Wishing Everyone A Happy Pesach

snacks and extra meals. Stick to your regular routine of three meals and a couple of snacks. Don’t eat at the barbecue by the pool at 3pm when you just had lunch at 1pm. Consuming endless amounts of food throughout the day will result in weight gain. Fruit, dark chocolate, and nuts are good snacks to keep in your room if you get hungry throughout the day.

During meals, it is important to consume lean protein such as chicken, fish or egg whites as well as vegetables and limit large volumes of starch. Hotel programs will always offer vegetables and salads. Ask your server to have a salad prepared and waiting for you at your table for each served sit-down meal. This way, you will munch on the salad instead of the matzah while waiting for your meal.

Most programs will serve a tremendous amount of red meats. Red meat, including beef, lamb and veal, has 2-3 times more calories and fat than chicken. Keep your red meat consumption to no more than once a day during the chag days. While there are many large meals over Pesach, try not to consume a fivecourse meal every day. Don’t always eat the appetizer and the main; it is simply too much food.

Everyone, Everywhere: Designate a day when you want to indulge in dessert. This should not be every day, and if you are going to mindfully indulge, do it earlier in the day rather than late at night when you are about to go to sleep. This will enable your body to properly digest will feel satiety and this will prevent overconsumption.

Lastly, just because it’s there, doesn’t mean you have to eat it. There are 10 yom tov meals, you should not be “tasting” every dish at every meal. Choose your fa- will help burn off the inevitable extra calories and will be good for maintaining regularity of the bowels. it and keep your blood sugar under control. While eating, it is also important to sit down properly at the table and portion out your meal. When one eats standing up, either in the kitchen or at the buffet, it doesn’t register in your brain that you are actually eating and can lead to blindly grazing. Forcing yourself to only eat sitting down will help you to consume a normal quantity of food and help your body to register that you are eating; you vorite foods and keep your meals to one plate meals and avoid the taking of second helpings.

Exercise: Incorporate physical activity into every single day, whether its chag or chol hamoed. Never underestimate walking – it’s a phenomenal exercise! If you are in a cold/rainy climate, then try to walk up/down steps, do jumping jacks, jump rope, and use online exercise videos over the days of chol hamoed. Exercise

Although there is a lot to consider during Pesach, with all the meals, eliminating foods and traveling, it is important to plan and be mindful of the food choices you make during the chag. Planning adequately through preparing salads, being mindful about your food choices as well as consuming fluids regularly and engaging in physical activity will enable you to remain healthy over Pesach. The goal is not to lose weight over Pesach, but to do your very best to maintain a healthy weight, or at the very least, to minimize a gain. Gaining 5-10 pounds over 8 days is incredibly unhealthy and unnecessary. As with everything else in life, moderation – not deprivation – is the key to a successful and wonderful yom tov!

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer