It's been a million months since my last entry. Maybe I've lost some of my readers already. LOL! Tapi takpe. Anywayz, today I felt obliged to at least write a few words in my blog. To many this might be uninteresting... but Alhamdulillaah, recently, quite a few information seekers have landed on this blog looking for "Halal Protein Powder" or "Halal Protein" and other halal supplementation related stuff. One particular user wanted to know whether the halal certification for Prostar Whey has been renewed or not. 

Well, Alhamdulillaah... it has been. And all the products that were certified from 2009-2010 seem to still be in concordance with the 'halal standard' up till now. The products are (which can also be viewed in the certificate)

1. PROSTAR 100% Whey Protein (1-lb [454-grams], 2-lbs [907-grams] and 5.28-lbs [2.39-kilograms])
2. Muscle Juice 2544-Chocolate and 2544-Vanilla flavors (4.96-lbs [2.25-kilograms] and 10.45-lbs [4.75-kilograms])
3. Amino 2002 (300 and 500 tablets)

In all, thank you Ultimate Nutrition for your efforts to get certified and thank you also to IFANCA for keeping up the good work. Hope this info has been useful :) Assalaamualikum Warahmatullaahi Wabarakatuh.

[SORRY, BUT I HAD TO REMOVE THE PICTURE OF THE CERTIFICATION

I AM ACTUALLY NOW ALLOWED TO POST IT PUBLICLY HERE. TO OBTAIN THE

CERTIFICATE FOR YOURSELF, PLEASE EMAIL JBrown@ultimatenutrition.com (Julia Brown)

FROM ULTIMATE NUTRITION]

Updated halal certificate for Ultimate Nutrition supplements... 

which includes the Prostar 100% Whey Protein series.

Yeay! Can use without was-was

(the English translation for was-was is "doubt")

[UPDATED 17th January 2010 - Still no answer from mypotein.co.uk. Maybe they need to contact the people in charge of the certifications. They did reply to my initial email and agreed to provide the certs for each of the products I queried about (which was almost ALL of their protein products). Anywayz, I guess we'll have to wait to see whether the halal protein powder, halal whey protein, halal protein shakes and in all, ALL the halal supplements are indeed halal :) But I reckon, insyaAllaah they are. Just need paperwork to make sure :D]

Assalaam aleykom :) Again, this is a post regarding a (possible) halal protein source. Was looking thru the Internet about how some people found my blog... apparently some people from some parts of the world found this blog by searching for "halal protein powder". Hope it's been of some help to all of you. InsyaAllaah I intend to add some more resources for the benefit of the people out there on the lookout for halal protein shakes/halal protein powder/halal whey protein or what ever else halal in the supplement world :D

Today, after playing around with FEEDJIT and also doing some searching of my own, I stumbled across a website called MyProtein (website http://www.myprotein.co.uk). It seems that they offer an array of halal products, including halal protein powder, halal egg white powder etc. They even label the products which are supposed to be halal with an orange (or is it dark yellow?) circle containing an 'H' in the middle.

(A snapshot from http://www.myprotein.co.uk/bulk-powders/protein-powders/: V = veggetarian, H = Halal and K = Kosher)

At the moment though, I am still unsure whether the products are really halal or not. I've emailed them just now... just to make sure where they got the certification from. If indeed the awarding organization is ok, then Alhamdulillaah, another halal protein supplement seller is found :D But unfortunately, only for people in the United Kingdom lah (and also some other countries in Europe to which they deliver)...

So now let's just wait for their reply. Will update later insyaAllaah :D

[click on the image to view at Amazon.com]
(Previous post was also about the same issue...)

UPDATE (2011): ULTIMATE NUTRITION EXTENDS IFANCA HALAL CERT FOR ITS PRODUCTS

Assalaam aleykom WBT :) Just received the reply email from the representative at Ultimate Nutrition. The question was about whether or not the other flavours of their Prostar Whey Protein line (both the 100% Whey Protein and just the plain Whey Protein) were halal. I have to say that, the representative responded in lightning speed time :D Thank you very2 much for the excellent customer service (even tho I am not a customer, yet... :P)

The questions and answers were:

QUESTION-1:
It seems that in the certificate you gave me, it says that halal certification is only given for the Prostar 100% Whey Protein (both 2 and 5 pounds). I was wondering,... does this certification cover all the flavors? (e.g. choco, vanilla, natural etc.)...

ANSWER-1:
No, only the natural is covered at this time.

QUESTION-2:
Another question is regarding the product itself. It seems that in Malaysia... EGOnutrition is selling Prostar Whey Protein, and NOT Prostar 100% Whey Protein. Are these actually the same products? Because if so, then the halal certification should cover both.

ANSWER-2:
The Prostar Whey Protein is our old formula, and it was previously covered by Halal at the time of it’s production, we have since released the new Prostar 100% Whey Protein as a replacement. The old certificate is attached for the original formula.
(You can view the certificate for the old product below...)

Well... there you have it :D

Now at least we know from both Ultimate Nutrition and IFANCA that only the NATURAL-ly flavoured PROSTAR 100% WHEY PROTEIN and also the PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN are halal protein for  consumption. Other flavours... as of now... I think we can consider to be doubtful... or to be safe... just simply haram :) I hereby declare (for myself lah... based on my research) that consumption of Halal Protein Powder... specifically Halal Whey Protein Powder is possible, Alhamdulillaah... with the presence of such products from Ultimate Nutrition :D

I found out that you can get the product on Amazon.com. Below is the link... just be sure to double check it's the NATURAL flavor and not the other flavors.

Anywayz... hope this information has benefitted everyone. Assalaam aleykom WBT :) Let us all work together to provide resources for halal protein/halal whey protein/halal protein supplements... insyaAllaah.

click image to view item on Amazon

UPDATE: ULTIMATE NUTRITION EXTENDS IFANCA HALAL CERT FOR ITS PRODUCTS

Assalaam aleykom WBT and a very good day. It's been quite a while since my last post... so today I would like to post about a topic that has already been posted before :) About HALAL Protein Powder... in particular... HALAL Whey Protein. As in my previous posts (this post AND this other post), I blogged about my row with GNC Live Well and also about Prostar Whey having halal certification, respectively.

The one with GNC is a story of the past... and if possible, I hope GNC (Malaysia in particular) would provide better information and certification-proof, and also HAPPILY apply the similar money-back-guarantee policy as how their HQ (in the US I think) has intended. As for my case, Alhamdulillaah, I managed to get back all the money I spent on a product I was ill-informed about... but of course, with a little bit of hard work (phone calls, small arguments etc.).

As for the PROSTAR Whey Protein (from Ultimate Nutrition) case... it seems to be more good news. In my "Halal Protein Powder - Ultimate Nutrition (PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN NATURAL)" post, I provided this simple link to a PDF document. Even though there was an indication that the NATURAL PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN is *NOW HALAL CERTIFIED... it was just a simple pdf file. But from my recent communication with Ultimate Nutrition, they provided me with a signed document (scanned I presume?) indicating the few halal products sold by the company. Moreover, it had an IFANCA seal as well as signed by PhD certified Halal Administrator guy. Very2 good news :) And if I'm not mistaken... from the IFANCA website, you can see that the certification is world wide... meaning that the product is fully imported from Ultimate Nutrition.


So, for those of you seeking out halal protein powders... Ultimate Nutrition's Prostar 100% Whey Protein powder might be a suitable alternative... BTW... in Malaysia, you can get it from EGO Nutritions :)





On Amazon, you can get the 5 or 2 pound tub by following these links:

ULTIMATE NUTRITION PROSTAR WHEY NATURAL 2LB, 2.2 Tub

Ultimate Nutrition ProStar Whey Protein, Pure Natural Flavor, 5.28-Pound Tub



BUT!

Of course I had some follow up questions. Since the powder comes in many flavours, I think I had to firstly be sure whether or not ALL the flavours are halal certified. As can be seen from the certification, no indication is given about which flavours are halal. I am raising this point because... as shown in the previous pdf document link... only the NATURAL FLAVOUR was halal certified. This was a not-so-recent document, and it was for a previous product: PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN ... and not the PROSTAR 100% WHEY PROTEIN (notice the 100%? ... might be only a 4-character addition... but I believe in order to make it 100%... some alterations were made ingredients-wise... I think lah. Better to be safe than sorry).

What was up with the other flavours? (e.g. chocolate, raspberry, strawberry, vanilla etc.). Why weren't they halal certified as well? ... So, in order to clarify this, I sent a follow up email to Ultimate Nutrition. InsyaAllaah (if God wills it), I should be getting the answer within this week. I am sure there's a good explanation and I will insyaAllaah share the results with my fellow readers.. whom by the way I thank very much for reading my ramblings. Hehehehe....

But in all... Alhamdulillaah. It's all good. Because we're getting to see valid certifications now. Well done Ultimate Nutrition... Well done IFANCA... and also hopefully a future Well done to GNC Malaysia :D Hopefully there will be many more protein products (besides this brand and Herbalife...) that will bear the halal sign. Only then can Muslims comfortably consume these products, without worrying about accidentally eating Ba Alip Ba Ya or any other impurities :D

Selamaaat.... :D Go go HALAL PROTEIN SUPPLEMENTS!!!

(there is an updated topic regarding Ultimate Nutrition's Halal Protein Powder... Please read it here)

Assalaam aleykom WBT :)

I was searching thru the Internet, as well as asking people at IFANCA regarding the Halal Whey Protein. From my searching, I think besides relying on IFANCA's halal certification, we can obtain the answers from the manufacturers of Whey Protein products... but of course, the 'right' sort of questions need to be asked :)

A few months back, I got into a bit of an argument of whether the GNC Pro Performance Whey Protein was a halal protein or not a halal protein supplement. Since they don't have halal certification for that particular product... I had to ask the manufacturer (GNC, USA). From them, I obtained this information:

• No animal rennet (or other animal based enzymes are used) during the Whey extraction process.
• The equipment used for the production of the GNC Pro Performance Whey Protein is the same equipment used to process other products that has animal derived ingredients. But, these equipments are thoroughly washed between processes.

Final Verdict? For me... since there's the equipment issue... to be safe, I treat it as haram. But again, if there is any other hukum (ruling) saying other wise, I'd appreciate the input and feedback :D Anyway... continuing my post....

Ever since my GNC Pro Performance Whey Protein case, I started to get a bit careful when even considering buying protein products, especially because the manufacturers are mostly (if not all) non-muslims. So, before even buying the product, the best thing to do is to ask :)And one thing might help also... get the Product Code before you ask the manufacturer, as manufacturers normally check based on product codes (for GNC at least).

Some useful questions that I could think of:

1) Is there any animal derived ingredients used to make the whey protein?

• Asking this way, might be more understood by the manufacturer. Because, for one thing... if you know some animal 'parts' were used... there is a high probability (maybe even 100% probability) that the animal ingredient is non halal. This is due to the fact that the manufacturer is normally non-muslim, so if any animal ingredients are used, they would surely not have followed the Islamic way of obtaining it (by first slaughtering and then deriving).
• But then again, there are some differences of opinions regarding this issue. I will not discuss it here because my knowledge in the field is almost non-existent! :D

2) What sort of enzyme, agent or catalyst is used during the extraction of whey from milk?

• As some may know, whey is the by product when making cheese (if my memory serves me correctly). But anyhow... in order to extract they whey from the milk (to make cheese), a catalyst is used. It can either be animal based (enzyme), or fungal based. If it's the latter, then Alhamdulillaah! But if it's the former... then most probably it would be haram, as, again, mostly non-muslims are doing this process. And I highly doubt that the animals are slaughtered properly before making use of these enzymes (I think they use something called RENNET... which is derived from the inner stomach lining of calves... You can check this further by surfing the net)
  

3) Is there any alcohol involved during the whole process?

• IFANCA has a guideline I think... regarding permissible amounts of alcohol in food. You can check at the IFANCA website at http://www.ifanca.org.
  
• But normally, I don't think any alcohol is involved to make Whey Protein. But I can't be sure about other products. It won't hurt to ask though :D

4) Since you (the manufacturer) say that the enzyme being used is not of animal origin, is the whey protein product being processed on the same equipment used to process other products that contain animal based ingredients?

• I relate this question with my GNC Pro Performance Whey Protein. At first, the manufacturer told me that they used fungal based enzymes... which made me happy! But after asking about the equipment... unfortunately they use the same equipments that they use to process other products (that has animal derived ingredients).
  
• Again I state my stand that since the same equipment was used... I consider it haram. Because I am afraid of some 'contamination'. This is my stand...

Well... these are some questions that I had to ask. And alhamdulillaah... the manufacturer answered. But of course, you need to give them the complete detail of the product at hand (in my case, the Product Code and Product name). You can get these info from the store... in my case GNC Live Well. :)

I hope this post (for those who have found it), can be of some help. InsyaAllaah, if we strive hard enough, and ask the right questions... we are able to avoid the haram products and supplements.

I have come to know about one protein powder... from ULTIMATE NUTRITION (refer to my previous post...). But again, I only see the halal certification for their NATURAL flavor. They have other flavors such as chocolate, vanilla... and... others I guess. Maybe some more research needs to be done :)

Anyway... hope this has post been of use.

Jazzakallaah Khair.

Assalaam aleykom WBT.

Since my last post about Ultimate Nutrition's Halal Protein Powder, I've been receiving queries from friends asking me what the powder is for? Today insyaAllaah, I will try to answer that question based on my limited knowledge and some experience :) But here and again, I would like to advise Muslims, if you would like to use protein powders, make sure there's a halal certification stating that it is indeed a halal protein supplement... And don't take the word of any sales representative... as they are only working at their respective stores. They have a sales quota to fill, and some just might not be ethical enough to tell customers the whole truth (but a great many just don't know :P)

Ok... here are 2-reasons why people might wanna use protein powders :)

(there might be other reasons as well...)

1. As a (inferior) substitute for natural food

If any of you realize, on the containers or boxes of such products (e.g. Protein Powder, Glutamine, Meal Replacements etc.), there will most definitely be the word 'SUPPLEMENT'. Well, that's exactly what protein powders are for :) Supplementation! But, I'd like to view it more as a substitute... hence changing the term to 'SUBSTITUTION' :D

Why I say this? Well, because mainly that's what the powder is ultimately for. As a (natural) food substitute :) Instead of gobbling down a grilled chicken breast, U drink  a protein shake :) Instead of having an omelet, you make your own protein drink!

(of course, substituting the same amounts of protein grams per serving).

So, what's all the hype about athletes, bodybuilders and fitness experts promoting protein powders (among other products)? In reality, there're actually no 'magical' attributes attached to the powder. Seriously. Even though manufacturers will say that their protein powder produces better (OR BEST!) results in terms of muscle growth, or even nutrient absorption... all of this is more hype than truth! If there was even something 'special' about these powders... they are actually more inferior to natural protein sources (e.g. chicken/turkey breasts, fish, meat, soy etc.). This is due to the fact that protein powders are a processed type of food, and most of the time, artificial flavours are added (e.g. Splenda, for sweetness). Even the ones claiming NATURAL flavours can be a bit misleading, as the 'natural-ness' of those flavours themselves are actually artificial during the making! :P

If you get protein from natural sources like egg-whites, chicken breasts etc... then u're (almost) sure of getting the best deal, insyaAllaah!

(I say almost, because nowadays, so many animals get antibiotic injections, and other stuff put into their systems before ending up 'fit' for the slaughter house)

2. Convenience

This is the main reason (I think la...) why many people prefer protein powder. How is it convenient? Ok... let me explain some more, in the context of a beginner, amature or even pro bodybuilder... or even an athlete for that matter :)

Ideally, even for us normal people... it would be best to eat 5-6 meals per day. Of course, not using the normal portion we take eating out lah! Kalau camtu, jadik Obisiti Nurhaliza la!!! This is how these people eat... 5-6 complete meals per day :D

Anyway, a bodybuilder la kata kan... eats 5-6 and even up to 8 meals per day! And in every meal, normally there needs to be a balance between carbohydrates and protein. Carb you can get from pasta, potatoes, bread etc. Protein you can get from (like I mentioned) poultry, meat, egg whites (or egg substitutes like egg beaters... tapi xde kat Mesia!!!) and even diary products like skim milk or low fat cheese.

But for someone to cook 5-8 meals per day... that is a gargantuan task ye dok? I personally tried doing so during my fitter days (:P)... but as a lazy bachelor (at the time), I had to look for an alternative protein source (cuz its the protein that you normally have to cook). One that is more convenient and not on the dairy list, as I am lactose intolerant. So, I decided to go for a protein supplement :) Jadi, instead of cooking my other 2-3 meals (I did not use protein powder in all my meals la... muntuoh nanti :P), I just had a protein shake or protein based smoothie :) Tu dia... senang!

So, as you can see... convenience :D

In conclusion... these are among the main reasons why protein powders are consumed :) It's not because they have super magical powers. Some companies and individuals claim that these powders can be a catalyst for weight loss! Others claim the higher absorption rate allows for faster muscle repair and faster muscle growth. Whoaa... I mean... these claims are more to drug effects than magical food properties :P You can get these effects from consuming (or injecting to put it more accurately) anabolic steroids! But from protein powders... Hmmmmm.... Don't think so. Even if you train like KING KAMALI or MARCUS RHUL, protein powders alone will not be of any great help!

Anywayz... hope this has been of some valuable info for everyone :D Plz do comment if you have any. Selamaat :D

(there is an updated topic regarding Ultimate Nutrition's Halal Protein Powder... Please read it here)

ANOTHER UPDATE (2011): ULTIMATE NUTRITION EXTENDS IFANCA HALAL CERT FOR ITS PRODUCTS

Assalaam aleykom WBT. In one of my previous posts, I blogged about my row with GNC Malaysia regarding the halal status of their GNC brand Whey Protein powder. Back then, I was told that the GNC Whey Protein powder was halal by the sales person, when in actual fact, the IFANCA halal certification that GNC has (they do have halal cert btw) did not cover that particular product. So, in short, there is no sure say that GNC has any halal Whey Protein Powder under their own brand name. To be safe for dunya and akhirat, just assume GNC has no halal whey protein or even any halal whey protein supplments for Muslims. This only relates to the GNC brands that is.

But a few days back, I was chatting with one of my friends. She was asking me about protein powders... and about which brands are halal protein powders. As for myself, I was sure that Herbalife had some halal powders, but due to Herbalife being a Network (multi-level) Marketing company, I reckon their prices would be a wee bit expensive than the others (I think la... if any Herbalife reps terbaca this post, please do correct me... cuz kalau betul murah than competition, then I oso want to buy :D).

But other than Herbalife, I was not sure... ada ke tak yg halal. My fren had a tip however, that there was another brand... Ultimate Nutrition. They have a line of Protein Powders that has halal certification! Walaweh! Kok ada halal cert! after checking, I found out that it was true... because it was stated on the IFANCA website also! (http://www.ifanca.org). The product's name - PROSTAR WHEY PROTEIN NATURAL *the flavor is natural that is... (View the halal certification my other post).

This is good news, as I think many Mulsims out there are looking for halal alternatives. So, for those of you looking for halal protein powders or a halal protein supplement, either for supplementary purposes, or as a more convenient way to get your protein intake (for pre or post workout meals for example), then I think, Prostar Whey Protein is the answer. The website however only states that the NATURAL flavor has halal certification. There are also other flavors e.g. Vanilla and Chocolate. But sepatutnya lah... these should be halal also (I think... don't take my word for it. You might wanna email ultimate nutrition.... DONT EMAIL the distributors. Get it straight from the horse's mouth! :P).

Okes. In case anyone else has info on other halal protein supplements... please do tell me... as this info can be shared for the benefit of the Muslim (or even Kosher) community :D

Selamaaat :D

click image to view @ Amazon.com

click image to @ Amazon.com