Disclosure: I have a partnership with Whole Foods Market, but all words and opinions are my own in this article.
Many Americans might be surprised to learn that eating is one of the things millions of people look forward to in Ramadan. While the days of this month are spent fasting, each evening is a celebration of family, friends and community over a table laden with a nourishing feast and global dishes that are especially reserved for this time. Preparation for this month includes stocking up on the best ingredients and foods and meal planning for 30 consecutive evenings. Breaking your fast with loved ones and neighbors alike is considered a key part of worship for over 1.5 billion Muslims during Ramadan.
Throughout the year, most mornings I subsist on coffee and adrenaline usually in front of my laptop; the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan is the one month out of the year where I not only eat a healthy balanced breakfast but also share it with my lovely wife and family.
Breaking bread together is a universal symbol of togetherness and community. Both fasting and eating together are reminders of our innate need for spiritual and social nourishment, and our responsibility to bring comfort and ease to other human beings, no matter who they are or where they are from.
Sharing a meal that is thoughtfully prepared is a small act of kindness, and we invariably gain immense physical and psychological benefits. In a time when the term “society” no longer has much meaning and loneliness is rampant, the dinner table can become a place of community, belonging and quintessential humanity.
Almost 25% of Americans eat fast food every day and most families report eating one meal together less than five days a week. According to a Pew Research Study, the good news is that 44% of American’s do prefer to purchase non-GMO food made with wholesome ingredients and this number is growing with more awareness of health and nutrition.
Fasting during the month of Ramadan encourages us to eat in moderation and to consider what we are sustaining ourselves with each and every day. At Whole Foods Market, wholesome nutritious food can also be convenient and fast. Brands such as Saffron Road produce a global variety of ready-to-eat meals and prepared simmer sauces that are made with non-GMO, organic and halal ingredients. My wife and I especially enjoy their Bimibop Beef, Chicken Biryani and Pad Thai for dinner, and we’ve replaced the unhealthy chips in our pantry with Saffron Road’s chickpea and lentil chips.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar year and is believed to be the time when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. This month of fasting for Muslims is similar to the annual observances of Lent for Christians and Yom Kippur for Jews and serves as a time for self-reflection, gratitude and atonement for Muslims around the world. As President Obama once said on the annual commemoration of Ramadan: “For the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims, Ramadan is a time for thoughtful reflection, fasting and devotion. It is also an opportunity for family and friends to come together and celebrate the principles that bind people of different faiths — a commitment to peace, justice, equality and compassion towards our fellow human beings.”
As the kosher and halal food industries continue to grow across America, millions of American Muslims will be turning to their local Whole Foods frozen food section to find ready-made Saffron Road halal meals which they can use during Ramadan and beyond. Just like the amazing growth of the kosher industry over the last century has strengthened the social fabric of the American Jewish community, so too, we in the American Muslim community have been enriched with certified halal brands like Saffron Road and companies like Whole Foods Market who have made Ramadan just a little bit easier for millions of American Muslims living in the United States today.
Arsalan Iftikhar is author of the book SCAPEGOATS: How Islamophobia Helps Our Enemies and Threatens Our Freedoms
