Celebrate Ramadan with Halal Certified Products and Healthy Turkey Recipes

Starting on the evening of Friday, February 28th until Saturday, March 29th, Muslims across the world will be entering their holiest month of the year: Ramadan. This includes fasting from dawn to dusk until the last day ends with Eid al-Fitr, the “Feast of Fast-Breaking.”

We’re lucky in British Columbia to have such a diverse, multicultural community with many Muslims in our province. So we at BC Turkey are excited for this opportunity to provide you with a selection of healthy, nutritious turkey recipes perfect for providing your body with everything you need when you break your fast between sunset and pre-dawn.

Any turkey cut is packed with high-quality, lean protein, iron, zinc, potassium, a healthy amount of sodium, and is bursting with vitamins B12 and D. It’s the perfect option for packing all the necessary micro-nutrients your body needs throughout the holy month.

We are also lucky to have Rossdown Farms in our province, who have been Halal Certified by the BC Muslim Association since 2007, making all of their turkey products safe for consumption—even their sausages are made with certified halal collagen casings.

So to everyone celebrating the holy month, Ramadan Mubarak!

Suhoor

Most Muslims eat two meals during Ramadan, the first being the pre-dawn meal, suhoor, before the fast begins. It’s usually very early in the morning and can help sustain your body with fuel for the rest of your day.

According to the Islamic Relief Canada, you might feel tempted to sleep through suhoor, but it’s more important to wake up and give your body the sustenance it needs. A good balanced meal can help your blood sugar remain stable throughout the day, and give you the right boost of energy in the morning.

Recipes that combine carbs, protein, and healthy fats will help you feel full throughout the day. Thankfully, we’ve pulled a handful of turkey recipes perfect for suhoor!

Iftar

After a full day of fasting, the sun goes down and you’re ready for the evening meal, iftar! You might be tempted to eat as fast as possible, but the key, according to Islamic Relief Canada, is to start by breaking the fast with dates, water, and a bowl of fresh fruit before your main meal. This will help ensure you don’t feel tired and bloated right away.

Since food helps maintain a healthy immune system, it’s important for your iftar meals to have a good balance of carbs, proteins, healthy fats, fibre, and essential vitamins and minerals. Thankfully, turkey checks off most of those requirements!

For turkey recipes that are loaded with all the right macro- and micro-nutrients, we’ve selected a handful of delicious turkey-based meals to satisfy your body after a day of fasting.

One of our favourite things about providing BC residents with delicious and healthy turkey recipes is highlighting our province’s vibrant and diverse population. Ramadan offers a chance to pause and reflect on ourselves—just like our current Healthy Starts Here campaign. We hope that these turkey recipes can be a delicious way to break your fast once the sun goes down.

To everyone celebrating Ramadan, or to the friends and community members supporting those who are, we wish you a wonderful holy month full of family, prayer, and healthy, delicious turkey recipes.