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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
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Health & F tness
Shavuos MAY 26, 2022
Have Your Cheesecake and Eat It Too?
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN
W W W.T H E B J H . C O M
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havuos is my favorite holiday. The weather is beautiful, and there is no extra stress of turning over the kitchen or building a sukkah. One challenge this year is that Shavuos is practically like a 3-day yom tov, since we have Shabbos and the following Sunday night is the holiday. Another obstacle will be the highly caloric foods typically served on Shavuos. Let’s discuss some strategies to help you navigate through this holiday, without accumulating any significant weight gain. • Cancel Challah Culture: All of you challah bakers out there know that challah is just like cake, consisting of sugar, eggs, oil, and flour. None of us should be eating cake at every meal for six meals (remember that Shabbos!) in a row. Change it up with either whole grain sourdough or whole wheat or spelt matzah. • Spectacular Sides: Consider kugels a thing of the past, and
steer yourself (and family) into the culinary delights of veggies! Experiment with cauliflower as “rice” or “mashed potatoes,” zucchini spiralized into “zoodles, “eggplant “steaks,” spaghetti squash as a faux noodle pudding, burnt broccoli, and grilled Portobello mushrooms. A salad bar is always a huge hit, and this allows everyone to control the type and quantity of dressing. For die-hard kugel connoisseurs use non-starchy veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, eggs, and spices. Avoid baking them in pie or graham crusts; use muffin or cupcake molds instead. • Go Fishing: Dairy meal options usually include lasagna, mac ‘n’ cheese, penne a la vodka, and eggplant parmesan, etc. They all have one thing in common, and that is that they are incredibly high in calories and saturated fat. For each dairy meal, always include (and eat!) a fish option. Fish is not just a better alternative, but it is
one of the healthiest proteins to consume. The omega-3 fatty acids help prevent just about all diseases including, but not limited to, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, stroke, and diabetes. Any fish you prefer is a great option, but salmon is most definitely the king, and there is no need to bread and fry your fish. Use a variety of herbs and spices to make it as flavorful as you like. Another idea is to order a sashimi platter or smoked fish. It will make the meal that much more festive. • Cheese-It: If you crave the cheese, use low-fat cheeses like part-skim shredded mozzarella to make homemade pizza with no sugar-added marinara sauce on either whole grain bread/wrap or on eggplant steaks or Portobello mushrooms. Make cheese blintzes with Crepini’s Egg Thins and low-fat cottage cheese, and sprinkle on some cinnamon and berries to make it sweeter. If pasta is your preference,
try a high fiber pasta such as Fiber Gourmet and keep the serving size to 100 calorie portions. • Souper-Filling: Soups make great appetizers, because they fill you up so you are less hungry at the main meal. Make a broth-based soup like chicken soup for the meat meals and a non-carby vegetable soup for the dairy meals, such as zucchini leek soup, cauliflower soup, pepper soup, broccoli soup, onion soup, or cabbage soup. • Fruit for Dessert: Not every meal needs to end with chocolate lava cake! Fruit is sweet and refreshing and can be a satisfying dessert as well. Change it up and make baked apples, or poached pears, or a compote without sugar. Another nice idea is grilling fruit, especially pineapple and peaches. I often recommend making chocolate dipped strawberries with dark chocolate. Pair this with a bit of whip for a deliciously decadent but healthy dessert.
