Learn the halal and haram basics

Learn the main dietary rules

• Pork and pork products (bacon, ham, gelatin from pork) are haram.
• Alcoholic drinks and other intoxicants are haram. Tiny amounts of non-wine alcohol used as a solvent in flavourings, such as vanilla extract, are a real difference of opinion: the Hanafi school allows them when the amount cannot intoxicate, and other scholars avoid any added alcohol. That allowance does not cover wine, so cooking wine is out. While you are new, alcohol-free versions are the careful choice.
• Many scholars and Canadian halal certifiers accept only zabiha (Glossary) meat, from an animal slaughtered humanely with Allah's name mentioned. Other scholars also accept the meat of Christians and Jews (the People of the Book) under Quran 5:5. You do not have to settle this on day one: zabiha meat, fish and vegetarian food keep things simple, and your local imam can tell you which view your community follows.
• Fish is halal in every school. Other seafood, such as shrimp, differs between the schools, so ask if you are unsure.
• Fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and eggs are halal.
• Most processed food is halal, though it is worth checking for gelatin, lard, or alcohol-based flavorings.

Learn to read food labels

• Look for the certifier's name on the packaging. In Canada a halal claim on a label has to name who certified it. Two names you will often see are the Halal Monitoring Authority (HMA) and ISNA Canada Halal, and their standards are not identical, so ask your local masjid which ones it trusts.
• Scan the ingredients for gelatin (often from pork), lard, animal shortening, alcohol, and vanilla extract, which can contain alcohol.
• When you are not sure, look the product up online or pick a certified halal alternative.
• Plenty of mainstream brands are fine, and you will learn which ones fast.

Find halal food near you

• Most Canadian cities have halal restaurants and grocery stores, and the big cities have hundreds.
• Halal butchers sell properly slaughtered meat, so ask around your community for a recommendation.
• Many of the big grocery chains carry a halal meat section.
• Food delivery apps let you filter for halal restaurants.
• International grocery stores, Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African, usually carry a wide range of halal products.

See where else halal and haram apply

• The two categories cover behavior, business dealings, and relationships as well as food.
• The principle is that everything is halal unless it has been specifically prohibited.
• Something is haram because it causes harm, whether to your body, your soul, or the people around you.
• Between the clearly halal and the clearly haram sit the doubtful matters (mashbooh (Glossary)). When you are unsure, the safer choice is to leave it.
• These distinctions take time to learn. Hold on to the clear-cut rules first.

Change things gradually

• Your whole diet does not have to turn over in a week.
• Start by cutting the clearest ones: pork and alcohol.
• Then move across to halal meat.
• Look for halal versions of your favorite foods, because most of them exist.
• Be patient with yourself at social meals where your options are thin.