Hundreds of years ago, food was made from unaltered, natural sources and was far more nutrient rich than the foods we eat today. All of our essential vitamins and minerals were derived naturally from our diet, which is the way Allah SWT fashioned our ecosystem and therefore the best way.
Over the last 50 years, food is increasingly grown using hormones, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, particularly in industrialized countries. The reason they use these methods is that it increases the yield of the crop dramatically; however, it comes at the cost of losing valuable nutrients. The USDA has reported that the nutrient content of vegetables has fallen since 1973. Of the vitamins we do ingest from whole food, absorption can range from 20% to 98%.
Supplementing our diets with vitamins and minerals is essential if you do not get the right amounts naturally through foods, which is the case for most people today living in industrialized environments. Over 75% of people in North America for example, take supplements regularly, including Muslims.
However, unbeknownst to most Muslims, some of the ingredients that are common in multivitamins and other supplements are derived from animal by-products. These ingredients are hidden behind scientific sounding names like lanolin, stearic acid, oleic acid, lecithin, lactylic stearate, isinglass, glycerides, gelatin, carmine and suet.
The three most common sources of animal by-products that you are likely to encounter without knowing it are as follows:
Vitamin B12 – often available on its own and always included in a multivitamin formula. This is almost always sourced from animals, with the most common source being beef liver. Wilaya Super Multi-Vitamin uses a 100% animal free source of Vitamin B12 and D.
Vitamin D – check to see if there is any lanolin in your vitamin D supplement. Lanolin is derived from sheep’s wool.
Stearic acid (octadecanoic acid) – often used in multivitamins, this is derived from animal fats and oils.
Please keep this in mind the next time you are thinking about purchasing a nutritional supplement and remember, all Wilaya vitamins and supplements are 100% halal and animal free!
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