Hello Readers, 

Welcome to our first issue for 2021! This marks the addition of the Mental Health section, which replaces Quranic & Prophetic Foods. While mental health has always been important, the challenges presented by the pandemic have given us cause to make it a new focus of our magazine. Check out our premier article “What You Should Know about Anxiety Disorders” on page 14. 

Our cover piece looks at the growing relevance of Korean cuisine in the United States. Discover some of the dishes that have become popular from California to New Jersey, and learn how you can make them fit into a halal diet. In this issue, we also look at a recipe found in cuisines all over the world: baklava. Whether it’s called baklava, pahklava, or something completely different, it still tastes delicious–and smells amazing! Check it out in the Chef Insights section. 

If one of your New Year’s resolutions was to get back into exercise, you may want to seek out the expertise of a fitness professional. Check out “With or Without a Personal Trainer,” which tells you what to expect from one. Speaking of personal, we also offer a glimpse into the field of personalized nutrition in this issue: “Making Nutrition Personal” talks about how businesses everywhere are gearing towards customization and creating products designed specifically for you. 

For those of you who have been spending a lot of time on social media, you may recognize many of the trends mentioned in the “Instagram Indulgences” article. Don’t be surprised if reading about them makes you reach for something to snack on! “The Joy of Snacking” examines the enormous growth of snacking and how it even replaces meals for many. 

If you’re looking for someone new to add to your social media news feed, check us out on Facebook or Twitter. We’re also available by email to answer any questions you might have. No matter what you have to say, we’d love to hear it. 

Sincerely, 

Alison DeGuide, editor