despite representing only 5% of the population.
The Prophet’s diet consisted of a variety of whole, unprocessed foods, such as wholemeal bread, dates, milk, honey, and yoghurt. The Prophet frequently abstained from meat for certain periods, and it was generally advised to consume meat only once every 40 days. In the Qur’an, we are reminded to “eat and drink, but be not excessive” [20:81], highlighting the importance of moderation. Interestingly, scientific evidence supporting limited meat consumption aligns perfectly with the teachings of the Prophet and the Qur’an.
A large-scale study by the University of Oxford monitored nearly 475,000 UK adults for 25 major causes of non-cancerous hospital admissions over eight years. The results indicated that participants who ate unprocessed or processed red meat three or more times a week were more likely to have a higher body mass index than those who ate little meat. Additionally, these higher meat consumers tended to smoke, drink alcohol, and consume fewer vitamin-rich fruits, vegetables, fibre, and fish. For example, an increase of 70g in daily red and processed meat intake was linked to a 15% higher risk of ischemic heart disease. This is because they are major dietary sources of saturated fatty acids, which increase LDL (bad cholesterol) levels in the blood.
The National Institutes of Health published an article showing that long-term consumption of increasing amounts of red and processed meat is linked to a higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer due to a lack of dietary fibre. Scientists are echoing the same message the Qur’an revealed over 1,400 years ago. All in all, we don’t need to avoid meat altogether; instead, we should try to reduce how much we eat.
Photo: An AI-generated depiction of a balanced, plant-based diet inspired by the Prophet’s teachings.
Layla Mulji
Student Nutritionist at Sukaina Nutrition
