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SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home
Health & F tness
Sukkos the Easy and Healthy Weigh By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN
S
eptember is a busy month. It’s back to school, back to work for some of us, Labor Day, and back to back yomim tovim. After Rosh Hashana, when we daven over two days for a healthy, sweet new year, comes Yom Kippur, a day of atonement when we fast and daven an entire day. Luckily for us, then comes Sukkos, a
joyous yom tov when davening is not terribly long and we can eat lunch at a decent time. We sit in our beautifully decorated sukkahs and enjoy quality time with our friends and families. On chol hamoed, we go on trips and fun adventures. Then comes Simchas Torah and Shmini Atzeres, another two days of yom tov to celebrate the Torah
and our relationship with Hashem. Yes, September is an extremely busy month. Now, throw cooking for all of these yomim tovim into the mix, and it becomes even busier! It doesn’t have to be so busy. For yom tov, we prepare elaborate meals with festive delicacies, which take up a lot of time and not to mention energy. Yet these delicacies tend to be a dieter’s challenge. The simpler the foods, generally, the less calories they contain. For example, think of the time and effort it takes to make a broccoli kugel vs. the time and effort it takes to make roasted broccoli. And which one is healthier?! My point exactly. Instead of working so hard and gaining ten pounds in a matter of weeks, let’s try cooking lighter, simpler, and healthier meals over this holiday season. 1. Menu planning: Preparing a yom tov menu that is elegant, yet low in calories can be a hard balance. • The first step is to nix any fried foods. Standing over a frying pan and flipping food is a lot more tedious than throwing the food into the oven. Fried food is irresistible – there is no denying that. However, consuming fried foods is linked to obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Fried foods are more calorically dense, and the oil from frying raises your cholesterol levels. The easier and healthier way would be to bake your food instead of frying. Most fried foods can be baked instead and still be just as delicious. • Second, the more fresh and simple your foods are, the less calories they contain. Sauces tend to be high in calories and sugar. Try moving away from using sauces and reach for a
spice rub instead. A spice rub over fish, chicken, or meat tastes delicious and is a healthier option than heavy sauces. Even when recipes call for making your own sauce, chances are the sauce contains ketchup, brown sugar, honey, duck sauce, or sweet chili sauce. Each of these condiments have a high sugar content. Many sauces also call for melting sugar and sauce together and continuously stirring over a flame which is time-consuming. The easier and healthier way would be to throw some spices together instead to flavor your food. Some olive oil and a spice rub over meat or chicken is easy, light, and delicious. Lemon juice and herbs over fish is fresh and lovely as well. • Staying away from kugels is the next big tackle. Kugels often call for margarine, a lot of oil, eggs, flour, and even mayonnaise. They also involve multiple steps and peeling vegetables too. The easier and healthier way is to roast vegetables. Roasted vegetables or fresh salad is the healthiest and most ideal side dish option. There are so many light and delicious ways to make whole grains as well, such as brown rice, quinoa, or buckwheat. 2. Concentrate on quality not quantity: It is not necessary to have multiple main dishes at each meal. It is definitely more work to prepare more food, and nobody needs to eat three different main dishes! The easier and healthier way would be to prepare one main dish and eat that as your protein source for the meal. If you do have multiple main dishes, don’t eat too much of one food item. Try sampling small amounts of the foods you want instead of taking a full portion. For
