A new book of lifestyle advice and recipes for healthful Jewish eating extols moderation.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHfood 88(photo credit: )
Food plays such an enormous role in Judaism that many of the holidays are summed up thus: "They tried to kill us... We survived... Let's eat!" But feasting on many occasions through the year, plus the weekly Shabbat, can lead to excesses. And when some have a tradition of eating chopped liver or using chicken fat to glue flour together and stuff it into cow intestines to make kishke - you know "Jewish food" can pose some health problems.
But there are principles in traditional Judaism that counter abuse of food, such as eating only kosher products; thinking before you open your mouth and deciding what blessing is suitable for each type of food, delaying the consumption of milk products for hours after eating meat products; and checking produce and grains for bugs.
Then there is the dietary advice of Maimonides (the Rambam), the eminent 13th-century Jewish sage, who offered much advice regarded today as correct: Avoid what harms the body and accustom yourself to that which helps the body become stronger; do not eat all that the palate desires, like a dog or donkey; and end your meal before you feel satiated.
The Torah and Talmud have much to say about food, including the avoidance of physical (and spiritual) obesity, excess salt, eating fish several times a week; and lifestyle habits such as resting on the Sabbath and rejoicing on the festivals. The mundane act of eating is elevated to a spiritual level via kashrut and the self control required to observe it.
Indeed, the Seven Species of the Land of Israel are healthful - wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive oil and date honey.
There is a clear mind-body connection, insisted Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, the 19th century intellectual founder of modern Orthodox Judaism: "You may not in any way weaken your health or shorten your life. Only if the body is healthy is it an efficient instrument for the spirit's activity... Therefore avoid everything that might injure your health."
Advice on how to eat a healthful diet and observe a healthful lifestyle in accordance with Jewish tenets is provided in a new English-language guidebook by Chana Rubin, a modern Orthodox, American-born dietitian who lives in Beersheba. Rubin, a mother of three sons and grandmother of one, studied at Oregon State University and Oregon Health and Science University, and has taught nutrition and healthy cooking both in the US and Israel. Called Food for the Soul and released by Gefen Publishing of Jerusalem and New York (www.israelbooks.com), the 330-page softcover volume is meant for everyone, not only Jews. The author also has her own Web site at www.healthyjewisheating.com and a blog through which she offers advice.
Prof. Meir Stampfer, an expert on epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, praised the volume for its "kosher and sound dietary advice in bite-size tasty nuggets. This book gives excellent science-based nutritional counsel in a way that improves your health while enriching your soul. I heartily recommend it."
GIL MARKS, author of the award-winning books Olive Trees and Honey and The World of Jewish Cooking, commented: "Jewish cooking can be heavy, while healthy cookbooks are too often heavy handed. Food for the Soul is a most-welcome compilation of thoughtful nutrition, dietary information and representative recipes geared toward a Jewish lifestyle. [It] is not a cookbook per se, but rather a guidebook for adapting to a healthier lifestyle. Chana Rubin proves that Jewish food... can be healthy and delicious."
The last third of the NIS 70 book offers recipes for 100 relatively simple and very nutritious dishes - three of which I have already tried at home and which were very successful. Some of the entries are categorized as being suitable for Shabbat, a variety of holidays or vegetarians.
With obesity having already reached epidemic proportions in Western countries, including Israel, Rubin advises changing eating behavior, including consuming one portion instead of indulging in seconds; drinking water rather than sugared beverages to quench thirst; eating a healthful breakfast; enjoying one square of (preferably dark) chocolate a day rather than a whole bar; and avoiding snacking at night.
Eating as a family around the dinner table has been found to promote more healthful eating, according to the latest studies. If this is impossible due to differing schedules during the week, at least there are the three meals of Shabbat.
SERVE YOUR children small portions to begin with, and if they are still hungry, give them more, she advises. If you're trying to lose weight, resolve to eat only what is on your plate. Train yourself to throw out the food left on anybody else's plate. Avoid excessive behavior such as bingeing or anorexic eating - "engaging in a personal war with food" - by internalizing the spirituality that Judaism gives food and "coming closer to an enjoyable, relaxed and purposeful outlook towards nourishing your body and soul." Minimize the amount of junk food in the house and replace manufactured cookies, sweets, potato chips and favorites such as burekas (packed with unhealthful trans fats), she suggests, with nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain products and low-fat yogurts. Plan meals in advance so you can make them nutritionally balanced, and make careful use of leftovers.
Although many observant families, especially haredim, make no time for exercise, the author stresses that this is a key to maintaining normal weight and good health. After consulting your doctor, she says, it should be part of your daily routine. Climb stairs instead of using the elevator; park as far as possible from your destination and walk briskly; ride a bike; use a treadmill or other exercise equipment at home; or form a walking group.
Observant Jews automatically check labels for kashrut supervision, but should also check the fine print to compare calories and avoid artificial ingredients, high cholesterol, saturated and trans fats and sodium, Rubin writes. Don't fall for claims that all low-fat or no-sugar products are also low in calories. She provides helpful listings of various foods and their glycemic index, calories and fat levels and explains the types of sugar substitutes.
Although pareve substitutes are helpful when kashrut-observing Jews want to enjoy non-dairy coffee creamer, sour cream, frozen deserts, margarine or cream cheese, Rubin notes that many of these are high in trans fats and other components that should not be consumed in excess. The more you prepare food from scratch and from fresh, natural ingredients, the better.
THERE'S AN interesting section on "Judaism and Vegetarianism," with seemingly contradictory quotes from religious sources such as "There is no joy without meat and wine" (Talmud) and "Behold, I have given to you all herbage yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit. It shall be yours for food" (Genesis). Rubin notes that Judaism has many restrictions against causing animals suffering, and she also maintains that animals are meant to serve mankind (including by being eaten, albeit according to the strict laws of kashrut). While some Jews (such as hassidim) view meat on Shabbat as elevating the soul, she adds that Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook considered God's permission to eat meat after The Flood as a "temporary concession to our basic weakness." She also states that "Judaism accepts vegetarianism for health and ethical reasons," and gives the names of several city chief rabbis who themselves avoided all meat. Vegetarian or not, she recommends eating five to nine daily servings of vegetables and fruits, including a variety of different-colored ones to benefit from the various vitamins and minerals they contain.
BECAUSE SALTING is a vital part of making meat and poultry kosher, Rubin warns against adding salt to your food when cooking or eating it. Use spices and herbs instead, and look for low-sodium prepared foods. The author also suggests how to prepare for fasts and avoid overdosing on eggs during Passover.
Chapter 17 is devoted to menu ideas, with suggested breakfast, lunch and dinner menus for a week, including a more elaborate list for Shabbat (including whole-wheat halla, banana-oatmeal muffins and Italian-style sweet and sour fish).
Then come the 100 recipes, each clearly marked as dairy, meat or pareve, and with ingredients easily found in Israeli supermarkets, unlike those in many American Jewish cookbooks. There is even a surprising recipe for a lemon cake made with olive oil. A detailed bibliography and index round off the volume.
It would be great if this book were studied diligently by the English-speaking women of observant Jewish households, who have the power to change the diets and lifestyles of their usually large families.
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