Wellspring Issue #78

US $9.99 // CALIFORNIA $7.50 CANADA $8.99 // UK £5.50 EUROPE €6.50 // ISRAEL ₪24.9

JULY 2022 TAMUZ 5782 // ISSUE 78

THE HEALTH MAGAZINE FOR THE JEWISH FAMILY

Libby in the Lab

What’s the best way to preserve produce?

FYI Treating Hashimoto’s Naturally

OT@Home

3 Techniques to help kids with SPD

Cup of Tea

How Sury Sprei helps people heal from chronic illnesses

What’s on the Grill?

The heat is on with Eggplant Rolls with Ground Beef

Ask the Nutritionist

The reason I can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle: I love to eat 4 Ways to Avoid the “Allor-Nothing” Diet Mentality My Table

Summertime shalosh seudos

Trash or Treasure Are vitamins and supplements what they promise to be?

Ezra's Optometry is always there for me.

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COPY & RESEARCH

Editor In Chief Shiffy Friedman Deputy Editor Libby Silberman Nutritional Advisory Board Dr. Rachael Schindler Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE Bashy Halberstam, INHC Shaindy Oberlander, INHC Shira Savit, MA, MHC, CHC Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD Nutrition Contributors Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT Shani Taub, CDC

.

Health Advisory Board Dr. Chayala Englard Chaya Tilla Brachfeld, RN Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC Esther Fried, PFC Child Development Advisory Board Friedy Singer, OTR/L Roizy Guttmann, OTR/L Coordinating Editor Liba Solomon, CNWC Feature Editors Rochel Gordon • Rikki Samson

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Proofreaders Faige Badian • Meira Lawrence

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The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by Wellspring Magazine Inc. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part or in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited. The publisher reserves the right to edit all articles for clarity, space and editorial sensitivities. The Wellspring Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content or kashrus of advertisements in the publication, nor for the content of books that are referred to or excerpted herein. The contents of The Wellspring Magazine, such as text, graphics and other material (content) are intended for educational purposes only. The content is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your health care provider with any questions you have regarding your medical condition.

!‫הצלת נפשות‬

Too many in our community have suffered at Maimonides Hospital.

Rabbonim and Askanim are coming together to demand improvements at the hospital and save lives.

Have you or your loved ones been mistreated?

Endless waiting in the ER? Rooms unfit for patients? Been ignored?

Please share your Maimonides experience. It’s a matter of life and death!

patients deserve better!

Share your story:

718.234.1905 WWW.SaveMMC.org

info@SaveMMC.org

All information will be held strictly confidential

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

5

EDITOR'S NOTE

Just Look at Me, Please

Y

,,

ou’re saying ‘wow,’ but you’re not really looking,” my then-preschool-aged daughter said to me one Shabbos afternoon a while back.

She was trying to show me a new choreography she’d learned for her upcoming graduation, but I was too riveted in something else, the details of which I can’t recall. I may have been in the middle of reading a spellbinding article or wanting to finish the next kapitel of Tehillim, but my attention was clearly not on my daughter—and she felt it.

When she said those words, I sat up with a start.

I stopped what I was doing and invited her to talk to me about it. Actually, like a kid who’d been caught sneaking food, I burst into laughter and said, “You’re so right, sweetie. You’ve been trying to get my attention, but I haven’t been giving it to you.” And then we had a conversation about it— how hard it is when we want to share something that feels important to us, but the other party just isn’t tuned in.

“When we learned social skills,” she shared—and I smiled at hearing a young kid say those words— “our morah taught us that if we want to show the other person we’re listening, we need to make eye contact.” And then, she demonstrated. Okay, so now I was getting social skills lessons from my sixyear-old kid. Fun, and well-deserved.

This time, I was all ears, nodding along and looking her in the eye. Every word she was saying was so true, an expression of her desire to want to con-

6

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

nect to her mother. And by shifting my focus from whatever I was doing to her—fully and completely her—I was gifting her with something so valuable: my presence.

In my emotional work with teens and young adult women, it hurts so much to notice time and again how all these broken or sad or anxious hearts were missing was an adult in their life who was present to them, someone who’d look them in the eye when they wanted to share and validate their pain, their confusion, and their fears. There’s no better present we can give our children—and anyone else in our life—than being present to them. To look them in the eye when they’re talking to us, to really listen to them and the messages they’re conveying—both spoken and unspoken. And there’s no better time to do it than now, during the summer months, when the pace of life slows down somewhat.

M

any of us have been deeply inspired by the incredible TAG event, where thousands of women came together in their desire to experience more connection, more presence. In fact, our very own contributor, fitness trainer Chaya Tziry Retter, asked me to tweak her bio this month because she made the courageous move of giving up WhatsApp. (Monsey-based readers, if you’re looking for a really knowledgable and positive instructor or personal trainer, contact her by phone!) It’s impossible to be there for those who need us when we’re constantly checking messages, flitting our eyes away from the

screen and back, or constantly picking up calls. But, while one of the greatest detriments of technology is that it has stolen our ability to be fully present, we’d be missing the point if we attributed our lack of presence to only that. Even reading this magazine or engaging in long conversations with others when our loved ones are vying for our attention takes us away from them.

S

till, while being present to those around us is wonderful, it doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t ever give ourselves downtime. On the contrary, a child should know that sometimes Mommy isn’t available—sometimes she needs time for herself— and there’s nothing wrong with that at all. In this issue’s feature, Esti Asher explores the hazards of the all-or-nothing mentality in terms of dieting, but it very much applies to all areas of life. It’s perfectly okay for a mother to not always be available, not always be fully present. But there’s no denying that when we are, those are the moments that will remain with our children forever. Those are the times we build them from within, when we cement their trust, their self-worth, and their feeling that they matter—and this, in turn, is what builds their emotional health.

May this be a summer of presence and peace of mind for all of you,

n a m d e i r F y Shiff

WELL- PUT “Healing the body naturally is like healing a wound or a broken bone. A wound doesn’t heal in minutes, but rather with consistent care and slow changes.”

Sury Sprei, Cup of Teav WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

7

CONTENTS

JULY 2022 TAMUZ 5782 ISSUE 78 Our next issue will appear on Wednesday, August 10th iy"H.

WELL INFORMED 10

Springboard

22

Spiritual Eating

24

Torah Wellspring

28

Health Updates

LIVING WELL

68

SPOTLIGHT ON SURY SPREI Cup of Tea

By Esther Retek As Sury was climbing the corporate ladder, she began feeling less and less energized, as if her vitality and strength were ebbing away. She was experiencing brain fog and feeling extremely lethargic all day.

34

FYI

38

Community

40 OT@Home 42

Fitness

45

Ask

52

Sample

76

Medical Saga

81

DIY

WELLBEING 84

Emotional Eating

FAREWELL 131 Random

105 SEASONED 8

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

Inner Parenting and The Functional Dietitian will return next month iy"H.

86 SOLD Wellbeing Feature

By Shiffy Friedman Guilt, pleasure, doubt, control, feeling worthy…they’re all on the balance as we click that “buy” tab, swipe our card, or slap the bills on the table—or make the choice not to.

How we spend our money talks. Here, we explore what our fiscal habits might be saying about our emotional wellbeing.

NOT ALL OR NOTHING Feature

By Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I encourage and promote an inclusive, balanced, enjoyable, and practical way of eating, where all foods fit. With this in mind, let’s be proactive with a few tips to avoid the all-or-nothing diet mentality this summer—and all year round.

48

113

GET GRILLING Seasoned

By Yossi and Malky Levine Looking to change up your typical meat BBQ dinner? Try this refreshing grilled fish dish. The pistachio broccoli cream and salad complete the dish with amazing crunch and texture.

4

to

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

9

SPRINGBOARD

On Bowen Therapy, Heated Workouts, and More

Bowen vs. Craniosacral Issue #77: Sample

Thank you for your excellent article on Bowen therapy. I was curious about the difference between Bowen therapy and CST. What would make someone choose one over the other?

I’ve personally tried CST and seen positive results, but I would love to hear more about the difference.

Thanks again for all your amazing work!

Sara K.

10

I was wondering if any readers would be astute enough to ask.

The difference wasn’t addressed in the two Sample columns on these two treatments, as the difference is rather subtle. In fact, the client doesn’t feel a major difference between the two.

Both treatments rely on gentle touch on various parts of the body. Many people who try one can usually try the other if the first wasn’t successful.

Both treatments are considered safe and can generally be done on all ages, newborns through elderly.

Though they appear very similar, the two modalities are based on entirely different concepts.

Libby Silberman responds:

Bowen therapy

Good question!

The

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

practitioner

moves,

rolls,

positions, and holds the hands, legs, and other areas into various positions with the goal of release.

The focus of the treatment is release of trauma and tension in the body by moving muscles, ligaments, and tendons. This “moving” is referred to as cross-fiber maneuvering.

Craniosacral therapy The touch is very gentle, even gentler than Bowen.

The practitioner frequently is trained to “listen” to the body’s rhythms.

The focus is on improving the craniosacral system—comprising the brain, spine, and sacrum—by manipulating the cerebrospinal

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Quick Question

SPRINGBOARD

Question: Every summer, when I send my kids off to camp or out for the day, I worry about them getting tick bites. I’ve heard too many frightening Lyme stories. Is there anything I can do and tell my kids to do as a precaution?

Thank you, M. Haberfeld

Answer: This year there has already been a reported increase of ticks across New York. This may be due to the warmer weather, according to the data from Upstate Medical University. After a milder winter, many more ticks survive and are on the increase from mid-May through August.

To help protect yourself and your family, you should do the following: 1. Use a natural tick repellent daily, especially when hiking or outdoors 2. Wear light-colored protective clothing.

3. Tuck pant legs into socks.

4. Avoid tick-infested areas.

5. Check yourself and your children daily for ticks and, if found, carefully remove.

6. Check with your pediatrician regarding how to treat a child who has been bitten.

7. Watch for any symptoms such as rash, fever, or weakness, and report to your child’s doctor.

Take care, Miriam Schweid, health consultant and kinesiologist

fluids throughout the central nervous system.

appreciate the gifts I have in my own life, and that my parenting struggles are within the realm of “typical.” I’ll miss keeping up with her and Lana’s progress and I wish them all the best.

Appreciate What I Have Compass

Now that the serial diary Compass has come to an end, I’d like to express my awe and admiration for Dina Lieber, who courageously shared her experiences of raising her autistic daughter with us. I appreciated that she gave us a window into her inner world, as well, relating her disappointments and difficult emotions as she struggled to accept her pekeleh in life. It also helped me 12

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

Looking forward interesting serial,

to

another

Nechama Herzog

Not Child’s Play at All Issue #77: Inner Parenting

My absolute favorite column in this incredible magazine is Inner

Parenting. As much as I’ve read and learned about this most important topic, I haven’t come across anywhere else the wise approach this column offers. As its title implies, it always propels me to look inward and explore how my own “things” are impacting my relationship with my children.

The topic Rabbi Friedman explored in the past issue really resonated with me, not only in regard to toys and entertainment choices but in regard to other things I’ve always wanted with a childlike yearning.

Whether it’s to wear certain clothes that were not against halachah, but my parents felt a certain way about them, or to do some things they deemed inappropriate but were

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WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

13

The Doctor Is In

SPRINGBOARD

Question: I’m a 20-year-old girl and my cycles have always been irregular. They can last anywhere from 25–55 days, almost never 28 days. Is this normal or should I be concerned?

Answer: Many women experience irregular cycles.

There’s a lot of information circulating that suggests a woman’s cycle must be 28 days long. The reality, however, is that a normal cycle can range between 21–35 days.

In addition, up to 25 percent of women have irregular cycles, so you are certainly not alone in this issue. Even though there is a range for what we consider the length of a normal period, a 55-day cycle certainly falls out of that range.

Several conditions can cause irregular periods and it’s important to understand which might be the cause of your irregular menses. Determining the underlying causes can be important in understanding how to approach treatment. Irregular cycles are a common reason to see your PCP or OBGYN, who can help determine if further testing is needed.

Jennifer Berkovich, DO, FAAP Member, JOWMA preventative health committee

totally within the parameters of the Shulchan Aruch, I now realize that what I wanted most of all was simply to be understood. As the article wisely noted, it’s not about the final yes or no, but more about the way the child feels at the end of (and during) the conversation.

The day after I read the article, I was walking with my six-year-old son on the street when a motorcycle passed by. He turned to me and said, “I want to drive a motorcycle when I grow up.” This time, instead of telling him off for harboring such a fantasy, I invited him to explore what it was about the motorcycle that he loved, which color he liked most, etc. It was a beautiful sharing moment for both of us. And most notable is that he’s already moved on from that dream…

Thank you for a wholesome magazine that opens my eyes to so much, H. P. 14

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

The Blessing of Tubes

Not So Hot

I enjoyed reading last issue’s Medical Saga as I very much related to the story. The narrator should know that she’s lucky her son got tubes so early. My daughter had significant delays and it took us quite a while to notice that the culprit was her lack of hearing. Even moderate hearing loss can impact development.

Since I was recently introduced to the idea of a heated workout, I was excited to see it explored in your pages. Your magazine is a source of information I’ve come to trust, and I was curious to learn more before I gave it a try. Chaya Tziry Retter shared a considerable amount of research regarding this new trend, and I came away feeling that it’s not as effective as its followers make it out to be.

Issue #77: Medical Saga

My daughter got her first set of tubes at seventeen months. On the way home from the hospital, she repeated sounds from a truck outside (something she hadn’t ever done before).

Issue #76: Fitness

We ended up inserting tubes a second time after the first fell out too soon. She is now two years old and is baruch Hashem catching up developmentally.

Although it’s hard to gauge results that aren’t quantifiable, within the few days after reading the article, I met several people who’d tried it for a significant amount of time and did not report any substantial weight loss. I’ll stick to my workout in an airconditioned gym for now.

Thank you for a great magazine,

Malka T. H.

Name withheld upon request

Staten Island, New York

SUMMER VIBES ARE HERE

For the beis midrash

by Rabbi Zvi Nachman

by Rabbi Daniel Friedman

A presentation of modernday halachic dilemmas, including halachic analyses, conclusions, and further questions to consider.

The series that has taken the Jewish world by storm is back right on time for Kesubos. Transform your life with a lesson from each day's daf.

by Rabbi Ori Strum

by Rabbi Yered M. Viders

Learn to be a life-long "winner," experience what it means to value inner greatness, and appreciate the incredible opportunity to connect with Hashem.

A refreshing and uplifting perspective on life — one that is filled with gratitude, fulfillment, and simchas ha’chaim.

For the hammock

BACK IN STOCK!

For those few moments for yourself

by Ruchi Koval

by Chaya Fried

When it seems there is no one to talk to or nothing to say, there is prayer. With this book we can learn how to start the conversation with G-d.

Infuse renewed joy into your routine with over 120 tips for the whole year.

For the kids

SPRINGBOARD

A Whole New World I’m a picky eater. I always have been, but I don’t want to pass it along to my kids. What can I do?

Answer: It’s normal to have flavor and texture preferences (and smell too!) and those can impact the foods we like. I personally don’t like mushrooms and olives. Consider having a family member or friend interact with the kids over foods that a parent doesn’t love. It’s okay to be upfront about it too: “Mushrooms aren’t my taste, but Abba loves them! What do you think of them?”

Then you can have some fun with mushrooms. Dani Lebovitz, a dietitian who has written several excellent books about playing with food, recommends building a mushroom forest on the table, then exploring the forest through the eyes of a small toy: “Can the LEGO man walk through the mushroom trees?

What else might he see in the swamp?”

Let the child make their own decisions regarding the foods they do and don’t like.

Yaffi Lvova, RDN Yaffi Lvova, RDN, is a dietitian and food enjoyment activist who encourages positive nutrition through writing, speaking, and Nap Time Nutrition, her video blog and podcast. Find out more at babybloomnutrition.com.

I look forward to every single issue of your magazine, and I love having a month in between to read it from cover to cover.

Thanks for covering Bowen therapy in your recent installment of Sample. It opened a whole new world for me, introducing me to a technique I’d never heard of before. I noticed that the reviews were pretty mixed, and I appreciated that all details were mentioned so we readers can come to our own conclusions. That’s what makes Sample so unique and intriguing—we know we’ll get the full picture.

Looking forward to seeing more honest reviews on other modalities and health ventures,

Get in touch!

Wellspring invites readers to submit letters and comments via regular mail or email to info@wellspringmagazine.com. We reserve the right to edit all submissions and will withhold your name upon request. We will honor requests for anonymity, but we cannot consider letters that arrive without contact information.

16

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

Chana Shira G.

Any health information, advice, or suggestions published here are the opinion of the letter writer and are not independently investigated, endorsed, or validated by Wellspring. Always seek the advice of a qualified health professional or medical practitioner regarding any medical advice, condition, or treatment.

Question:

Pediatric Nutrition

Issue #77: Sample

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SPRINGBOARD

Myths About Uterine Fibroids AND WHY A HYSTERECTOMY IS THE FASTEST-DECLINING SURGERY IN THE WORLD

1

The only treatment is a hysterectomy.

Uterine fibroids are a type of non-cancerous tumor that grows in the uterus. Fibroids occur during a woman's childbearing years, commonly ages 25-55. “There are few known causes,” says Dr. Emine Cosar, “but we do know that genetics and demographics play a huge role. If someone in your family had a uterine fibroid, you’re at higher risk.”

Most women discover the condition because of the symptoms. In addition to intense pain or heavy cycles, they experience frequent urination, bloating, backaches, anemia, and pain in their legs.

18

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

According to the NIH, each year, approximately 200,000 women undergo hysterectomies to alleviate symptoms caused by benign fibroid masses.

Dr. Cosar says women often go to an OBGYN who asks, “What do you need your uterus for anymore?

Just take it out.”

“If there’s a non-surgical option that also allows them to keep their uterus, why are we rushing to remove it?” says Dr. Eliezer Halpert, Medical Director of MVP Medical Group and uterine fibroid expert.

If you’re experiencing the symptoms of uterine fibroids, Uterine Fibroid Embolization is a simple, non-surgical treatment option.

2

“They happen to be in the uterus, so people think they need an OBGYN,” explains Dr. Cosar, who is an OBGYN herself. “OBGYNs are not experts in embolization, so they will often suggest either a hysterectomy [complete uterus removal] or myomectomy [excision of just the fibroid] as treatment.

However, even a small surgery is far from the ideal option.

“With a hysterectomy, you lose your uterus completely. With myomectomy, you only cut into the uterus to take out the fibroid while still leaving the roots, which means there’s a large chance it can come back.

Fibroid Embolization will devascularize and destroy the fibroid itself.”

They’re best treated

by OBGYNs, not vascular clinicians.

Dr. Cosar says there’s a reason hysterectomies are fast-declining throughout the world. They are no longer the only way to treat fibroids — especially not when UFE is less invasive and more effective.

3

Fibroid embolization results in infertility.

During the UFE procedure, surgeons block the artery supplying blood to the fibroid. “Fibroids, by definition, need blood to survive. We take advantage of the fact that fibroids need blood by cutting off the main blood supply, which starves and eventually kills the tumor.”

If there was a non-invasive option with UFE, why shouldn’t she give it a try before surgery?

The procedure is conducted through one tiny skin nick, requiring no stitches, reducing pain and recovery time.

Patients are typically in-and-out of the procedure room in under an hour.

“She’s so glad she did,” says Dr. Cosar. “Because not only did she avoid surgery, she kept her uterus. She had a baby a little more than a year later.” If she’d had a hysterectomy, Dr. Cosar points out, that never would have been possible. UFE is the only one of the treatment options that is non-surgical, fully effective — and positively impacts fertility

One of Dr. Cosar’s patients was suffering from intense pain and bleeding, causing her to miss work and family functions.

“You need a hysterectomy,” she was told, so she already had the procedure scheduled when she reached out to MVP Care.

“We hear these stories every week,” says Dr. Cosar. “There’s no reason for someone to undergo the difficult, irreversible process of removing their uterus. You can experience relief from the symptoms — without invasive surgery.”

Get painless, effective treatment from skilled vascular doctors.

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their vast knowledge to each patient they treat.

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­

WELLBEING FEATURE

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS EVER PICKED UP A CIGARETTE,

here’s what you need to know about

Circulation

1 PAD is not only a symptom of diabetes.

Anyone who smokes (or smoked) is at risk.

20

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

“The symptoms of PAD are very specific,” says Dr. Amir Salem, a vascular and interventional radiologist with a decade of experience, who now practices at MVP Care.

Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is when there is a dangerous lack of blood flow through the limbs, usually legs, and the tissue dies.

It’s most commonly caused by a history of smoking or diabetes, but other factors contribute to the risk as well. If someone has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, leads an inactive lifestyle, is obese, or has chronic kidney disease, it’s important to keep an eye on the symptoms of PAD and catch them before they are irreversible.

The risk increases with age, so as you pass into your fifties, ask yourself: Do my legs feel cool to the touch? Is the pulse in my limbs weaker than usual? Do my toes feel numb on occasion? Do I often get pins and needles? Do I have sharp pain during my sleep or while I’m not using my legs?

2

You CAN avoid amputation with preventative treatment.

3

“The good news is there’s a minimally-invasive way to mitigate the symptoms,” says Dr. Salem. “The first step is to know where you stand by going in for a routine ABI test. Testing your blood flow gives us an idea of how compromised your arteries are.

If PAD is not treated, it’s possible to lose a limb.

“Anyone who has a history of smoking or diabetes — even if they don’t smoke anymore — should schedule an ABI as soon as they reach 50. That’s when the risk of PAD increases and that’s when we need to step up and prevent the disease from worsening.”

If non invasive testing determines your vessels are compromised, MVP Care’s doctors can remove the blockage. They perform an atherectomy, which is a procedure that removes the buildup of plaque and reopens the passageways. “The entire procedure takes less than an hour — and you go home the same day with nothing more than a tiny bandaid.”

“When leg tissue dies, it may necessitate an amputation,” explains Dr. Salem. “It’s best to look out for PAD beforehand so you can treat it preventatively and avoid reaching the point of no return.” Once the tissue dies (which you’ll see with ulcers, unusually thick toenails, or flaky skin), the risk of losing toes — or a full leg — is much higher.

Dr. Salem says the non-invasive treatment literally saves limbs.

“We’ve had patients who were already scheduled for an amputation.

They had their surgery booked at the hospital, but then figured why not give MVP Care a chance before. They walked in for the procedure and walked out — still with all their limbs.

“PAD is a serious condition with serious ramifications,” he stressed, “but the right, non-invasive procedure can treat it and keep you on the path to a full life.”

“In short, it’s very simple. If you’re at risk for PAD and don’t manage the symptoms, you will lose a limb.”

Get painless, effective treatment from skilled vascular doctors.

MVP Care is a network of clinics and out-patient facilities spanning New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Connecticut, offering vascular diagnostics, check-ups, and minimally invasive procedures. Our 35+ interventional radiologists, neurosurgeons, OBGYNs, vascular surgeons, and nursing staff are experts in their field.

Many have worked in hospitals such as Beth Israel Medical Center, Mount Sinai, NYU, and Columbia and have received prestigious awards, been extensively published, and been invited to share their expertise at medical conventions worldwide. They bring

516.703.3739 | mvpvascularcare.com

their vast knowledge to each patient they treat.

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WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

21

SPIRITUAL EATING

By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

Over and Over Again The definition of insanity, attributed to Albert Einstein, is “doing something over and over again, and expecting a different result the next time.”

We saw that arrogance, embodied in the episode of Korach, can drive a person to extreme behaviors, all the while convinced they are doing the right thing.

Another harmful character trait that can steer someone in a similar direction is intransigence, as seen in the persona of Bilaam.

Solicited by representatives of Balak to curse the Jewish People, Bilaam knew that no spiritual scourge could emanate from his mouth without the express consent of the Almighty.

“I shall give you a response, as Hashem shall speak to me,” Bilaam said, instructing them to wait the night while he received the reply (Bamidbar 22:8).

But what answer did he expect? All the nations of the world, of which Bilaam was a primary prophet, knew that Klal Yisrael was Hashem’s beloved people, whom He had directly redeemed from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, ferried across the split sea, given the Torah to on Har Sinai, and miraculously nurtured and nourished in the barren desert.

And even his skill of knowing the one instant every day when Hashem suspends His middah of mercy was thwarted by Hashem, who chose not to sit in judgment on that day (Avodah Zarah, Berachos).

Nevertheless, Bilaam tried. And failed. “Hashem said to Bilaam, ‘You shall not go with them. You shall not

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curse the people, for they are blessed’” (Bamidbar 22:12).

Unsatisfied with the answer, Balak kept tempting Bilaam with greater wealth, and Bilaam kept returning to Hashem, hoping for a different reply.

And even when he was granted permission to travel back to Balak, he was clearly told that he could only speak the words that Hashem would put in his mouth. Obstinately, he decided to go anyway.

At the beginning of the journey, he was humiliated by his lowly donkey, and the whole episode culminated with the beautiful berachos Hashem gave him voice to express, “How goodly are your tents, Yaakov, your dwelling places, Yisrael” (ibid., 24:5). The absolute opposite of his initial intention.

What’s the lesson for us? Nothing changes if nothing changes.

In our weight-loss coaching services, we work with many clients who have reached a point where they are completely sick and tired of being sick and tired. They’ve had enough of being overweight and out of breath and are fed up of feeling out of control and subservient to a box of chocolates.

They desperately want different results, but the question is, are they genuinely ready to take different actions to significantly change their eating patterns and relationship with food? Or will they

‫ונשמרתם מאוד לנפשותיכם‬ ,‫ וועסט–נייל וויירוס‬,‫היט זיך פון ליים דיזיעז‬ ‫רעאקציע צו ביסן‬ ַ ‫און ַאלערגישע‬

!‫ַא געזונטן זומער‬

NE W!

stick to the same lifestyle, hoping miraculously for a new outcome?

We offer our clients a simple and straightforward food plan, with clear boundaries and guidelines that will allow them to meet their goals without sacrificing their nutritional needs. What they do need to sacrifice are their previous habits, the self-indulging customs to which they have grown accustomed that yield temporary comfort and pleasure, but consistently deliver long-term discomfort and weight gain. A true net loss.

Those who are successful with implementing life-changing choices are people who are willing to forgo familiar routines, to work through obstinacy, and accept suggestions and direction toward a happier and healthier life, no matter how different or difficult it might seem. Those mired in their old ways—intransigently holding on to the notion that they just can’t make the time to readjust and reprioritize their lives—will grow older still wanting a healthier life but unwilling to exert the effort to change whatever is necessary to achieve their goal. Our attitude is the key, for the solution rests right in our hands.

Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS, is the founder and director of Soveya and the author of the best-selling book Enough Is Enough—How the Soveya Solution Is Revolutionizing the Diet and Weight-Loss World, available on Amazon and at Barnes & Nobles and Judaica Plaza in Lakewood. He has worked with thousands of clients around the world and has maintained a 130-pound weight loss for the last 19 years. For more information about Soveya’s programs call 732-578-8800, email info@soveya.com, or visit www. soveya.com.

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23

TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Doing the Motions How the halachos of the Three Weeks arouse our state of mourning

During the Three Weeks, the period of mourning for the Beis Hamikdash, we refrain from activities that foster joy in an effort to tap into the feeling of sadness within. From an external viewpoint, we appear to just be going through the motions. No music, check. No weddings, check.

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Then, as we move into the Nine Days, we keep ticking off more boxes. No meat. No proper washing. No clean laundry. These acts may appear technical in nature, but they essentially convey the wisdom of Chazal in understanding what it takes to help us tap into our hearts.

All the laws Chazal instated pertaining to this time are for one purpose: to bring to the fore what we’re feeling within. Every galus Yid essentially experiences this mourning in his heart. If we’d only be able to feel it, to let it come up for us, we’d realize how we carry with us a sense of true aveilus at all times. By virtue of being a Jew

in exile, there’s a sense of mourning that lies buried in our hearts. But, whether it’s due to the many distractions in daily life or our desire to not feel unpleasant emotions, we simply aren’t connected to that place within.

We can go through life without even noticing that so much of our sadness and pain emanates from this place.

So what did Chazal do in order to counter this reality? The Chinuch famously teaches, “Acharei hape’ulos nimshachim halevavos,” one’s heart is drawn in the direction of his deeds.

In other words, our actions significantly impact the way we feel. By instructing us to go through the motions of one who is in aveilus, Chazal intended for our heart to be aroused to its state of mourning.

Not That External One of the great foundations in understanding the nefesh is knowing that as counterintuitive as it seems, outward deeds have a profound impact on our inner world. For example, someone who finds himself in a very despondent state may be under the impression that only if he goes through hours of therapy or deep emotional work—which, in his state may feel insurmountable—will he finally emerge from his darkness.

Inner work is invaluable and highly recommended, but the truth is that

for such an individual, simply performing a deed that sparks joy or a deed that happy people engage in can go a very long way in instantly ushering simchah into their heart.

Whether it’s listening to happy music, dancing, flexing the facial muscles into a smile, or engaging in positive self-talk, they will already notice themselves feeling better.

In the same vein, a major reason why deep breathing is so helpful to someone in an anxious state is because it’s the kind of breathing one usually engages in when they are in a state of tranquility. The relaxing in and out, in and out, that deep breathing affords is an outside-in technique that sends a signal for the spirit to calm down, thanks to a physical intervention.

The guf and the nefesh are inextricably bound. As the Chinuch explains, when the body engages in certain behaviors, the nefesh is carried along for the ride. Once a Yid abstains from meat, wine, and other deeds that foster merriment in the heart, he allows himself the opportunity to become more in touch with the mourning that’s buried within.

Hard to Imagine So what is it that the Yid starts feeling once he lets go of the plea-

sures he’s accustomed to enjoying throughout the year? This sense of emptiness that comes up for him, the “now what?” that’s a manifestation of this aveilus in the heart. We’re used to thinking that mourning the Beis Hamikdash is some great, lofty endeavor, one that involves envisioning what we’ve lost, imagining what we could have had. But because we feel so far removed from all that, we quickly give up on fulfilling the requirements to truly mourn, assuming it is beyond us.

But as the Kotzker used to say, it might be hard to go back in time to visualize and feel what once was, but it’s not that hard to feel what we’re lacking today. When we sit and meditate on our current matzav—when we honestly contemplate our current life—we realize that something big is lacking. In our day-to-day lives, we may not want to go there. We may prefer to shove these emotions under the rug, to distract ourselves. But, with the help of the halachos of aveilus that help us tap into this sadness, now is the time. It’s the time to let it hurt, to let ourselves feel the pain.

This overwhelming loneliness that overtakes us, this feeling of “What now?” The feeling of not being worthy; of not being seen—it’s all the feeling of being in galus.

In Michtav Me’Eliyahu, Rav Eliyahu Dessler zt”l teach-

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TORAH WELLSPRING

es that specifically when we get in touch with this low place in our spirit, that’s where our growth lies. Citing the passage in which Hakadosh Baruch Hu commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to remove his shoes from his feet, “Shal nealecha mei’al raglecha ki hamakom asher omeid alav admas kodesh hu,” he explains that the feet, which are essentially the lowest part of the body, represent the feelings we least want to meet—the place where we feel low and unworthy. And what’s so special about this place? It’s “admas kodesh,” holy land.

It’s when we face this place, the place that feels low and abandoned and alone, that we reach the greatest of heights. Like Hashem told Moshe Rabeinu, it’s the exact spot where He placed us so we can grow. It’s the place where Moshe Rabeinu met with the Shechinah for the first time in his life.

During the Three Weeks, every single one of us can connect to the exact place where we currently stand—the place where Hakadosh Baruch Hu put us. What’s going on inside of me? Am I happy? Do I feel beloved by Hashem? Do I feel that I have a Father Who is looking out for me or do I feel alone? Yes, I have a lot going for me. I’m healthy. I have a good parnasah. I have a family. But do I feel connected? Do I feel content? Or do I feel a lack? When a Yid would ascend to the Beis Hamikdash, the Gemara tells us (Chagigah 21a), it wasn’t only that he went to see what was going on there. “K’derech sheba liros kach bah leyiros”—he also went to be seen. In the walls of the Beis Hamikdash, a Yid was enveloped in the love of Hashem. He felt seen. He felt noticed. He felt worthy. He felt all the feelings we yearn for in our current galus state. Can we imagine what that must have felt like? A Yid in the Beis Hamikdash felt not only Hashem’s presence, but also his own presence. He felt alive! He felt.

So what is it that the Yid starts feeling once he lets go of the pleasures he’s accustomed to enjoying throughout the year?

His emotions coursed freely through him. He was okay in his own skin, content as is.

So much of our pursuits here in galus, whether with possessions or careers or in social circles, are in order to feel valuable. We want to feel that we’ve made it, that we are. We seek kavod, to feel kaveid, worthy. This was the feeling a Yid experienced in the Beis Hamikdash. And this is the feeling we yearn for. “Asid Hakadosh Baruch Hu la’asos machol latzaddikim veHu yosheiv beineihem beGan Eden”—we want to sit in a circle, with Hashem in the center, basking

in the joy of feeling alive, of feeling worthy and loved.

This is the yearning Chazal wanted us to tap into at this time of the year.

Through the laws they set in place, we’re able to let go of our distractions and connect to the place we’re truly at. We don’t need to start imagining what was and what could have been; we just need to tap into where we are right now and to how desperate we are to feel at home. We’re very accustomed to escaping pain, but by letting ourselves feel at this time of year, may we be zocheh to truly mourn the churban in order to bring the Geulah.

Rabbi Ezra Friedman welcomes questions and comments on this column. Please write to rabbiefriedman@wellspringmagazine.com.

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WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

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27

UPDATES

By Esther Retek

Ringer On or Off ?

How to disengage from the phone Whether you’re trying to limit your phone time, hoping to be more present around family, or simply attempting to take a break from the constant phone buzz, setting your phone on mute or vibrate might not be the best way to unplug from your device.

individuals might use their phones even more,” said study author Mengqi Liao, from Penn State University. The logic is simple. When the phone sounds are muted, people are afraid they’ll miss important calls or messages and therefore tend to check their phones more frequently.

On the contrary, a new study published in Computers in Human Behavior suggests that many people check their phones more often when they’re on mute than when the ringer is on.

What is the solution to reducing screen time and silencing the constant noise?

For the study, 42 percent of 138 participants were asked to set their phones to vibration-only mode and 8.7 percent to silent mode, while the rest kept their ringers on for four consecutive days. Then the participants activated the Screen Time tool on their phones to track the time spent on their devices.

The results were surprising. Those who muted their phones reported the highest amount of screen time and checked their device more often than participants who didn’t silence their phones. Next highest were those who set their phones on vibrate mode. Another interesting result was that those who muted their notifications reported increased feelings of stress, probably because of their FOMO—fear of missing out.

“Without any clear ‘buzz’ or sound from their phones, 28

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

“Instead of muting or disabling all notifications from their phones to avoid distractions, users could customize their notification settings and selectively disable some notifications,” Liao suggested. For example, it may also help to keep the ringer on for closer family and friends to avoid being stressed about missing something important.

Thea Gallagher, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health in New York City, also weighed in on the study. He suggested that people figure out the root of their FOMO so they can turn off their phones without feeling stressed.

How can you go about it? Experts recommend finding a replacement behavior that is more fulfilling. Try shutting the phone for short time periods, gradually increasing the time. Allow yourself to accept that you’ll feel uncomfortable trying to break the phone-checking habit in the beginning, but the feeling will pass.

T

UR

KEY Heart.Works

W

E K OW N

Bond y e k ur T er v o WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

29

UPDATES

Trash or Treasure Are vitamins and supplements what they promise to be?

If you’re like the millions of people who attempt to begin their day with a healthy start, you might be taking a supplement or two. While those capsules or powders may offer nutritional benefits, researchers set out to explore just how powerful they actually are, especially in preventing illness.

Their new study, published in Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests that, overall, strategy, guidance, and—most important—evidence is lacking when it comes to vitamins and supplements.

The researchers conducted a thorough analysis of 84 studies published in the last eight years on multivitamins, supplement pairs, and individual supplements and their impact on cardiovascular disease and cancer risk in healthy individuals. The findings were disappointing, yet eye-opening.

Research did show a 7-percent reduction in cancer risk among subjects taking a multivitamin, compared to those taking a placebo. Still, the studies that led to this conclusion, which included short-term follow-up, had limitations that rendered even the 7 percent questionable.

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WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

The results led researchers to a wry conclusion. “For the most part, vitamin and mineral supplementation did not reduce cancer or heart disease [risk],” said Elizabeth O’Connor, associate director at Kaiser Permanente Evidence-Based Practice Center in Portland, and one of the researchers who helped analyze the studies and publish the new findings.

While there is some research showing that a daily multivitamin may slightly reduce cancer risk, the bigger picture suggests a lack of substantial evidence that supplements really help prevent heart disease and cancer.

“This is not a negative message, and it isn’t saying that there are no health benefits for vitamins and minerals,” cautioned Dr. Michael Barry, director of the Informed Medical Decisions Program in the Health Decision Sciences Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Jenny Jia, from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago, who wrote an editorial accompanying the new study, suggests that instead of relying on vitamins, the focus should be on exercise and eating a balanced diet that is loaded with fruits and vegetables.

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Tip

22 in a series

Well Spent

Get the Grill Going Summer’s here, and I can already smell the charcoal and gas from those grilling cookouts. Although hosting a barbeque is a fun family activity, it can cost a pretty sum. With this in mind, here are some simple tips to help reduce the costs.

Meat: The most expensive item on the menu is no doubt the meat. If you’re brave, skip it altogether and replace with less expensive fish or chicken. (Check out this issue’s Seasoned for ideas!) Within the meat section, there is usually a large spectrum of prices, so so you may want to stick to the lower end cuts. If you do go with the steaks, a good idea is to cut the meat into strips. By cutting the meat into strips, you give your guests the option of eating as much or as little as they want.

Another idea is to prepare more side dishes for the crowd to get full on. Potato salad, roasted vegetables, and coleslaw are just a few satiating side ideas.

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Ground Meat: If you’re going for ground meat or chicken patties, you can stretch the meat by adding potatoes, eggs, or puréed vegetables to your mixture.

This will maximize your mixture without using too much meat.

Dips and Rubs:

Charcoal or Gas::

Avoid ready-made dips and rubs and mix your own instead. Rubs are essentially a concoction of simple spices you’re likely to have on hand.

Most barbeque dips are tomatobased with a couple of different ingredients so you can easily create them on your own.

Being careful with the charcoal or gas can save you a pretty penny. Try adding the sides or desserts alongside the meats so the charcoal or propane go a longer way. With charcoal grills, there’s no need to empty the whole charcoal bag every time you grill. If you’re using a propane tank, make sure to turn off the grill as soon as you’re done.

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33

ALTERNATIVE VIEW

BY FAIGY SCHONFELD

HASHIMOTO’S HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES IN THE UNITED STATES, AFFECTING AT LEAST ONE OUT OF TWENTY PEOPLE, ACCORDING TO SOME STATS. ALTHOUGH IT CAN START OUT SILENTLY AND TAKE YEARS TO PROGRESS, IT USUALLY MAKES ITSELF FELT EVENTUALLY, AT WHICH POINT IT CAN BE PRETTY NASTY. THANKFULLY, MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE RECEIVING A PROPER DIAGNOSIS—AND EFFECTIVE TREATMENT PROTOCOLS—WHICH CAN STOP HASHI’S IN ITS TRACKS.

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WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

WHAT IS IT? Hashimoto’s disease, aka Hashi’s, is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own thyroid. The immune system releases antibodies—those great soldiers of ours that attack troublesome intruders—but in this case, they turn on the thyroid gland and try to wreak destruction there.

When the thyroid gland, a small gland that produces hormones necessary for bodily functions, takes a hit, the result is usually hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid).

WHAT CAUSES IT? As with many things, both nature and nurture play a role in developing Hashimoto’s. While there is certainly a genetic component, and females have a higher tendency to develop Hashi’s than men, environmental triggers can affect both the development of the disease as well as the worsening of an existing condition. Low vitamin D levels, deficiency in selenium, and exposure to high heavy metals and toxins in the air we breathe and products we use are all associated with developing Hashimoto’s. According to many studies, triclosan, found in antibacterial soaps, has been implicated in causing thyroid problems. The Epstein-Barr virus, certain medications, and some bodily changes can also act as triggers.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? Symptoms of Hashi’s are so random and widespread, it’s hard to name them all. They include weight gain, fatigue, trouble tolerating cold, joint and muscle pain, constipation or diarrhea, dry skin and dry or thinning hair, slowed heart rate, tightness in throat, inflammation, or thyroid nodules. Plus, it’s notorious for causing depression, anxiety or panic, fidgetiness, heavy or irregular menstruation, and fertility problems. Also, according to a study, the presence of Hashimoto’s antibodies greatly raises the risk of miscarriage. Not an altogether exciting bunch of symptoms, and these are only a sampling.

HOW TO CONFIRM THE DIAGNOSIS

Hashimoto’s is diagnosed by a simple blood test, in which two antibody levels need to be tested: anti-TPO, and TgAb. (The anti-TPO antibody attacks the thyroid peroxidase, an enzyme in the thyroid, while the TgAb antibody attacks the thyroglobulin, a key protein in the thyroid. Both are essential for healthy thyroid function.) It’s fairly common for doctors to test only one of these antibodies, so it’s important to ask for both tests. Sometimes, one of the two may be within normal range while the other is high.

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

35

ALTERNATIVE VIEW

WHAT’S THE TREATMENT? Many conventional doctors don’t really treat Hashimoto’s. They may ignore it, recommend “watching” it, or sometimes prescribe immunosuppressive and/or pain meds as the only “treatment” protocol. But Hashis’s can last for years, plus stir up lots of trouble besides. Thankfully, there is much to be done to prevent, treat, and reverse Hashimoto’s (and other autoimmune diseases) through natural means, be’ezras Hashem.

Taming Hashi’s often includes a multipronged approach, so it’s a really good idea to work with a health practitioner who’s familiar with the holistic aspect of treating this disease. But for a little introduction, here are four key areas to work on.

2. Figure Out Your Food When it comes to treating Hashi’s, it’s not enough to just “eat healthy.” Some otherwise healthy foods can cause Hashimoto’s to flare up. In fact, reactions to certain foods are very common among Hashi’s patients. Grains and wheat are by and large the most common foods reported to cause a reaction, followed by dairy, sugar, and nightshade vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, etc. Some report having issues with corn (which is an ingredient hiding in many, if not most, processed products), soy, and eggs, among other foods. Food sensitivities are unique to the individual, so it may be a good idea to keep a food diary to track whether specific symptoms are associated with certain foods.

1. Gut Health When the gut is healthy and doing its job, it protects us from harmful toxins (such as viruses, bad bacteria, etc.) that enter the body through food or from the mouth and saliva. The mucosal barrier, a layer of mucus that lines the stomach and intestines, both lubricates the food for easier movement and—as part of the immune system—keeps the stomach’s acid levels balanced, which is important for destroying the bad guys. There’s also the gut flora, which are different strains of bacteria with many roles in maintaining immune health.

When the gut is out of balance, it’s an invitation for all sorts of trouble to start brewing. Autoimmunity is one such “trouble,” and a fairly common one at that. Among several other gut problems, low stomach acid and leaky gut syndrome are common culprits that need to be addressed. Different gut problems come with different symptoms, but many of them can be reversed with a tailor-made diet, replenishing specific nutrients, and supplementing with gut-healthy vitamins and probiotics.

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3. Lower Your Stress Stress is serious business. This is important for everyone out there, but particularly if you’re dealing with Hashi’s (or other autoimmune conditions).

Find ways to lower the stress in your life. Take time to daven. Meditate, pursue a fun hobby, spend time with happy people, and try to go to bed earlier.

4. Avoid Toxic Triggers Look into a water filter. Too often, lead and other metals are lurking in water. A large amount of silver fillings can cause high levels of mercury. (A highly competent biological dentist may be able to remove them.) Try to switch over to gentler household and personal care products—think cleaning sprays, shampoos, deodorants—made with plantbased, non-toxic, and otherwise kinder ingredients.

And be careful before you spray that air freshener or put out some of these sweet-smelling packets; there may be more Hashi’s-triggering toxins and carcinogens in there than you’d care to know about.

PLUS, PLUS, PLUS There’s so much more to take into account when it comes to treating Hashimoto’s. Inflammation, adrenal fatigue, and cortisol (for accurate testing, try the 24hour cortisol saliva test), as well as iron, B12, and D levels, all affect the development—and the turnaround—of the disease.

Specific supplements, particularly selenium at certain doses, have also been shown to help. (But check your selenium levels first to make sure they’re not too high.)

Many Hashimoto’s patients end up with a malfunctioning thyroid, requiring thyroid meds. Standard meds, such as Synthroid or Levothyroxine, are T4-only meds, which means the thyroid is not getting enough T3—the thyroid hormone that plays the biggest role in how one actually feels. Space constraints don’t not allow for a thorough discussion of T3 meds, but it’s worth getting educated. Find out about natural desiccated thyroid, what it does for the thyroid, and the way to reach optimal dosage.

For more in-depth info, I highly recommend reading Hashimoto’s: Taming the Beast, as well as Stop the Thyroid Madness, both by Janie A. Bowthorpe.

It’s a lot of information, though, and the last thing you want is to turn treating Hashi’s into yet another stressor. So here’s a personal tip: My favorite way to lower stress is by strengthening emunah and bitachon. This reminds us that all these efforts are good and well, but it’s Hashem who commands every one of those antibodies what to do and also, when to go away.

WHILE THERE IS CERTAINLY A GENETIC COMPONENT, AND FEMALES HAVE A HIGHER TENDENCY TO DEVELOP HASHI’S THAN MEN, ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS CAN AFFECT BOTH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DISEASE AS WELL AS THE WORSENING OF AN EXISTING CONDITION.

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

37

WELLSPRING COMMUNITY

degreasing

In this space, we feature a health-related question or predicament submitted by a Wellspring reader. Fellow readers are invited to participate in the conversation by sharing their tried-and-true advice and suggestions. Join the community!

Any solutions for adolescents who would like to deal with their oily hair? It’s quite a struggle around here. Thanks in advance.

Recently, I came across an article on eMediHealth.com that suggests an interesting approach to help oily hair. It’s called reverse hair washing. The idea is to condition the hair and then use a mild shampoo to cleanse the hair.

The reverse process is supposed to be gentler on the hair, making it healthier and finer. Also, rinsing off the conditioner with shampoo will leave the hair lighter and fresher. If hair cuticles are damaged, the method may not give immediate results. They advise being consistent with your efforts so that the conditioner can do its work and repair the damaged hair. You can find the exact instructions at eMediHealth.com.

- D.W., Far Rockaway 38

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

I had extremely thin hair as a kid and was always trying different methods to make my hair look fresh. The most effective solution was monthly hot oil treatments. Also, whenever I noticed my hair getting very oily, I would slather the scalp with lotion and then condition my hair well all over. I would leave the conditioner on for as long as possible—a minimum of half an hour. Then I would wash my hair as usual. This method always worked for me.

- A Wellspring Reader

My sister also struggles with oily hair and she has found that the green tea shampoo from the Rusk brand works wonders for her.

- Name Withheld Upon Request

- Gitty K.

Try sprinkling baking soda on the scalp, and gently move it around without rubbing too hard. The baking soda will absorb the oil, making the hair less oily and giving it a fresh smell too. This was my go-to option when I was single (with very oily hair) especially on a two- or three-day Yom Tov. - Raizel D.

The only shampoo that works to keep my daughter’s hair fresh is the Hair Dance Dry Shampoo. The shampoo consists of natural extracts and oils and is free of chemicals that other products are loaded with—which make the hair cells produce oils. Hair Dance products really work wonders. Ever since my daughter switched to their products, her hair looks fresh and her scalp doesn’t itch as it used to.

- Pessy Engelman

Been there, done that! My daughter’s hair always looked so not fresh. Then a friend suggested stopping the conditioner, and the results were instant. I still use it lightly on the hair ends because those tend to get really dry, but that’s about it. The main point is to avoid using conditioner at the roots, as conditioners and some shampoos can cause the glands to produce more oil.

Also, I’ve found it wise to avoid two-in-one shampoo/ conditioner products.

- Anonymous

As a mother of five girls, all of them with fairly straight, thin hair, oily hair is always an issue. As weird as it sounds, my secret is using coffee grounds. I mix the grounds into the shampoo, wash using this mixture, and then rinse the hair well in cool water. This keeps the hair dry for the longest time. I did it before Shavous, and several people asked me how my girls’ hair stayed relatively fresh and dry over the three-day summer Yom Tov. If you need a quick refresh and can’t wash the hair, you can also rely on dry shampoos.

There are several good ones on the market, and you can even make them on your own. Mix equal parts cornstarch and cocoa in a Ziplock bag. For lighter hair, use less cocoa.

Another idea that has worked for us is to use an acidic rinse to cleanse the scalp and hair. Combine ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice with warm water. Before shampooing, gently pour the concoction over the hair. Allow it to sit for a minute or two, then rinse thoroughly and continue with regular washing routine.

You also want to keep in mind that oily hair may be hormonal. If nothing works, you’re best off giving it a few months and letting your daughter’s hormones regulate.

Lastly, a multivitamin can help ensure she receives the right nutrients needed for healthy hair. Make sure she eats well and that she’s filling up on enough protein as that’s the most important nutrient for promoting healthy hair.

- Mom of Girls

I once heard a tip that really works if you manage to stick it out: cut back on the number of times a week your daughter washes her hair. The idea is that the more she washes, the more it needs washing. Try to have her cut back to every second day, and then possibly to just twice a week to train the hair. You may notice that in the beginning the hair will seemingly get “worse,” but with time, the hair really learns to adjust and starts secreting less oil. Also, use shampoo from the Herbal Essence brand. Their products are amazing.

- Fraide B., Yerushalayim

Next Up: Lately, I need to rely on sedatives too often to calm my panic and anxiety. While I’m working on finding a long-term solution, are there any alternative ideas that can relieve anxiety instantly in the meantime?

Want to share what worked for you with a fellow Wellspring Community member?

Send your response to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Please note: These suggestions should not be implemented in place of guidance from a medical practitioner.

Aveda’s Rosemary Mint Shampoo is great for oily hair. It’s a very rich and natural formula and thoroughly cleanses the hair.

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

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OT@HOME

SPD in Children 3 Tools to Try Today

by Miriam Frankel, OT 40

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

We learn about the world around us through information that is processed through our senses. In its most natural form, touching something soft will send a message to the brain that it feels good, while listening to music will feel soothing to the mind and body.

However, for children with sensory processing disorder (SPD), that same information is processed as a threat, alerting the brain is that danger is coming their way.

As a result, such children may feel anxious, frustrated, or even angry whenever their senses are triggered.

Here are three ways to help a child with SPD feel better.

The Tactile Box Fill a storage box or bag with items of different textures, e.g., fur, sandpaper, sponge, a bumpy toy, washcloth, stress ball, paintbrush, dish scrubber.

For as long as the child can hold their attention, have them close their eyes, hold each item, and guess what it is.

Another version of this activity is to choose two items of different textures, and once a day, rub your child’s arms, hands, legs, back, and—if they want to—belly, face, feet, and neck, including under the chin.

I recommend using items such as a natural bristle brush, washcloth, dish sponges, or paint brush. Let the child determine the speed of brushing or rubbing and on which area, but they usually prefer medium pressure and slow speed.

Hand Hugs

Vibration

Cup your palms so both fit snugly but gently around the limb you are working with. All your fingers, except the thumbs, can be interlaced. Give firm but gentle loving “hugs.” Squeeze gently around in at least three or four places on the arms and legs.

Vibration gives a child both tactile and proprioceptive input. Those who enjoy the sensation find it calming and grounding. I recommend the TaoTronics brand. Well-priced, it’s a strong piece, featuring twenty levels of intensity.

These three tools help to familiarize the child with their senses in a calm way, and at a pace that feels less threatening to them. Eventually, this will help the child be more comfortable with a variety of touch sensations, whether from people, articles of clothing, or objects in their environment.

Miriam Frankel (formerly Manela) is a highly sought-after occupational therapist who specializes in treating mental and behavioral challenges in both adults and children. She is the founder and director of both her private clinic in Passaic, New Jersey (The Thrive Group) and an online learning platform (online-bloom.com) where parents, caregivers, and educators can access the tools they need to help their struggling children from the comfort of their homes.

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FITNESS

By Chaya Tziry Retter, BS, CPT Chaya Tziry Retter is a Monsey-based nutritionist, fitness instructor, and ACE-certified personal trainer. She has a bachelor of science in human nutrition management and is currently pursuing her registered dietitian credential. She is passionate about helping others lead healthier lives in a way that suits their needs. She can be reached at 845-540-4487.

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It’s summer! That means warmer weather, sunnier skies, and a lot of outdoor fun for the kids—and adults too. If you’re wondering how that’s done, it’s time to get acquainted with the world of aqua aerobics. Also known as water aerobics, it’s the ultimate combo of fun and fitness.

Although aqua aerobics can be done indoors all year round, doing it outdoors in sunny weather makes the activity all the more enjoyable. Add some free swim and great music, and you can consider it a party!

especially those suffering from osteoporosis.

Although many people associate water aerobics with the elderly population, it really is for everyone. Exercising in the water is a fantastic low-impact activity that takes the pressure off the bones, joints, and muscles, as well as the heart. This type of exercise can work the entire body using the natural resistance of the water, and help to strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, and burn lots of calories with far less stress on the body than the same workout would accomplish on a dry surface. There is also far less muscle soreness and damage after a high-intensity program in the water. This is great news for people with arthritis, pregnant women, seniors, and people who are overweight or recovering from injury/surgery. (It’s always recommended to speak to your doctor first and get the go-ahead before beginning or resuming any form of physical activity.)

Relaxation: We’re all on the lookout for some self-care these days, and as the skies clear and the temperature rises, the pool has a certain allure. Combining your fitness routine with some pool time is the perfect way to take care of mind and body. Bring some friends along and make it a social gathering, too.

Let’s dive deeper into the benefits of aqua aerobics.

Heart health: The water’s pressure helps circulate the blood in the body more efficiently. Water-based activity therefore allows the heart to beat and pump with less exertion, relieving strain and helping reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as lowering blood pressure.

Less pressure: The natural buoyancy of water creates an almost weightless feel when in the water, and reduces impact on the joints. Water is thicker than air and therefore creates more resistance for the body to move, which makes the muscles work even harder—but the impact is significantly reduced compared to how the same activity would feel outside of the water.

Bone health: Research also indicates that water aerobics helps maintain healthy bones, another plus for everyone,

Low risk: Water workouts are ideal for people who are at risk for injury as there is no risk of falling due to lost balance or heavy lifting. Joints naturally increase their range of motion in the water, which helps increase flexibility. You may find yourself doing some acrobatics that you’d never attempt on dry land! Working out in the water also prevents overheating—no sweating there!—helping you exercise for longer. Just don’t forget the sunscreen!

Everyone’s welcome: There are no limits to age or skill level—you don’t even have to know how to swim, as long as the water is shallow enough to be able to stand in it. You can even designate precious family time for this healthy and exciting activity—kids love being in the water and moving with it, too! Beginners can be more confident because no one will see if they miss a step or two—it’s all good fun.

Aside from the exponential effectiveness of this cardio workout (you can expect to burn between 400–500 calories per hour-long class), there are many other great benefits you gain without the exertion of traditional on-ground exercises. According to the CDC, pool workouts can reduce the risk of chronic illness, as well as improve the cardiovascular and respiratory systems in the same way as running or cycling. A Polish study found that aquatic exercise significantly decreased anxiety and negative moods in women. Depending on your group, you can customize your workout with the instructor to include whatever you enjoy in the water, whether higher or lower intensity. You can even do Zumba, kickboxing, and some forms of Pilates in the water! There are so many opportunities to benefit from this refreshing and healthy workout.

Meet you at the pool!

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

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WELLBEING FEATURE

$99.

00

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ASK THE NUTRITIONIST

By Shani Taub, CDC, with input by Shiffy Friedman

F e o v od o L I

Q

Can I work on my eating habits if I enjoy eating?

After giving my eating habits some thought, I realized that the weird reason I’m having such a hard time on my weight loss journey is because I simply enjoy the act of eating. I’m not hungry; I just like to eat. I’ll eat food even if I don’t like it, and even if I’m full. I’m always craving something to eat. Is there hope for me? I’d really love to change my eating habits, but how can I do so when all I think about is food?

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ASK THE NUTRITIONIST

Thank you for having the courage to ask this honest question. I commend you for taking the time to think about your eating habits. Devoting time to contemplating these matters is the first step in the right direction.

The love of food you describe (which is not weird at all!) is more common than you think. Many people relate to the cravings and feelings you describe. In fact, most people eat not because they feel physically hungry.

Eating, for the most part, is a “kosher” activity that brings instant pleasure. Whether we appreciate the texture or taste, most of us find eating a fun and enjoyable thing to do. But when this desire for food gets in the way of our healthy eating habits, we may start to wonder if things can ever change.

To answer your question directly: yes, there is hope for you. While this takes commitment and mindfulness, you can change your eating habits, and here’s how.

My first suggestion is to make sure you’re getting adequate sleep. A rested mind and body will be less tempted to overeat than a tired one. Think when you crave food strongest. For most people, cravings are stronger at night than in the morning. That’s because when we’re tired, the body will search for any source of desperately needed energy. Additionally, willpower decreases in our tired state, so you want to get adequate sleep on a daily basis to keep those temptations at bay.

For when you are eating, stock up on foods you like that are good for you so you’ll have ample options that appeal to you. Whether it’s fruits, vegetables, or healthy snacks, they’re always a smarter choice than junkier alternatives that only intensify the cravings, along with the guilt. Avoid foods that are high in added sugar or processed ingredients, both of which trigger cravings for more.

Exercise is another way to keep food cravings in check.

Just a few minutes of physical activity will leave you with more strength to overcome cravings. Numerous studies have shown that exercise strengthens the executive functioning mechanisms that allow people to make smarter choices.

While these two tips are important, the next one gets the most rave reviews: Drink! Confusing hunger with thirst is very common, and if you’re not properly hydrated

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you will feel the desire for food in your mouth all day. To avoid that, get into the habit of drinking before and after a meal as well as sipping more water throughout the day.

This is especially important during the summer months and possibly the reason why so many people suffer from overeating during this season. Buy a large water bottle that you will fill up every morning and make sure to keep drinking.

When the cravings kick in, reach for an acidic food or drink. A piece of lemon, a slice of salty cheese, or a bite of a tomato can help curb the urge for food. In the summer months, I recommend having a pitcher with cool lemonade (without the sugar) available in the refrigerator for when you’re desperate to reach for food. The acidity of the lemon and the hydration will help you control your cravings.

If you’ve tried all of the above and still find yourself obsessing over food, I would recommend seeing a nutritionist who can view your daily diet and see if any changes need to be made. You might not be consuming enough of the right food groups, and your body may therefore be begging for food until you nourish it with what it’s missing.

All the above tips are helpful in curbing cravings, but we haven’t yet addressed how to deal with your enjoyment of eating. Like many others, you find pleasure in the simple act of eating. Well, that’s how it should be! It’s not something we should berate ourselves about. Hashem actually implanted in us an eating-derived sense of pleasure so we can sustain ourselves in this world. If eating would be a chore, what would keep us motivated to engage in the vital process that ensures our survival? But, when the enjoyment starts to border on self-sabotage—if it’s keeping us stuck in a way that brings more harm than good—we may want to explore the deeper elements. Is it the oral stimulation we seek? This may often be a result of attachment issues from childhood that haven’t been dealt with.

(Think of the six-year-old who still takes his pacifier or the adult who’s still sucking their thumb or constantly chewing their lips.) We may be using food to soothe or distract us from our emotions, as opposed to addressing them. So although it may appear to us that it’s the act of eating we love, there may be more to the story that’s worthwhile to address.

Also, food is often associated with positive experiences, and since it plays a central role at most social gatherings and functions, we tend to pay more attention to this pleasure than the others that life has to offer. While enjoying a hearty meal in good company is beautiful, when the focus on food goes overboard, everyone loses out. Life is full of pleasures and delights, and food is not the only one. By learning to appreciate new pleasures, you can shift your

Pop Your Bubble focus away from food. Do you appreciate art? Music? Language? Physical activity? Challenge yourself to derive pleasure from different sources.

You say that you love eating so much that the actual food you eat doesn’t matter that much.

“I’ll eat food even if I don’t like it, and even if I’m full.” Once we start eating food without thought, usually for emotional reasons, we stop deriving the true pleasure inherent in eating. The pleasure Hashem intended for us to have from food occurs when we eat mindfully, not in excess, and with intention. When you sit down at the table, choose your food, and eat it when you’re physically hungry for it, you will start to feel the true pleasure in eating.

Is chewing gum an answer to cravings?

Many people resort to chewing gum as a means to satisfy their constant craving for food. Although there’s much research available on the topic, here’s my take on chewing gum based on personal and anecdotal experiences.

As ironic as it sounds, chewing gum actually increases appetite instead of curbing it. When a person chews gum, the digestive system interprets the chewing as food and begins to prepare the necessary enzymes and acids to aid in digestion. This in turn can whet one’s appetite and can cause them to crave food even more than before.

Besides, chewing gum excessively can cause TMJ, a painful and annoying jaw disorder.

When clients are just starting their weight loss journey and are having a difficult time limiting their food intake, I might recommend chewing gum at certain times of the day for a limited time. For example, I might suggest chewing gum for half an hour after supper for a few days so they can get into the habit of avoiding food at night.

Free Will

The choice is ours to make Establishing healthy eating habits is essentially part of avodas Hashem. As Yidden, we must learn to exercise control over our eating habits as much as we do over any other area in life. From a young age we learn that we cannot talk whatever we want, do whatever we want, or eat whatever we want.

Losing weight is not just a matter of learning about different food groups, portion sizes, and healthy recipes. The process requires a lot of mental and emotional work, through which we learn to control our instincts and ta’avos. Indulging and overeating, for any cause, is a bad habit, but more importantly, a bad middah. Those who love to talk must learn to control what escapes their mouth.

In the same vein, those who love to eat must learn to exercise self-control over what enters their mouths. As Yidden, we know that the middah of gevurah plays an important role in our everyday lives, and most people can learn to control their desires with the right tools, thoughts, and attitudes.

Keeping the self-control piece in mind, we must realize that no matter what’s making an issue the challenge that it is, we have the capacity to make it work.

Laura Shammah MS, RDN, has been operating a private practice in New York and New Jersey for over 20 years. Her clientele runs the gamut from people with eating disorders to those dealing with hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes and cancer. She also helps clients who run in marathons or are looking to lose or gain weight in a healthy way. Her nutritional guidance is published in MaryAnne Cohen’s book Lasagna for Lunch: Declaring Peace With Emotional Eating. Laura can be reached at 718-376-0062 or Laurashammah@aol.com.

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

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FEATURE

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4 Ways

to Avoid the

"All-orNothing" Diet Mentality By: Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

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FEATURE

1.

Start with the end in mind.

While it may be common, the all-or-nothing diet mentality can be harmful, frustrating, and impractical.

This is the mindset in which we feel we must be very strict with our food choices—but if we deviate from our restrictive plan, we may as well eat anything and everything, and start over another day (cue the yo-yo diet cycle). As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I encourage and promote an inclusive, balanced, enjoyable, and practical way of eating, where all foods fit. With this in mind, let’s be proactive with a few tips to avoid the all-or-nothing diet mentality this summer—and all year round.

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This is a tip I commonly give because it can be applied in many situations. In this case, think about how you’d like to feel at the end of the summer, or whenever your potential “diet” might end. This is helpful because, let’s face it, if you see yourself as being on a “diet” as opposed to embarking on a healthy lifestyle that integrates foods, habits, and eating behaviors that are beneficial to your health, there has to be a start point and an end point: diets and the all-or-nothing mentality can only last for a limited amount of time. Do you want to feel like you deprived yourself? Do you want to feel physically uncomfortable because of the food choices you made? Do you want to feel satisfied that you had a well-balanced approach? Of course, there is a lot of “in between,” but if you think with the end in mind, that can help recalibrate your mindset and give you more confidence and clarity when it comes to your food choices.

2.

Don't label foods as "good" or "bad."

In general, all foods have their place within a healthy and well-balanced diet. While there are foods that are helpful toward our health and helpful toward reaching our health goals, or foods that may be harmful to our health if we eat too much of them, foods themselves are neither “good” nor “bad.” When we train ourselves to neutralize how we categorize foods, it helps us make balanced choices, and may also reduce (or potentially eliminate) the guilt we feel—which is often what causes a binge or an all-or-nothing mentality to begin with.

3.

Focus on what you want to include.

With an all-or-nothing mentality, there is a strong focus on which foods are “not allowed,” restricted or forbidden. Shifting our focus to foods we want to include is a game changer! Think about fresh salads you’d like to create or yummy stir-fry combinations that would hit the spot. Reach out to friends to hear about their favorite nourishing recipes. This positive and inclusive mindset has so many benefits.

4.

Pivot from a food focus.

Of course, a big component of our day-to-day and week-toweek is the food that will be served and eaten—especially for those of us who are responsible for the food planning and prepping. However, if that focus becomes too consuming, it can take away from other important and beautiful aspects of life.

For example, remember to prioritize and cherish quality time with family, the memories you can help create for yourself and those around you, and of course, taking strides toward reaching your potential and accomplishing in the areas that matter most.

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SAMPLE

SAMPLE

By Libby Silberman

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Keeping Produce Fresh Since this column’s inception, curious readers have been constantly submitting various health topics to experiment with in the lab.

When a reader submitted the following a few months back, I put this suggestion on the back burner.

“I would love to figure out how to store and keep ripe fruits and veggies or salads from spoiling too quickly, i.e., lettuce, avocado, and cucumbers.”

In the interim, however, this suggestion has become very, very applicable. Facing the worst of inflation in many years, we’ve learned what it means to run to the supermarket for just a couple of kitchen staples and emerge with a receipt easily amounting to fifty dollars or more.

Although bal tashchis has always been something to be mindful of, the high prices have made keeping the produce we purchase fresh so much more important.

And here’s what goes on in my house. Every two weeks or so, I go through the refrigerator and need to discard an embarrassing amount of produce that has gone bad. As it turns out, I am not alone. I felt a little better after reading this: “The United States throws away 150,000 tons of food daily. And on average, around $1,500 worth of food is wasted per year in each household. Out of everything edible we waste, fruits and vegetables account for 39 percent of America’s total food waste.”

Oh my, do we really do that?

But if every problem has a solution, the problem called “produce waste” has many, many solutions. Phew.

Little issue. There are so many different solutions for keeping fruit and vegetables fresh.

Stress on the word different. A quick online search offers a plethora of controversial ideas.

Keep it in the fridge, at room temperature, in a paper bag, in a cool dark place…

Say you want to do teshuvah (like me), and start consuming those fruits and veggies instead of having the garbage bin consume them for you. But they get spoiled too fast, especially now in in the summer’s heat, and you don’t know how to keep your produce fresh for long enough.

Enter Sample. With the help of our junior lab assistant (thank you, Gitty!), we did the experimentation process for you so you’ll know exactly how to maximize on all that nutrient-dense produce you stocked up on.

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SAMPLE

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The Experiment: Which produce preservation method works best?

How it went over: I chose the top two recommendations for extending the life of a variety of fruits and vegetables, and experimented with both for various lengths of time. All produce used in this experiment was ripe or nearly ripe.

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Stone Fruit (Nectarines, Plums, Peaches) Method 1: Store at room temperature in a paper bag until peak ripeness, then refrigerate for another few days to extend life.

Method 2: Store in refrigerator to keep fresh for the longest period of time.

Results: Method 2 kept the fruit slightly underripe for too long, then went soft when no one was looking.

Apples Method 1:

Method 2:

Store apples in an uncovered bowl on the countertop out of direct sunlight

Store apples in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

Results: While the apples stored at room temperature are delicious and fresh tasting a week and even two weeks later, they appear slightly shriveled and not as inviting.

How to grapple with the apple: Keep apples separated from other produce as they emit gasses that cause nearby fruits to ripen too soon.

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Citrus Fruits (Lemons, Oranges, Grapefruits) Method 1: Store at room temperature, preferably in a cooler area of your kitchen.

Method 2: Store in mesh bags or in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

Results: While there is no significant difference in taste after ten days, the oranges stored at room temperature were slightly dryer, smaller, and harder to peel.

Mushrooms Method 1: Keep mushrooms in the refrigerator in the mesh bin they are purchased in.

Method 2: Store mushrooms in a brown paper bag in the refrigerator.

Method 3: Keep mushrooms sealed in a container to retain moisture.

Results: Method 2. Method 1 caused them to dry out and method 3 made them go slimy. Method 2 kept them fresh for the longest period of time.

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SAMPLE

Lettuce Method 1: Wash and dry lettuce using a salad spinner or paper towel.

Store in refrigerator in an airtight container or large Ziploc bag lined with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.

Method 2: Wash and dry lettuce using a salad spinner or paper towel. Store in refrigerator wrapped in moist paper towel or in a mesh plastic container to provide air circulation.

Alternatively, store it in a plastic container with the cover on loosely.

Results: Lettuce is a unique case because it needs both moisture and air circulation. The lettuce remained fresh for a week using method 1, while the lettuce in method 2 turned dry at the edges by then.

Keep It Crisp: If you have a large quantity of lettuce you want to keep fresh for a while, jar it for perfect freshness for over two weeks.

To revive sad-looking lettuce, submerge in ice cold water for five minutes. Remove and pat dry.

Although washing the lettuce hastens the aging process as it removes the natural protective oils, it is worthwhile to do it immediately. You and I know that if you need to wash lettuce leaves right before eating ’em, it ain’t happening! You’re just going to opt for a muffin instead.

Tomatoes Method 1: Store at room temperature in a bowl. Keep away from sun or heat source, i.e., oven/stove.

Method 2: Store in the refrigerator. Remove a day before using to restore full flavor.

Results: Method 1. This method wins with a “but.” The tomatoes ripened beautifully, bringing out the best flavor profile ever, but required refrigeration at peak ripeness. (The tomato left out for longer than that started going soft.)

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Cucumbers

Method 1:

Method 2:

Method 3:

Wash cucumbers, dry well, wrap in paper towel, and place in Ziploc bag in refrigerator.

Store in produce drawer in refrigerator.

Store at room temperature.

Results: Method 2. While I do think method 1 could be improved upon to produce the best results, method 2 is the easiest to execute. If you want to try method 1, make sure to dry the cucumbers perfectly before placing them in a Ziploc bag.

Bananas Method 1: Keep on top of the fridge out of direct sunlight.

Method 2 Keep in a cool dark place, i.e., cabinet.

Results: Method 2. The bananas in method 1 went brown and mushy much sooner.

Banana Split: Keep bananas away from other produce because they release high amounts of ethylene gas, which causes other fruits and vegetables to go off more quickly.

Wrap a plastic baggie tightly around the base of the banana bunch to keep them fresh for a long time. This helps the root of the banana bunch retain moisture, which is key in helping the bananas stay yellow.

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SAMPLE

Carrots, Beets, and Radishes Method 1: Store apples in an uncovered bowl on the countertop out of direct sunlight Method 2: Store apples in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

Results: Method 1. All three vegetables got soft on the countertop after a while.

Eggplants Method 1: Store at room temperature. Can be refrigerated for up to three days if used soon after removing them from refrigerator.

Method 2 Store in the refrigerator in high humidity (close the crisper vent of the produce drawer almost completely).

Results: Method 2. When conducting the experiment for the first time, the eggplant was accidentally stored on a shelf in the refrigerator, causing it to shrivel faster than the countertop counterpart. When tried again in the drawer (higher humidity), the results were altogether different.

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Potatoes Method 1: At room temperature in a mesh bag, cardboard box, or mesh bin. Store in cool, humid, and dark place. Check occasionally to remove potatoes that are sprouting or soft.

Method 2 Store in cool, humid, and dark place in an open plastic bag. Check occasionally to remove potatoes that are sprouting or soft.

Results: Method 1. Plastic is a killer of potato shelf life.

Always separate potatoes from onions. The gasses onions emit cause potatoes to sprout prematurely. If you purchase potatoes in a bag, remove from the bag and store in a mesh bag or basket.

Ripe and old: Stored correctly, potatoes can last 4–6 months!

Onions Method 1: Place onions in a leg of an old pair of tights, tying a knot between each onion, in your pantry.

Method 2: Place onions in a plastic mesh bin in the pantry.

Results: Method 2. No significant difference observed to warrant all those tights being knotted, unless you love extra work.

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SAMPLE

Parsley and Other Tender Leafy Greens Method 1: Wash, dry, refrigerate with paper towel in a container.

Method 2: Store soft herbs (like parsley, coriander, dill, mint, and basil) upright at room temperature in a glass with cool water.

Results: Method 1. Mostly because method 2 is a real challenge to implement on a regular basis.

Wash, chop, and freeze herbs with water in an ice cube tray. Throw a cube into your next dish for incredible flavor kick.

Hard herbs like rosemary, thyme, sage, and chives, will last longer if stored in the fridge in a dry paper bag placed in an airtight container or resealable bag.

Peppers Method 1: Store at room temperature. Can be kept in the refrigerator for 1–3 days if used soon after removal from the refrigerator.

Method 2 Store in refrigerator.

Results: Method 1, at least in the summer. The pepper stored at room temperature was slightly shriveled, but the flavor was good.

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Celery Sticks Method 1: Wrap tightly in aluminum foil.

Method 2 Cut celery and submerge in a container filled with water.

Results: Method 2. Crisp and fresh after a week.

Method 1 is not too shabby, but method 2 wins.

Cherries and Grapes Method 1: Store in refrigerator, unwashed, in plastic container or bag until ready to wash and eat.

Method 2: Wash well, place in airtight container lined with a paper towel in the refrigerator.

Results: Method 1 for cherries, method 2 for grapes. In truth, method 1 wins for both. However, because grapes require thorough washing, you’re probably only going to snack on them if they’re washed and ready to eat.

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SAMPLE

Sweet Potatoes Method 1: Keep in a cool, dark, dry place like a pantry or cellar.

Method 2: Store in refrigerator.

Results: Method 1. The sweet potatoes in the cabinet are still fresh and it’s been nearly a month. The thick-skinned squash (butternut in this experiment) is also holding up beautifully. Whenever possible, keep these vegetables on a breathable rack and not on a plastic flat surface for maximum longevity.

Summer squash should always be stored in the fridge.

Do I really need that salad spinner/lemon preserver/chopped onion thingie?

Apparently, the industry of preserving your fresh produce is a big one. Some of these cool kitchen gadgets actually work and keep your produce fresh for you, but all take valuable kitchen cabinet real estate. A simple container lined with a paper towel can do the job just fine.

If you want one powerful produce preserver, use a Crisper Carpet, a mesh mat made of natural materials to line your produce drawer. Sold under various names in major supermarkets, this mat absorbs excess moisture and ethylene gas, and substantially extends the life of your produce. From my experience, this works even better than paper towel.

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Wilted, Bent. Despaired?

Your produce is past its prime.

Don’t pitch the sitch. At least not just yet.

Here are some cool things you can do with your wilting produce.

Tomatoes Give new life to your soft cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes by halving and spreading them on a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and some fresh herbs. Roast on 250°F for three hours, or until shriveled and juicy.

Remove from oven and drizzle olive oil. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

How about throwing those soft tomatoes into your food processor for tomato dip? It’ll taste even better with soft tomatoes.

Or, sauté soft tomatoes with onions in a frying pan. Use as a base in scrambled eggs, and top with yellow cheese for best results.

and wait and wait for to ripen, and then typically, miss it in its prime.

Use aging avocado in smoothies or guacamole.

My friend hides soft avocado in her brownies and chocolate puddings, and her kids have no idea.

Berries Berries are not popularly used in the frum market due to infestation problems. However, if you find a way to enjoy their goodness, you know that berries get depressed just sitting around in the refrigerator waiting to be eaten. To remedy all that depression and shriveling, spread ’em on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen solid, transfer to a container and keep in the freezer until you use them. Enjoy frozen berries in smoothies, yogurts, and muffins. (To preserve berries before they go bad, wash berries in a 1:3 vinegar water solution and rinse well.)

Citrus fruit

Bananas Bananas going brown? Slice and freeze in a single layer. Once frozen, store frozen pieces in an airtight container for up to one month. Use frozen chunks in smoothies, muffins, or banana ice cream.

Another treat I enjoyed as a kid was frozen banana rolled in shredded coconut and chocolate chips.

Make banana ice cream by freezing the batch of (peeled) soft bananas. Blend frozen bananas with some peanut butter, Nutella, cocoa, honey, or cinnamon for an appealing frozen treat.

Citrus fruits take a while to go bad, but if you find they’re too soft to enjoy as is, squeeze them and enjoy the juice. Alternatively, freeze citrus juice, i.e., lemon juice in an ice cube tray to throw into a pot next time you’re cooking a dish that calls for lemon juice.

Stone fruit As soon as you notice your stone fruit (peaches, nectarines, plums) going soft, slice them and boil in water for an hour. Refrigerate and serve for a refreshing dinner entrée.

Peppers

Avocado Avocado is a fruit you need to wait

Summertime heralds a contest between peppers and you: who will

get there first? Luckily, there’s lots you can do with wilting peppers. For starters, you can make pepper dip to go with the challah on Shabbos. Roast whole peppers in oven on high heat until blackened. Seal in a bag until cool, then remove the charred skin, seeds, and center. For each pepper used, blend 1 cup mayonnaise, 5 garlic cubes, 2½ tablespoons sugar, with salt and black pepper for an awesome Shabbos dip. A friend of mine does the same recipe without roasting the pepper beforehand. It’s an entirely different but equally yummy treat.

You can also sauté soft peppers with onions and mushrooms to add to rice, quinoa, or an omelet.

Onions Onions are a shelf-stable vegetable.

Given the right conditions, they can last for a long time. However, if you find yourself with an overabundance, try sautéing or caramelizing onions.

Freeze in little containers and use as a base for soup, chicken, or cholent.

Cucumbers If you have softer (but not yet mushy) cucumbers, make marinated cucumber salad—where crispness is not a factor.

Senior Stock Have lots of odd veggies sitting around for too long? That’s what soups and stir-fries are made of!

Going, Going, Gone Slimy, smelly, squishy, and soft, all the signs that your dear produce is going. You can try trimming all the sad parts away, but too frequently, you may just need to know when to throw.

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SAMPLE

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Shopping Smarts Take inventory of your produce before going shopping to minimize double buying and wasting.

If you only shop once a week, buy your produce in varying stages of ripeness. For example, purchase some green bananas and yellow bananas to enjoy some immediately, and some a week later.

When unpacking your groceries, refrigerate underripe produce to delay ripening, and keep produce you wish to use soon out of the refrigerator in a dark cabinet in a mesh bin or brown paper bags. (This doesn’t include grapes, lettuce, berries, cherries, mushrooms, and other temperature-vulnerable produce, which need to be refrigerated.)

Plan your dinner menus to use the less sturdy vegetables before those with a longer shelf life.

Does your refrigerator have crisper drawers?

Most do, and some of them even allow the user to adjust the humidity, generally by opening (less humidity) and closing (more humidity) small air vents on the drawers.

And while the low humidity setting is best for some fruits, when it comes to veggies opt for high humidity (in other words, close the vents). The temperature in the fridge should be between 33–40°F.

Produce Pointers *Keep all cut produce in the refrigerator to avoid contamination. *Line containers with paper towel or scrunched aluminum foil (works better than paper towel) on the bottom of a container of sliced fruit or vegetables to prevent them from sitting in their own juice.

This will prolong their crispness.

Making Salad in Advance?

Keep cut produce for vegetable salad in separate containers until you are ready to serve. Of course, do not salt or dress the veggies until immediately prior to serving.

If you plan on taking your salad to the office for lunch where it’ll be a pain to start dressing your salad, you can put olive oil and other spices in at home, but never add salt in advance.

Curious about a health fad but don’t want to be the experimental subject just yet? I may want to experiment with that!

Send a message to info@wellspringmagazine.com, subject line “Libby’s the Sample.” Meet you in the lab!

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CUP OF TEA

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Cup of Tea with

Sury Sprei Sury Sprei

OCCUPATION: Holistic Health Practitioner and Nutritional Consultant at Wellness Redefined

SINCE: 2005 LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York PASSION: Educating and empowering others to overcome their health challenges

SHE WISHES PEOPLE WOULD KNOW THAT: Their body has the ability to heal.

by Esther Retek WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

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H

Holistic health practitioner Sury Sprei is an anomaly, and here’s the first reason why: unlike most others profiled in this column, she admits to never having had an inclination to practice—much less learn about—health and wellness in her youth, or even as a young adult. On the contrary, she rarely gave a thought to her eating habits. Not surprisingly, her dismissive attitude turned out to be the catalyst for her current passion.

Before she entered the field of health, Sury held a career in the corporate world. An accomplished underwriter, she already held a demanding position at a bank at a young age, with the road to success paved for her. She was making large strides in the mortgage industry and had high hopes for herself.

However, as Sury was climbing the ladder, she began feeling less and less energized, as if her vitality and strength were ebbing away. She was experiencing brain fog and feeling extremely lethargic all day. “I felt like a shadow of my previous spirited self,” she shares.

Not one to give up, Sury spent her after-work hours immersed in books and online health content, researching every possible venue that promised to restore her vitality.

“During that period, I discovered the power that lies in

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the foods we consume. I discovered a new world. I learned about different nutrients and healthy habits. And then, when I changed my diet, my symptoms disappeared as quickly as they had come. Even more so, I experienced a clearer mind, had more energy, and was thriving in a way I had previously never thought possible. For example, the acne I had suffered from since I was very young drastically improved, and I was even able to ditch most of my cosmetics. My own experience served as powerful awakening as I realized how the foods we eat can heal us.”

In her research, Sury stumbled upon the Global College of Holistic Medicine, and after being drawn to their teachings, she enrolled in their rigorous schooling. Thus began Sury’s venture into the world of holistic medicine.

Although the college served as her first source of knowl-

edge in the world of health, it was by no means the last.

After she graduated from the program, Sury opened her practice, Wellness Redefined, and began her work as a holistic practitioner. Over the last 17 years in practice, she’s helped hundreds of people deal with and heal their debilitating chronic or acute conditions such as IBS, thyroid disorders, Crohn’s, and infertility. Although her formal training took place many years ago, Sury continuously keeps up to date regarding health research, reading books and journals on the topics pertaining to her areas of expertise and beyond.

Holistic Healing 101 Hippocrates’ famous statement, “Let food be thy med-

icine, and medicine be thy food,” serves as the basis for holistic medicine. “Holistic treatment is all-encompassing, seeking to focus on the entire person rather than on specific injuries or painful areas,” Sury explains. “When a client first reaches out to me, I ask about any other issues they may be experiencing in addition to the one they’re seeking help for. I also run a full panel of bloodwork so I can read between the lines and form a clearer picture of their functioning. I look out for very specific properties that will help me make an assessment regarding the root of the client’s issue.”

Once Sury comes to a conclusion regarding the client’s issue, she outlines a food and supplement protocol—both equally important. “Nowadays, our food is of relatively poor quality. Most of it is stripped of many nutrients and

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will only get us so far. We therefore require guided dosages of nutritional supplements to help get us back in shape. I listen intuitively and carefully in order to suggest proper dosages.”

On the topic of nutritional supplements, Sury notes that the quality of the supplements makes a big difference. “Many people have lost trust in supplements after seeing that they don’t work. They may have spent much money on supplements in the past without seeing improvement in their condition. Most often, this is because the supplement consists of low-quality ingredients, has a lot of unhelpful fillers, or the ingredients are sourced in China. I educate my clients regarding those brands that offer the highest quality and efficacy, which makes all the difference in helping them turn the corner.”

Hydration is another component in holistic nutrition. “Proper hydration is key to many bodily functions, such as digestion and elimination,” Sury explains. “If you’re not doing so already, you may want to get into the habit of starting your day with a deep hydration. A cup of lemon water, coconut water, or fresh juice is the perfect way to get your day going.” Sury notes another excellent source of hydration—fruits and vegetables—which she calls “medicinal.” She reports seeing incredible results when clients incorporated more fruits and vegetables in their diet.

“This small change can be very significant.

And if you cut down on some other unnecessary food purchases, you’ll have some extra to spend on wholesome, nutritious foods,” she adds.

Another central idea in holistic medicine is consuming a whole-foods versus a processed-foods diet. “The body does not recognize the processed foods we consume,” Sury says. “Anything that’s manufactured in a factory or sold in a bag touting a whole list of incomprehensible ingredients will be foreign to the body and difficult to break down.” Sury gives an example to illustrate the point. “I prefer oatmeal over processed cereal. Even if the cereal is of the healthy variety, the body breaks down the oatmeal more efficiently.”

Holistic healing also advocates for a very gentle and compassionate approach toward the self. “We need to be kind to our body as we are healing it and realize that it may 72

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take some time to adjust to the changes we’re making. Don’t do a whole bunch of changes overnight; rather, keep in mind that slow and steady does the trick. Especially when treating children, it’s important to go slowly as their bodies may need more time. Often, people who want to improve drastically won’t see changes overnight, and in their disappointed state, they’ll throw in the towel and give up altogether.”

Allergies can be the result of various underlying issues.

The culprit may be a sluggish liver, too much toxic exposure, or a lack of wholesome produce.

Sury admits that this is the hardest part of her work. “Some people come in and expect to see results overnight. They’re so accustomed to the allopathic world—the world in which you take a pill and symptoms disappear overnight. Our bodies don’t work that way. Healing the body naturally is like healing a wound or a broken bone. We don’t heal a wound in minutes, but rather with consistent care and slow changes. Additionally, every body heals at its own pace, so there’s no way to gauge the time it will take.”

Still, we’re human beings, and we do like to see improvement—and fast. What does Sury answer those who want to know when they’ll finally see results? “I tell my clients to take the information I offer in the first session and put it into action. If it’s an acute issue, I will work closely with the client and speak to them every few days, but typically, especially if it’s a chronic issue such as headaches, fatigue, vertigo, etc., if they follow the protocol I give them, they should start to see improvement after one session.”

Sury’s concern and care toward her clients is evident in the guidance she offers for those who need it. “I try my best to make myself available for all the questions and concerns my clients have as they’re following their protocol. I do a lot of handholding, and that’s important to keep them moving forward.”

One of Sury’s most important projects is her ongoing support chat for her clients. She offers the option to join a large yet close-knit group of clients, all trying to heal themselves or family members holistically. By now, her clients have formed a community of sorts, sharing tips and ideas, offering support, and answering one another’s questions. “I attribute a lot of my clients’ success to this group.

Support and encouragement are big factors in the healing process.”

Behind the Scenes Sury shares just one of the incredible stories she has been privileged to witness. “Recently, an askan in the community came to see me. He had suddenly begun experiencing severe seizures. He was put onto a very strong medication to help his seizures, but the negative side effects were debilitating. He wanted help in getting off his medication and to simultaneously heal his brain from the seizure disorder. Baruch Hashem, we were able to work on getting him off the medication, and several EEG scans confirmed that there is no longer seizure activity in his brain.”

For Sury, clearing eczema, helping couples build a family, regulating hormones, or healing skin conditions are just some of the wondrous changes she commonly observes.

“A healthy young girl who was scheduled to have her gallbladder removed followed my protocol and within five weeks, the sonogram showed a healthy gallbladder. Of course, the surgery was canceled. I’ve also helped several people avoid surgery for hiatal hernia.”

Allergies are another common issue for which people reach out to Sury. “Allergies can be the result of various underlying issues. The culprit may be a sluggish liver, too much toxic exposure, or a lack of wholesome produce.

Once we clean the body and allow it to function it properly, many people express amazement that their allergies have subsided or completely ceased.”

Not surprisingly, many medical doctors have expressed their astonishment after seeing such drastic changes, and some even began referring their patients to Sury.

Although Sury is not quick to point out faults, after some nudging, she offers some common issues and misconceptions she encounters in our community. “Time and again, I find that most people don’t realize how the foods we eat affect us. Coming from the trenches, I can relate to this mindset, but it’s so wrong.” Sury continues by pinpointing the high consumption of saturated fat she notices within the community. “High consumption of saturated fat is at the root of many issues. As part of our tradition, we eat so much meat, eggs, and oil. True, we do believe that meat makes us happy, but there was never an era in which people ate chicken and meat in such abundance. These foods were reserved for the rich, and for Shabbos and Yom Tov. We lived predominantly on potatoes and homegrown vegetables. These days, many families consume poultry or eggs almost every night of the week, and some even for lunch too. People—adults and children alike—are overconsuming these foods, which results in various health issues.

I’m so passionate about the subject because too many people I meet have incredibly high cholesterol levels. And I’m referring to young people, even 19–20-year-olds.” Sury doesn’t advocate for removing these foods from our diet

CUP OF TEA

Smell the Difference DIY Essential Oil Reed Diffuser Ready to get rid of all the toxic plugins, diffusers, and fragrant sprays? Here’s a simple recipe to make your own natural reed diffuser. This combination has a lovely floral smell—with bright citrus notes—and is very relaxing.

You’ll need some pretty glass bottles and reed diffuser sticks, which you can find on Amazon or at your local home goods shop. For the essential oils, I recommend the Plant Therapy brand as it is budget-friendly and completely natural.

Pour ¼ cup fractionated coconut oil into each bottle.

Add 2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol, then add the following essential oils: 10 drops geranium essential oil 9 drops lavender essential oil 10 drops orange essential oil Stir the mixture gently with a wooden reed stick.

Add another six sticks and fan them out.

Flip the sticks over every other week.

completely. Rather, she advises people to simply moderate their intake, as these foods do offer nutritional value.

What protein sources should we be consuming instead?

“Focus on plant-based protein. Feed your family lentils, chickpeas, and beans instead.”

Sury shares that gallbladder issues, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar are just some of the manifestations of high cholesterol. “In laymen’s terms, the liver is the station of the body’s storage and disposal system. The liver, therefore, plays an important role in overall energy levels.

The body must be clean of unwanted chemicals and toxins, and it’s the liver’s role to distinguish between essential and nonessential and dispose of the nonessential. The liver also acts as the body’s storage mechanism, absorbing everything, including toxins, pharmaceutical poison, fragrances, etc. Simultaneously, the liver has another important function—to break down fat. Therefore, this organ is most 74

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impacted by a high-fat diet. When the liver is constantly busy breaking down fat, it’s distracted from other disposal and storage work. But when we lower fat intake, the liver is able to engage in the other important functions.”

Sury offers an apt analogy. “A woman can’t clean properly for Pesach when her kids are running around with crumbs. Similarly, the liver can’t work on ‘intense cleansing’ when it’s constantly occupied with breaking down excess fat.”

When prompted to share what other issues she faces with people in our community, Sury is quick to mention thyroid issues. “Thyroid issues are the number one problem women come to see me with, and most of them are already on medication. Baruch Hashem, by providing them with the proper education and guidance and helping them make the necessary changes, most of them can come off medication. My protocol usually consists of changes in diet

gasoline. Nothing will change. So too, you can be eating all the right foods and taking the right supplements, but if you continue breathing in those toxic fumes, nothing will change.”

In hormone health especially, Sury points out, chemicals are extremely harmful. “They are endocrine destructors.

They don’t allow the hormones to maintain their balance in the body.” Sury also mentions that chronic ear infections, psoriasis, and respiratory issues are the body’s reaction to the fragrances we are surrounded with. She cautions about the importance of reading labels of personal products, cleaners, detergents, and diffusers.

“Fragrance is a code word for a hundred different chemicals that we have no regulations on. These chemicals are carcinogenic and cause havoc on the body’s systems.”

Miracles Every Day Although Sury officially left the corporate world, she has taken along some important business skills, as evidenced by her disciplined schedule. Sury is careful to separate work from home, giving undivided attention to her family outside business hours and putting away her phone and other devices that connect her to her work life.

She also gave up her popular juices line when things got overwhelming, and she switched to virtual appointments as she can tend to more people in this fashion. With an organized system in place, Sury is able to work with eight to nine clients daily, take care of some other projects, and of course, learn some more.

and nutritional supplements.”

According to Sury, there’s more to health, though, than what we consume. Another piece she’s passionate about is environmental factors. “We live in unprecedented times.

Our environment is suffused with an excess of toxins and chemicals. Every breath we take is bound to be full of damaging chemicals. These pollutants are detrimental to our health. When we’re constantly exposed to air fresheners, toxic household cleaners, and potpourri, it becomes nearly impossible for our body to function optimally. These chemicals disturb hormonal balance and destroy immune health. Parents come to me because of their children’s immune health and the first thing I tell them is to dump the plug-ins, replace their diffusers with natural fresheners, and to use gentler household cleaners.” Sury explains the potential harm in these products with a simple analogy.

“Suppose you’re trying to extinguish a raging fire by pouring water, but at the same time someone else is pouring

With the ever-present stress that accompanies this work, how does Sury deal with so many clients daily? “The exhilarating experience of watching people heal and feeling privileged to be part in this wondrous process is what keeps me in this line. I see miracles every day.”

Despite her ever-growing clientele and back-to-back schedule, Sury still demands more of herself. “I am hoping to turn my individualized practice into something in which I can accommodate more people.” She then elaborates, “I’m working now on creating mini courses for various common issues that people come to see me with, such as thyroid and eczema, so I can offer the information I have to more people in this brief time frame.”

Does Sury ever look back at the corporate world she left behind? “I’m ever so grateful to Hashem for guiding me in this direction, and I don’t have any misgivings about leaving the business world,” she says. “My work provides me with so much fulfillment and meaning. I am so passionate about helping people become their better selves, and so fortunate to be in a position that allows me to do that.

I feel that this is my tafkid, and my work is designed so perfectly for me.”

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OUT OF THE WATER AS TOLD TO ROIZY BAUM 76

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OUR DAUGHTER WAS SAVED FROM DROWNING, BUT SOMETHING WAS STILL NOT OKAY WITH HER. In our family, July fourth weekend family trips have become a tradition.

My husband gets a day off from work, the kids are off from school and their stay-at-home mom is always available. We always opt for something nice and kid-friendly so that everyone gets to enjoy. Lately, since pool rentals (swimply.com) have become more common, we scout out a luxury villa equipped with a pool for the day. True city kids, the only time my children get to experience a pool is in their day camps, squished with thirty other kids in a lukewarm oversized bathtub with so much splashing going on that they can barely get some strokes in, let alone a single lap.

And so, a magnificent pool just for us is a real treat.

The villa did not disappoint. Unbelievably, it was even nicer in real life than in the breathtaking pictures.

The pool was sparkling, shimmering like diamond dusts under the strong July sun. The sprawling lawn and magnificent scenery invited us all to unwind.

just yet, so I sprawled out on a beach chair, donned my sunglasses and ahhh! Love me some suntan, dear sun.

But the relaxation was short-lived.

Not two minutes had passed and I was already sprayed up from the foam shooters the little ones were using on the steps of the pool.

“Where are my Floafers?” my son asked, already dressed in his swimming best. If only he’d get into his clothing this fast every morning before school.

“Mommy, look! Mommy, look!” was a constant refrain, and I oohed and ahhed over their talented swim strokes and stunts. “Wow! You’re really floating!” and “Yes, you look like a real fish!”

The car ride to the villa was half the fun. We piled on the food, spirit, and sunscreen and were off to our destination. Five spilled drinks, three bathroom stops, and one vomit-filled shopping bag later, we arrived.

In no time, they were blissfully enjoying the cool water. My husband busied himself over charcoal and meats, preparing what was bound to be the barbecue of the century.

As tempted as I was to relax, five kids were demanding my attention.

“Drink before, Chaim. And what about Toby? Where’s her puddle jumper? Chani, do me a favor and help Devorah out of her shell.”

I didn’t care to get into the water

My eyes were scanning the pool the entire time. I’m diligent like that.

My little ones floated in their puddle jumpers in the shallow water, enjoying a host of pool toys. That was easy.

My oldest, though, ventured further into the pool. Overconfident by nature, Chani refused her puddle jumper. She was a pretty good swimmer for her age and managed quite well.

Just the year before we’d sent her to private swimming lessons and she

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was happily monkey-airplane-soldiering. Still, I didn’t want to spend my entire afternoon with my eyes glued on her.

“Chani, how about staying in the shallow water? Or at least use your puddle jumper?” I nearly begged.

“Just look!” she countered, “I can touch the floor.”

Excitedly, she lowered herself to reach the ground, her mass of red curls a blob under the water. Bubbles and more bubbles rose, and I waited for her to come up. The water was so clear and mostly empty that I was able to make out her silhouette.

It looked like she knew what she was doing, feet firmly planted on the floor of the pool. But then a minute passed. And then two.

“Time to come up,” I said, only to realize I was talking to the water.

Suddenly, I noticed that she was trying to come up but was having a hard time doing so. She tried lifting her body and thrashing her arms, but the water kept dragging her down.

The water was not so deep, but it reached higher than her less-thanfour-feet height, and she was floundering. Really, I should’ve taken the leap, but I’m not the greatest swimmer and in that frightening moment, I felt more frozen than not. Good thing my husband was with me. I had no time to spare.

“Yossi!” I hollered in the direction of the grill, “Chani. Is. Not. Okay.” I panicked, emitting every word with effort as if I was extracting them from a jumbled laundry pile. Meanwhile, Chani was desperately trying to come up for air, bobbing up and down like a bobble-head doll. My husband stopped from his meat massaging, glanced at the pool, and in

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one second flat bounded in. Clad in an apron, hands smeared with oil and paprika and pockets filled with mini electronics, he made a dash for his daughter. Swiftly, he lifted Chani and plunked her out of the water.

She was shivering, coughing and spluttering water, flustered and traumatized. I asked her if she’d swallowed a lot of water, and she said, “Just a bit.” She coughed some more, then relaxed next to me for a few minutes but seemed okay. After about ten minutes she was ready to return to the pool—with a puddle

into terry hoodies.

“Did I get more freckles?” Devorah asked, pointing her freckled nose in my direction.

“Yes. And the cutest ones,” I replied as I assessed the fine-point dots on the bridge of her nose. “Hey, Chani.” I stopped short. “You’re very red. Think we didn’t put enough sunscreen on you?”

We’re all very fair-skinned, so this wasn’t out of the ordinary. Sunscreen is a must—even on non-pool days.

Chani stole a glance at her appear-

“YOSSI,” I WHISPERED, “WE NEED A HOSPITAL FOR CHANI. LIKE ASAP. SHE’S NOT ACTING HERSELF. I’M WORRIED.” jumper this time.

Yossi’s phone and electric keys were a goner, but we were so grateful that our dear daughter was alive.

He was rather a sight, leaving rivulets wherever he walked. Without a change of clothes, he tried to catch as much sun as possible.

About twenty minutes later, I summoned the kids out of the pool.

It was time to eat and with the inviting smell of the barbecue, a reminder wasn’t necessary. A dripping brood huddled around me as I helped them

ance in the dressing room mirror. “I am pretty red,” she agreed. “I’m also feeling really sleepy. Like, I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“You?” I asked, incredulously.

Chani is the type of kid who functions without sleep. As a toddler, she suffered from severe FOMO and would stay up through every Shabbos meal no matter how late into the night it dragged. She also did amazingly well at late-night weddings from a very young age. But now Chani was rubbing her eyes and

yawning more than she was blinking.

This was extremely out of character for her.

“Swimming must’ve exhausted you,” I said, offering her a beach chair. “Sit down, relax. You’ll regain your energy in a few minutes.”

But within a few minutes, she started acting more and more disoriented. She spoke about things that didn’t begin to make sense, telling me about my father who passed away five years ago. Then, she pointed at a cherry tree that did not exist. I started to panic.

Yossi was flipping burgers and pickling onions simultaneously. “Yossi,” I whispered, “We need a hospital for Chani. Like ASAP. She’s not acting herself. I’m worried.”

That’s when I remembered about the terrifying concept of dry drowning. We all know the signs of drowning: water submersions, sometimes flailing arms, head bobbing up and down, and then finally, the response and rescue steps. Once the victim gets out of the water and is responsive, we’re overcome with gratitude that he is alert and well. It’s just the way we’re programmed. But unfortunately, that isn’t always the case.

I had read about dry drowning a while before. The story haunted me as the boy in it never woke up.

And here, Chani’s symptoms were copy-paste of what the author had described. “Dry drowning” occurs when a small amount of water gets into the lungs and hampers the lungs’ ability to oxygenate blood. Usually, the water disperses on its own, and the individual is oblivious to having had fluid in their lungs, but sometimes it can be dangerous.

POOL RULES You’re a responsible parent. You don’t take your eyes off your kids when they’re swimming or playing in the pool. You’d never allow any of your kids to swim without a lifeguard on duty and you’d never leave kids unattended in the bath. And yes, you’re doing the right thing. Still, there’s more to do to keep your children safe: Learn the signs of danger after they’re out of the water and what to do.

“Dry drowning” and “secondary drowning” aren’t actually medical terms. But they do point to rare complications that you should know about and that are more common in children.

With so-called dry drowning, water never reaches the lungs.

Instead, inhaling water causes the child’s vocal cords to spasm and close up. That shuts off their airways, making it difficult to breathe. The signs are noticeable right away -- it wouldn’t happen out of the blue days later.

“Secondary drowning” is another term people use to describe another drowning complication. It happens if water enters the lungs. There, it can irritate the lungs’ lining and fluid can build up, causing a condition called pulmonary edema. A parent will likely notice their child having trouble breathing right away, and it might get worse over the next 24 hours.

Drowning Complications Include: Coughing Chest pain Difficulty breathing Extreme fatigue The child may also exhibit changes in behavior such as such as irritability or a drop in energy levels, which is often a result of the brain not getting enough oxygen.

Both events are very rare. They make up only 1%-2% of all drownings.

Most importantly, don’t let your guard down, even if the water isn’t deep. Drowning can happen in any kind of water – bathtubs, toilet bowls, ponds, or small plastic pools.

But then again, how could this

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MEDICAL SAGA

possibly have happened to Chani?

She’d barely swallowed any water and whatever she had was coughed up. It didn’t add up. She was fine and dandy the entire day and had started acting severely ill within a few minutes of time.

Not an alarmist by nature, I was now freaking out. Chani was sitting in front of me and all I was able to think of was that I was losing her.

I tried blocking out the frightening thoughts that entered my mind.

“Maybe it’s a heat stroke? Or dehydration?” my husband reasoned. “She was under the sun a lot today.”

“I don’t know,” I said, wrapping the towel tighter around her shivering body. “It’s not the first time she’s been in the sun for this long. And I made sure they all drank, so dehydration it’s not. Let’s go check it out.”

Ten years of marriage has taught my husband to trust my gut. Mother’s intuition and all. I was adamant about going to the ER, and he was quick to follow. In a matter of minutes, my husband brought the cover of the grill down, sent all the kids to change, and piled them into the car.

Once seated, we searched for the nearest hospital.

In those moments, I felt so alone.

We were in the middle of nowhere, in unfamiliar territory. Plus, we had no family members nearby to look after the younger ones. Left with no choice, our ride to the hospital turned into a family trip.

“We’re gonna keep Chani awake,”

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my husband said to the kids with determination as he turned the music on. The volume was deafening but if this was what it took to keep Chani from falling asleep, I’d control my hands from lowering it. The way stretched before us endlessly. Nothing was sweeter than the navigation’s announcement that we were a few feet away from the hospital.

Unlike the ERs I’d been to in the past, this one was quiet, almost serene. Nurses whisked Chani and me into the examination room without delay while my husband played counselor to the four kids in the waiting room. Luckily, they had some tattered Curious George books and old toys to play with.

The nurses got right to work checking Chani’s vitals. She was extremely lethargic and disoriented, and her temperature measured a whopping 105 degrees. I then outlined my concerns to the doctor on duty and he sent her for a chest X-ray immediately. Not surprisingly, Chani’s lungs were full of fluid. She hadn’t experienced dry drowning, we were told.

Rather, she’d experienced “secondary drowning.”

“When did you say she went swimming?” the doctor asked, scratching his head. “It was only a few hours ago, no? And look how sick she is.

You’re really lucky you brought her in now. I don’t want to think what could’ve happened otherwise.”

He then explained how secondary drowning works. “The fluid in Hannah’s lungs caused an inflammatory

response.”

The first step was to bring Chani’s fever down and hook her up to oxygen. In no time, she was showing marked improvement. “We’ll need to keep her here for observation,” the doctor explained. “For just a few hours.”

Upon hearing this, my husband decided to take the cranky and hungry kids to a local park until Chani was ready to be discharged.

Fortunately, she progressed quickly and after a couple of hours we left the ER. I stole glances at her throughout the ride, thanking Hashem for the miracle we’d all witnessed. I shuddered to think what the next day would’ve looked like if we’d decided to “just wait until the morning.” I couldn’t wrap my brain around the incident as it had happened so quickly. Had I really been this close to losing my daughter?

I was shaken, but there was no time to dwell on it as it was getting dark. We were drunk from exhaustion and oh, so hungry, but we knew we had a great barbecue waiting for us back at the villa. (Ain’t an easy feat to pull off a smashing barbecue in wet clothes.)

I was sure it would take me years to overcome my trauma, but time is the greatest healer and it’s important to remind myself that not every time kids swallow water I should be alarmed. (In fact, rarely ever!) There are clues and symptoms to look out for. And of course, it never hurts to be knowledgeable.

DIY

e t y l o r t Elec k n i r D

By Miriam Schweid Spending a lot of time in the sun or heat can lead to dehydration, headaches, and dizziness. Filling up on electrolytes, as opposed to plain water, ensures the body’s fluids are balanced, providing more adequate hydration and energy. If you’re planning to be outdoors, prepare this electrolyte drink. It’s also highly recommended before a fast.

2 cups water Juice of ½ lemon ¼ tsp salt (sea, Himalayan, or table salt) 2 tsp honey

Combine in a pintsized jar. Cover and shake well.

Note: This drink can be stored in the fridge for up to one week.

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pivotgroup.nyc

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Williamsburg 569 Marcy Ave. 718.348.1000

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MY SPENDING HABITS AND ME A fascinating peek into the connection

SHIRA SAVIT LISTEN TO BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT

EMOTIONAL EATING

By Shira Savit

Hear Me Out When we listen to both parts of ourselves, the conflict subsides

Part of me wants to follow a meal plan and lose weight, and the other part wants to keep eating white flour and white sugar whenever I want. I feel so torn and confused. If I want to lose the weight, I need to go on a diet. But the word diet makes me cringe and feel nauseated and confined. I hate feeling restricted. I want to lose the weight, but I also love eating junk. I don’t want to diet. I want to eat whatever I want. But another part of me wants to be a smaller size; it wants to get rid of the extra layers. So then I need to follow a meal plan. I keep going back and forth. Why can’t I just choose either the diet or the overeating?

It’s a common lament I hear from women. And my answer to them is, “It’s not about or, it’s about and.”

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When we feel stuck in emotional conflict, we naturally try to resolve our feelings by diving into solution mode.

Solution mode tells us there is a right and a wrong, a yes and a no, a better way and a worse way. It locks us into thoughts such as “Either I care about my body size and need to lose weight” or “I should just accept—c’est la vie— and eat whatever I want.” We go back and forth endlessly, trying to figure out which approach to follow. Either I’m a dieter, or an I-love-my-body-no-matter-what person.

When we think we need to be either this or that, we actually keep ourselves stuck in a triggering cycle of frustration and overwhelm. A predictable outcome is repeating our unwanted eating patterns.

cade. “Kids, tell me what you like about it. What is exciting for you? What do you most enjoy there? Oh, I like bowling too.” Then, she turns to the younger tots, giving them her full attention, “Cuties, tell me why you like the gymboree.

Do you like all those different colored balls? It must be fun to jump up and down and giggle together.” She patiently gives each “side” her genuine attention and care.

When Mom is not in “solution mode” and is, instead, attentive and curious, the children will often become less whiny. Every child needs to be listened to, heard, validated, and understood. The older kids may still want laser tag while the little ones are hooked on the jumping castle, but wherever they end up going, they’ll have arrived at the decision with a mother who is attuned and present, as opposed to overwhelmed and irritable.

The alternative is the and approach. The and is about allowing space for the seemingly opposing parts of ourselves, rather than either/or. In reality, the above lament is really To those who feel stressed about the various parts of not a conflict. It’s simply various parts of ourselves themselves that seem incongruous with one anthat are valuable teachers, sharing important other, I recommend holding a dialogue with messages about our internal world. We those parts. In this case, it would be the need to allow each of them to be heard “I want part that wants to lose weight with the and considered before we jump into part that wants to eat as she wishes. to hear the solution mode.

“I want to hear the feelings of the Lose Weight Now part. What are feelings of the Lose the benefits of losing weight?

Weight Now part. What How will you feel being on a strict diet? What will it be like are the benefits of losing to become a smaller size?” weight? How will you feel After that part has received its space and attention, we can being on a strict diet? say, “Now let’s hear from the What will it be like to part that wants to eat whatever you want. What are the feelings become a smaller behind ‘not caring’ about what you size?”

Picture the scene: One day during eat? What are the benefits of eating

Often, we’re so fixated on finding the “right” way that we invalidate our humanness—our unique capacity to experience and be aware of many feelings, all at the same time. Interestingly, when we learn to give attention to all “sides,” we naturally become more calm. From that state, options, rather than forced solutions, become possible.

that long post-summer week between camp and school, a devoted mother tells her kids she’d like to treat them to a full-day outing.

Since they’re all very opinionated (as most kids are!), they each suggest different trip ideas. The older kids say the arcade would be the most fun—it also has bowling and laser tag. The younger ones are begging for the gymboree; they love the big red bouncing castle.

The mother can respond in one of several ways. She can either ignore them and tell them they have to figure it out on their own. “I have no tolerance for bickering. Why can’t you just be thankful I’m taking you out? Stop arguing!” is what she might resort to. In this scenario, her children (left to their own devices and desire for their preferred outcomes) might fight even more.

Another option: The mother turns to her older children and is genuinely curious about their desire to go to the ar-

as you please? What will it be like to not feel restricted?”

When we give room and space for both parts, we uncover more insights into our relationship with food. We discover parts that really care about our body image and size, which we can then delve into further. When I do this work with women, we often speak to the part that wants to avoid healthy eating, and we learn more about what that means for them.

When we shift from or to and, we’re not so fixated on whether we should eat celery sticks or indulge in mint chocolate-chip ice cream. We learn how to validate our own experience and listen to our needs. It becomes not about the end result, because we’re not trying to “fix” a problem. Rather, we find value in the process, and celebrate the relief that comes with the newfound relationship with and.

Shira Savit, MA, MHC, INHC, is a mental health counselor with multiple certifications in nutrition and health. She specializes in weight loss, emotional eating, and binge eating. Shira incorporates both nutritional and emotional components in helping her clients reach their goals. Shira has a private practice in Yerushalayim and works with women in any location via phone call or video sessions.

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COVER FEATURE

SOLD Our emotional standing impacts every part of life, including how we spend our money

By Shiffy Friedman

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Few things bring up a fount of emotions as vast and tumultuous as the topic of money. From those who advocate vociferously for living on a budget and spending responsibly to those who derive a rush of pleasure from spending generously—and the many, many in between—every transaction made, as cut-and-dried as it seems, is saturated with a vast array of emotional compounds.

Guilt, pleasure, doubt, control, feeling worthy…they’re all on the balance as we click that “buy” tab, swipe our card, or slap the bills on the table—or make the choice not to.

How we spend our money talks.

Here, we explore what our fiscal habits might be saying about our emotional wellbeing.

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THE SUPER SPENDER

“It’s cheaper than psychotherapy,” a friend of mine says of her habit to go on a shopping spree when her mood can use a lift-me-up. “And it really makes me feel better.” For starters, she does have a point. We humans get a rush of pleasure, that very same dopamine dose we’d get from exercise or a drug, when we acquire something new. We’re programmed to get excited over new things, and that’s great. But what if the overspending keeps happening, or it borders on self-sabotage? We may want to look deeper to understand ourselves, to explore the underpinnings of a habit that’s pronouncedly rampant nowadays. With the “conveniences” of online shopping—a world of items are just a click away!—and credit card usage, all it takes is one shopping spree, from the comfort of our home, to drag a person into debt. Even if we’re comfortable enough to afford these purchases, it may do us good to simply understand what’s feeding this constant drive for more, more, more so we can finally start to live, to enjoy what we do have, and stop the constant need for our wants.

The Logic When we engage in self-sabotaging behavior, we tend to explain it away with logic—because it’s difficult to face our truth. So what’s the logic behind overspending? We may tell ourselves we like nice things, life is meant to be enjoyed, we can afford it anyway, or the items are of better quality. Some or all of this may be true, but as long as we find ourselves with a constant need for more and that this inner storm isn’t abating, there may be more to the story. Here are some emotions that may be festering beneath the surface, all of which overspending feeds in a counterfeit way. On the contrary, working toward obtaining the real acquisition is a worthwhile investment.

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THE SUPER SPENDER

The Need to Expand

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As human beings, we want to feel that we matter. We want to show up in some way. When we feel small or unnoticed, we naturally want to expand. The mistake is when we buy into the belief that when we have more assets, we are more. It’s all a fantasy.

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This feeling of wanting to expand is very legitimate and emanates from a deep place. But true expanding comes through giving, not taking or obtaining more assets. When we give, a part of us expands. There’s more of us in the world, in a very good way. Every time we feel the need to have more, we can choose to give something real—whether a smile, a compliment, or a favor for another.

INVEST INVEST HERE HERE

The Need for Respect Another one of our human needs is respect. When we feel unworthy, we may find ourselves trying to connect to a higher class.

By purchasing high-end items that sport designer labels, we receive the counterfeit feeling that we, by default, are more valuable and thus deserving of respect.

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In essence, each of us is already worthy as we are.

When we connect to the infinite value we already have—our chelek Eloka mima’al, appreciating our Divine essence unconditionally—we feel a true sense of confidence.

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A Better Future When we’re feeling low, unhappy, lonely, or empty, it’s difficult for us to live in the now. At times like these, what often keeps us going is fantasizing about the future. We look forward to the next simchah, the next vacation, when the kids will get older—anything that promises to whisk us away from the present moment into a better place. Shopping is one such instant solution that enables us to live in the future. Especially when making an online purchase, envisioning it in our possession and then anticipating its arrival is all part of putting this mechanism to use.

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INVEST HERE

The problem with always looking forward to the future is that we lose out on the life we could be living now. The price we pay for doing so is that we can’t enjoy the pleasures available to us right here. And when that future moment does arrive, it’s not good enough either because it has now become our unpleasant present. Instead, we do ourselves good if we choose to zoom in on what’s uncomfortable in the present, speak about it, explore it, and ask ourselves, “What’s bothering me right now? What’s luring me away from the present?” This way we get to fully live and laugh today. We will no longer need more things to soothe the present because it’ll become the best place for us to be.

INVEST HERE

The Need for Control When the feeling of weakness or lack of power overcomes us, we seek an immediate means through which to feel instant control. One way to experience this instant control is through procuring something. It gives us a sense of “I’m making a decision right now from my own will.”

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When we’re feeling a lack of power, that things are too out of control, connecting to the only One who’s truly in control is cathartic and soothing. Life in galus often hands us this kind of feeling. Yet, when we work on acknowledging our human limitations and allow ourselves to surrender to the One who takes perfect care of us at every moment, we have less of a need to feel that we’re in control.

INVEST HERE

Distraction When we’re not up to facing unpleasant emotions, distracting ourselves from them is a quick band-aid. Shopping is just one of the many ways through which we can expertly shift the focus from our inner world to “What’s new on the market?”

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No one said it’s easy, but it’s certainly a worthwhile investment that can save us a fortune in the long run.

Looking inward, seeing what’s making us so uneasy, anxious, unhappy, or just not okay can go a long way in helping us acquire the inner peace we seek.

INVEST HERE

Receiving Love Another one of our human needs is to feel loved. Many of us confuse love with objects, especially if the only positive relationship we had with the adults in our life was through the objects they gave us. This often happens to adult children of parents who didn’t have the tools to give unconditional love.

When we buy something, especially if we’ll be receiving it in a pretty box, we feel like we’re giving ourselves a gift, even if it’s something we don’t really need and that we’re paying big money for.

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While it’s always nice to receive a gift, there’s more to love than material items.

It’s worth exploring what it means to love ourselves in a more real way, such as by appreciating ourselves as we are, seeing our inner goodness, working to quiet self-criticism and self-judgment, and celebrating the incredible human being Hashem created us to be.

INVEST HERE

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THE SUPER SAVER

At the other end of the spectrum, excessive frugality is also sourced in a current of emotions that perhaps haven’t been tended to properly.

Every healthy individual derives a sense of pleasure from snagging a bargain, but when spending responsibly turns into spending very responsibly, or not spending at all, we may want to understand what motivates us to border on stingy. While spending responsibly is a blessing, penny-pinching to the extent that every purchase hurts is not.

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The Logic The logical side in us has it all figured out here too. Of course we’re saving—we’re not that rich, the bank account isn’t unlimited, we’re a responsible adult, these things don’t really matter, or, better yet, it’s a value. Again, some or all of this may be true, but when saving becomes an obsession or is taken to an extreme, it’s not the whole picture. Let’s take a look at some of the emotions that might be lurking beneath the surface here.

Fear of Feeling Used When the fear of feeling used is a theme in our life, especially for adult children who were raised in affluent homes or were taken advantage of in their youth, we may seek to “set the boundaries” through making sure we get the best price for everything. When we procure items at a bargain, we feel that no one has taken advantage of us in the process.

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First, it’s a good idea to acknowledge that this fear is a theme in our life. Usually, it crops up in other areas as well, leaving us feeling wary of others, with little trust in humanity.

Learning to trust others and being open to seeing that kindness and unconditional giving do exist is part of the healing process.

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4 of the techniques used by brands to appeal to our emotions—and wallets

Need for Control For many, a counterfeit means toward feeling in control when we’re feeling anxious or powerless is through saving money or getting the largest discounts. It may turn into a set-in-stone shitah, one that propels us to hunt down everything at a bargain price, regardless of the hassle.

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As mentioned above, there is no true way to feel in control in this world because that’s not what we’re meant to feel. Instead, by relinquishing control to the One in power, we feel calm and secure, no matter the circumstances.

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Fear of Depletion For some, the fear of “What’s if there won’t be enough?” is very real.

Often, it’s rooted deeply in our subconscious, passed on from generations before. As little sense as it makes, the fear drives us to live in semi-deprivation mode.

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1. Almost Gone Businesses feed into our fear of depletion and being “left out” by conveying the message to shoppers that the stock is soon to be depleted. With just four pieces left of your favorite shoe, or displaying constant “Out of Stock” symbols, you’re bound to grab that pair before you have time to ascertain whether you actually need it.

2. The Happiness Draw By advertising their products on models who seem to be the picture of joy, brands send a message that procuring their products is the ticket to happiness. Bright, cheerful logos (think of that ubiquitous Amazon arrow!) also subconsciously convince consumers that here lies the secret to happiness.

3. The Community Factor Acknowledging this fear, especially for adult children who were raised by war survivors or in poverty-stricken homes, goes a long way in enabling a path toward healthy spending.

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Because human beings thrive on being “a part,” many brands focus on cultivating the community feel among their consumers.

4. Of Course, the Savings Ticket Knowing how much we all love a good bargain, businesses may hike up prices, only to later drop them down. It feels way better to buy a three-hundred-dollar item at fifty dollars than a fifty-dollar item at fifty dollars.

It's this same feeling of victory that businesses attempt to arouse in shoppers by offering BOGO sales and other freebies.

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THE SURVEY For this Wellspring survey, 154 participants from around the globe answered questions regarding their spending habits.

AGE

4.6%

GENDER

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LOCATION

7.2% 2%

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SPENDING PHILOSOPHY?

3.9%

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WHAT DO YOU THINK MOST INFLUENCES YOUR SPENDING HABITS? IF OTHER, PLEASE EXPLAIN.

5.8%

My husband.

Upbringing, in that I want to be the opposite of my parents.

Bitachon in Hashem that He will provide for my needs. As long as I’m not spending frivolously, I don’t need to worry and penny-pinch. I used to be a big penny-pincher and that all changed once I started listening to daily shiurim on bitachon, which changed my entire mindset. And I am not poorer because I started 96

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to shop stress-free. It’s amazing to watch how Hashem really works it out. I have a sister who still is in the super-frugal mindset I used to have. I say the difference between us is that we both eat bread for breakfast, but she cries over the bread as she eats it, and I enjoy it. We’re not really spending that differently, but she has guilt and is busy calculating every purchase, while my mindset changed to “If we need it, buy it, whatever the price is.”

My nature and upbringing is more on the frugal side, but my husband has taught me that I can do otherwise.

I watch my account every day and know how much is coming in and going out. And I have a craze that there must be x amount in my account all the time, so that adds to the stress…

I learned to develop my own habits, based on understanding myself and my fears.

DO YOU FIND THAT YOUR SPENDING HABITS HAVE EVOLVED OVER TIME? IF YES, IN WHAT WAY?

I became more generous. (50 respondents) I’m more frugal. (38 respondents) As the family grows and prices keep rising, I find myself shopping more frugally.

For my kids, I give much more than I would for myself.

We definitely matured in life. Although my parents are very well off and as a young couple we continued spending generously, as the family grows and the expenses grow along with it, we are starting to think about the future and looking at things with more care and proportion, so we tend to spend way less.

We won’t give up on essentials, but we are definitely trying to be more responsible. It’s also important to us that our kids do not go through this

challenge. I admire my parents for always buying us the best, but I want my kids to live a life now that will be reasonable to sustain. I feel it’s irresponsible to set a high standard now and just hope for the best. I became more frugal when the money became our responsibility.

I used to be reeeally frugal. But then I realized that I need to live and that life costs money. So I learned to let go a little when unexpected expenses come up and even when I want to treat myself.

My husband is much more frugal, so that automatically makes me want to spend to counteract that—even though I actually also have a frugal nature.

I stopped penny-pinching and baruch Hashem, I see that He really helps when you spend responsibly on what’s important.

I became more careful once I was married.

I used to love buying things for cheap. Now I see that price often reflects quality and it’s worth it to go for middle/higher brands.

I see that being frugal doesn’t save me any money. At the end of the day, Hashem sends the money that’s needed.

As a busy mother, convenience sometimes comes before better prices.

I’ve learned to let go much more, and to enjoy the money Hashem sends me in a responsible but generous way.

I grew up in a financially comfortable home so although we didn’t

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spend money for no reason, we were used to having nice stuff and little extras. Then I got married and realized how much everything costs, so I became extremely frugal in my spending—not because I wanted to, but because I felt I had no choice. But over time I realized a few things: (1) no matter how frugal I am, Hashem decides how much money I’ll have.

(2) I was becoming resentful about all the things I wasn’t allowing myself (even little things like taking taxis when necessary, buying pizza or other treats, or getting new clothes once in a while. I’m not even talking about real luxuries like vacations). So over time I started buying a little less frugally and treating myself to little extras here and there. Right now, I’m at the frugal-but-not-extreme stage.

I was raised in a more frugal home, whereas my in-laws are more generous. With time I found myself spending on things I don’t think my parents would spend on.

As a kid, I never knew the price of a single item. We bought whatever, whenever, and I never had to think about whether it was something we really needed. Now that it’s me working hard to bring in the money and it’s up to us to budget, I definitely think twice before buying something pricey.

My habits go through phases of what I deem important at that point

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in my life.

realistic as my family has grown.

I grew up in a home where money was never spent “just because.”

Money wasn’t tight, but it was a shitah that was ingrained in our bones.

And we were very proud of it. I was taught that if one can of corn is 78 cents and the other is 69 cents, you make sure to buy the cheaper one. But when I got married, I soon learned that my husband is the complete opposite. He’s responsible, but he sees money as something to spend to make your life more comfortable.

So I’d go grocery shopping and not buy that chocolate bar for a dollar I’d been craving all week, because why spend on something I don’t need— when on the same day my husband would spend thirty dollars on lunch because he was too lazy to make himself a sandwich! Basically, I’ve learned to spend a bit more (no major splurging; just spending to make life a bit better and easier) and not feel guilty about it—especially when I realized that spending a dollar on a chocolate bar can make my day and not make me go broke!

I’ve become less frugal because my husband comes from more of a generous upbringing.

Since I grew up in a poor home, I used to feel guilty for every penny I spent. I worked on that, and now I buy what I need without guilt.

I spend less since I got married and started saving.

I’ve become less frugal and more

I’m certainly more generous. Buying takeout instead of cleaning help that I never thought I’d take—that’s huge for me.

I’m willing to spend money on important things.

I’ve learned that time and energy also has a price.

I’ve lately starting realizing that money doesn’t grow on trees as I previously thought.

My husband is extremely generous, and I became more generous too.

I’ve become much more comfortable about spending and taking care of myself—sometimes even overspending. Growing up, my parents had a frugal philosophy even though they didn’t need to, and it turned me off.

I used to spend without a cheshbon, but today I take the bigger picture into account.

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS UNDER THE THEORETICAL PREMISE THAT FINANCES ARE NOT AN ISSUE FOR YOU.

WHEN CHOOSING A SUPERMARKET FOR STEADY SHOPPING, WHICH FEATURES ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Cheapest prices Closest to home, even with higher prices Offers the best shopping experience, even with higher prices The largest selection, even with higher prices Other

WHEN SHOPPING FOR CLOTHES (FOR YOURSELF AND/OR KIDS) AND OTHER MATERIAL ITEMS, WHICH FEATURE IS MOST IMPORTANT TO YOU?

Cheapest prices Quality Name of the brand Style Other

The style and cut matter.

How I feel in it means a lot to me.

I never spend the amounts I hear other people spend on their clothes.

As long as you wear it right, it looks expensive. I don’t make myself crazy about finding bargains. I just shop in cheaper stores to begin with and pick up great stuff there—it gives me a thrill. I’ve had someone tell me that she was walking with a friend past the 99-cent store and saw a scarf hanging there. She told her friend “X has a scarf that looks like this, but she definitely spent a minimum of two hundred dollars on it,” to which I said to her, “I actually got mine in the 99-cent store for six dollars too.”

It’s all about how you carry it, and how you pair the cheap purchases with other things so they look classy.

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COVER FEATURE

WHEN CELEBRATING A SIMCHAH, YOU CHOOSE THE VENUE, CATERING, AND OTHER DETAILS BASED ON WHICH FEATURES? The cheapest Beautiful yet affordable Most lavish Other

It’s the atmosphere that matters.

As long as the venue and food are decent, we’re happy to go with takanos.

My goal is to show respect to my guests.

I might be the only one who’s this honest here, but yes, I love the com-

pliments and the positive feedback and showing people what I can afford. I guess that’s not too emotionally healthy, but that’s where I’m at, and baruch Hashem, I can afford it.

It would range between what’s cheapest and what’s beautiful yet affordable, depending on the specific simchah and my financial status at

the moment.

I would make it at home to save on the venue and spend on good food and décor, including nice flowers.

I love beautiful things and I love when my guests have a gorgeous experience at my simchos.

TO WHAT EXTENT WOULD YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO GET CHEAPER-PRICED ITEMS (GROCERIES, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, CLOTHING, ETC.)?

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WHICH CATEGORIES DO YOU SPEND MOST EASILY ON?

Education, including books and programs

37 (30%) Education, including books and programs for the kids

Vacation is something I spend on because it’s important to me.

I’m stingy by nature and don’t love spending on anything. Even if I do spend, I do it reluctantly, but for some reason, I get joy in shopping for my kids. Be it clothing, toys, or nosh, it doesn’t bother me that I

might be overpaying. My favorite store to browse in is probably the toy store!

I’ll spend on health, and when there is a big difference in convenience. For example, I won’t shlep with a bunch of little ones on a bus; it’s much more worth it for me to

take a taxi.

Anything related to my kids!

I am very quick to buy gifts.

Self-care.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU FIND YOURSELF SHOPPING AS “RETAIL THERAPY”?

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THOUGHTS ON THE TOPIC OF SPENDING HABITS? I wish I wouldn’t get such joy from saving a penny here and a penny there, but I guess it’s ingrained in me from my childhood.

If you live frugally, then you will get frugally. If you live with bitachon and generously, you will realize that Hashem is generous. He will send you what you need. Proven! And written in the sefarim.

I think everyone has their place where they spend and where they save. Although there are generally “lavish” or “frugal” people, there can be some gray areas there. For example, some need expensive clothing but buy bare minimum groceries, while some spend a lot on food and household help but skimp on clothing. Others buy only on sale but spend on seemingly unimportant things that matter to them.

Basically, I’m working on loosening my frugality a bit because I see it just makes me feel resentful, and practically speaking, those little treats and extras don’t make it or break it anyway. (We’re broke most of the time in any case!)

As with everything in life, you need the happy medium (which I don’t think I have) and a healthy relationship with money.

It’s very important for everyone to know how much they can afford to spend and not overdo it.

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People’s spending habits are deeply rooted in their emotional health and/or baggage.

I think living here in Eretz Yisrael on a budget can change anyone!

We live on a very high budget, but my husband and I work hard to cover it. I’d rather work hard and have a lot of money to spend than not work and think twice before swiping my card.

Spending should be banned!

I feel it’s hard to adjust from the lifestyle of being given to generously by parents and then living a kollel lifestyle, but you learn that you can live simpler and still be really happy.

I was raised very comfortably and did not hear the words “No, because it’s too expensive.” However, I chose to marry someone who’s learning full time and I’m the one working, and we choose to live very cautiously.

Because of my upbringing, I enjoyed going shopping and “splurging.” I needed to control that based on my new bank account. It is still a struggle (after 13 years) and I learned to shop on sales and to let myself splurge every once in a while. This way, I don’t feel as if I’m being choked because of our lack. We don’t believe in balancing the bank account dollar for dollar. Rather, we do the best we can to do what we think is ratzon Hashem and not spend freely. But if it’s something we feel we need (such as subscribing to Wellspring!), we know Hashem will help, and we make the purchase happily.

This Way, That Way Our inconsistent approach makes no sense— yet it does As human beings, not robots, all of us probably find ourselves at different points on the spectrum of saving and spending at one time or another.

In fact, we may surprise even ourselves at how “unstable” our fiscal habits appear. For example, why is it that I could at one moment compare the price of peppers in two supermarkets and in the next buy an extra pair of expensive shoes on a whim? How is it that we may spend thousands on a transatlantic trip, then get stingy on adding an extra suitcase? As this article explores, it’s important to take note that there’s a reason for this; it’s not just a contradiction that makes no sense.

Because the reason isn’t logical, only emotional, it manifests itself in these seemingly inconsistent ways. Often, what will determine whether we splurge or penny-pinch is the option that gives us the sense of control in that moment. If we’re the ones making a decision to, say, book tickets for the entire family, we’ll do so.

But when we’re forced to pay—even a dollar—that feeling is lacking, thus influencing our subconscious decision to yield toward savings mode.

Save or Spend?

What determines which direction we take?

It’s interesting to observe that the same emotion that sends one individual onto a splurging spree drives another to clench their fists tightly shut.

A variety of factors determines which direction an individual takes, the main ones being nature and upbringing.

For example, one individual who feels powerless may choose to regain counterfeit control through making a purchase, while another will make a decision not to spend even on things that are important to them or their family. For one person, spending lavishly on a simchah is their way to feel worthy, while for another, it’s through saving up in the bank. While it may be challenging for one to understand the other, each reacts to the same emotion from their own place. Knowing that it’s none of our business, excuse the pun, is way to go if we want to invest in what really counts.

Unlimited Budget As many respondents in the survey noted, so much of how we do or don’t spend is directly related to our level of bitachon. Rav Asher Freund zt”l used to teach that one should never hesitate to buy what he needs because doing so indicates a lack of belief that Hakadosh Baruch Hu will provide.

In a similar vein, Rebbetzin Sima Spetner, in the name of the baalei mussar, cautions against keeping tight tabs on the bank account. Leading a frum lifestyle and raising a family, she notes, is a pricey endeavor—one that necessitates untold miracles. If we’d make a calculation of our expenses compared to our income, the numbers wouldn’t add up. So, we should be doing our hishtadlus to bring in parnassah, and and then leave room for the miracles to happen. Hashem’s budget, after all, is unlimited.

Most Worthwhile Investment Our nature and logical circumstances certainly play a role in how we spend, but being cognizant of how our emotional state impacts our fiscal choices is key toward achieving a healthy medium. This won’t necessarily impact our actual decision, but the next time we click Buy or make a purchase—or chase after a bargain—we can breathe in and realize why we’re doing this. We may choose to proceed or to skip the purchase, but the feeling won’t manipulate us in the same way. This self-awareness will take us far, impacting not only our spending decisions of today, but also how we handle money for years to come.

In her practice as an LMSW, Shiffy Friedman realized that her knowledge in psychology was not helpful in healing the infinitely profound nefesh. An intensive search led her to discover the Torah’s direction toward a more connected life. To sign up to receive Shiffy’s weekly message on this subject, write to emotionalwellnessthroughTorah@gmail.com.

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JULY 2022 / TAMUZ 5782 / ISSUE 78

The Heat's On

WHAT'S ON THE BARBECUE MENU?

CULINARY TOOLBOX POPSICLES SIX WAYS

Rice Cooker

120 SWAP

By Yossi & Malky Levine

122 Popsicles Six Ways

By Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

109 The Heat's On

By Yossi & Malky Levine

106

115

126

Rice Cooker

By Charnie Kohn

Shalosh Seudos Wellspring Contributors

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear Cooks,

This is the season of so many wonderful things— and also watermelon stains! I’m still on the lookout for a perfect solution for the delightful colored spots that keep popping up on my kids’ clothes, thanks to cherries, plums, or freeze pops. My sister-in-law introduced me to a cute little stain-treating spray, made by the brand “Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater” (available on Amazon), which promises to zap stains on the spot. Labeled “A parental essential,” I was amazed to watch how it actually made some cherryflavored spots disappear from my son’s white T-shirt.

However, we didn’t have such good luck with post-ice cream trickles.

PINCH OF HEALTH

My thoughts as I desperately kept spraying up the speckled brand-new top? If it’s so hard to get this coloring off a shirt, what happens in the body? As much as we’re always told to beware of fruit stains on clothes, I found that this spray literally made them disappear—but not so with artificial coloring.

I have similar thoughts as I try scraping pots with melted cheese stuck to the bottom. Is that an indication of how hard the body must work to digest all that sticky gooeyness? Some research indicates that this is the case, while others conclude that the digestive juices don’t work that way. Either way, we know that foods that are high in fiber, water content, and other nutrients are always the way to go. They’re not only beneficial for digestion, but for oiling many other systems as well.

Every month in SWAP, the Levines show us how to replace one of those harder-to-digest foods with an option that’s way more helpful to the body. In this issue, lettuce wraps are in the spotlight. I find they make for a great summer lunch. Enjoy them with a filling of your choice and see how light and energized you feel after!

A wonderful summer to you all,

Esther

For a quick and easy summer treat for the kids (and even yourself), simply slip a pop stick or spoon into small yogurts and freeze as they are, in their containers. Once frozen, they’ll pop out and you’ll get to enjoy a nutritious frozen treat with virtually zero effort on your part.

Have a healthy cooking tip to share with the Wellspring community? Please send it to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

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MEVUSHAL

KOSHER FOR PASSOVER AND YEAR ROUND

The Heat’s On Sunny days are here again!

One of our favorite things about summer dinners is the option of grilling outdoors.

During this time of year, we make as many meals as possible out on the grill.

It’s great that we can take the heat and mess outside, and then have only a few utensils to wash when the meal is done. Time to fire up the grill and get cooking!

Note: These recipes work well on a grill pan too.

Hearty appetite, Yossi and Malky

Recipes, Styling, and Photography by Yossi & Malky Levine

THE HEAT'S ON

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Grilled Eggplant Rolls with Ground Beef These eggplant rolls make a great dish for backyard grilling days. They can be served as an appetizer, side, or main. Add a salad and some simple grilled veggies and dinner is done!

2 eggplants, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp chopped basil

Oil spray

8 oz tomato sauce

1 onion, diced

½ cup berry jam

1 lb ground beef

¼ cup bulgur, soaked in water

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 plum tomatoes, diced

½ tsp black pepper

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and let them rest for 45 minutes.

Heat the grill/ grill pan over medium-high heat and spray with oil. Sauté the eggplant for 2–3 minutes on each side until you get nice grill marks. Remove from grill/pan and set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onions until translucent. Add the beef and brown it until cooked through (about 10 minutes), breaking the meat up with a spoon as you go along.

Add rest of ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Place 2 tablespoons of meat mixture on the end of each eggplant slice and roll up carefully.

Serve warm.

Yields 10 servings

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THE HEAT'S ON

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Grilled Sea Bream with Pistachio Broccoli Crunch Looking to change up your typical meat BBQ dinner? Try this refreshing grilled fish dish. The pistachio broccoli cream and salad complete the dish with amazing crunch and texture.

6 sea bream fillets Salt Coarse black pepper Heat a grill/non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle oil over the fillets, just enough to coat both sides, and season with salt and coarse pepper. When grill/pan is hot, sear the sea bream, skin-side down, and fry for 3 minutes without moving, then turn over and fry for another 2 minutes.

Broccoli Salad:

Cream:

1 small head fresh broccoli, or 16 oz frozen broccoli

⅔ cup pistachios

¼ cup chopped pistachios

Broccoli stems

½ onion, chopped 1 Tbsp olive oil

½ cup water from cooked broccoli stems

½ lemon, squeezed

1 garlic clove

Dash of salt

½ tsp salt

½ tbsp agave

1 Tbsp agave

Finely chop only the top of the florets, and set aside stems for cream (see below). Add the rest of ingredients and mix well.

2 Tbsp oil

Fill a pot with salted water and cook broccoli stems until soft. Add broccoli and rest of ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Yields 6 servings

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RICE COOKER

TOOL OF THE MONTH

CULINARY TOOLBOX Even the best of chefs can mess up basic rice. Many elements have to go right to achieve a perfectly cooked and fluffy outcome. Meet the rice cooker. This gadget is exactly what its name implies: a small appliance that literally cooks rice. In many cultures where rice is an essential cooking ingredient, you won’t find a home without a rice cooker.

Is a rice cooker a worthwhile investment? I asked myself this question as I was planning this article. The short answer is, yes! I’ve been cooking for many years and rice happens to be on the list of my top five favorite foods.

The rice cooker produces results that are superior to any rice I’ve ever had.

Rice cookers can range from a basic one-button gadget to a larger one with lots of bells and whistles. Some rice cookers can even cook soups, porridges, and other dishes. The rice cooker I bought is a small one-quart gadget that is tiny but mighty. The average home cook doesn’t need a high-end rice cooker. A small, twenty-dollar rice cooker has given me excellent results.

If rice is on your menu once a week or more, a rice cooker is definitely worth looking into.

Charnie

SUSHI RICE 1 cup sushi rice or any short grain rice 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp kosher salt ⅛ teaspoon sesame oil Rinse sushi rice in cold water until water runs clear. Add all ingredients to rice cooker and set according to rice cooker’s instructions.

Recipes, Styling, and Photography by Charnie Kohn WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

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SPICY SALMON CASSEROLE

CULINARY TOOLBOX

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3 cups cooked sushi rice 1 lb. skinless salmon, diced 2 scallions, chopped 2 Tbsp lite mayonnaise 1 tsp sriracha 1 tsp salt ⅛ tsp black pepper 4 seaweed sheets (nori) 1 Tbsp spicy mayonnaise

Spread sushi rice evenly in a large pan or a few smaller ones. In a large bowl, combine diced salmon, scallions, mayonnaise, sriracha, salt, and black pepper.

Spread fish mixture over flattened rice. Crumble one sheet of nori on top and drizzle on some spicy mayonnaise.

Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes and broil for an additional 3 minutes. Cut rest of nori sheets into medium-sized squares and use as a vessel to scoop up the casserole.

TUNA POWER BOWL

CULINARY TOOLBOX

½ cup toasted sesame seeds 1 tsp salt ½ tsp garlic powder ⅛ tsp black pepper 2 Tbsp oil 1 large tuna steak 1 avocado 1 package shelled edamame 1 cucumber 1 cup sugar snap peas 3 cups cooked sushi rice

In a flat plate, gently mix toasted sesame seeds, salt, garlic, and black pepper. Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Pat tuna steak dry and sear for about one minute per side. Sear it longer if you prefer it more well-done. Once cooked, roll tuna in sesame mixture and allow to cool.

Cook edamame according to package instructions and slice up the avocado, cucumber, and sugar snap peas. Cut tuna into thin slices, making sure to cut against the grain.

Arrange all components, including the rice, in a large bowl.

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SWAP

SWA P

By Yossi & Malky Levine

Flour Tortillas

Lettuce Wraps

Skip the flour tortillas and go for lettuce wraps instead.

Aside from saving a meal’s worth of calories, lettuce wraps are way lower in carbs and sodium. Lettuce also helps you feel more energized, so you avoid that after-taco slump. It’s the absolute perfect low-carb alternative for fulfilling your taco cravings.

Lettuce Leaf Tuna Wraps When making lettuce wraps, it’s best to use romaine, butter, or iceberg lettuce. Just wash, cut, fill with your favorite ingredients, and enjoy! You can prep these as a midday snack, pack them for a picnic lunch, or serve on Shabbos afternoon.

Tip: Cut veggies into sticks for easier rolling.

Lettuce leaves Tuna Carrots Scallions Tomatoes To assemble, place tuna and veggies on a lettuce leaf, then roll up “wrap style.”

Cut in half on a diagonal and serve.

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TIDBITS

POPSICLES SIX WAYS

yB Esti As, her MS, RDN, LD 122

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

With temperatures rising and outdoor time increasing, this is the perfect moment to experiment with and enjoy homemade popsicles! Creating your popsicles is fun from start to finish; you may even have enthusiastic children eager to help—or even take over preparing them. Explore different ingredients and experience a variety of taste combinations, textures, and nutrients.

The following is a list of six delicious ingredients that will get your creative popsicle juices flowing. To a delicious, refreshing, and rejuvenating summer!

Fresh Fruit

Fruit Juice

When choosing fruit for popsicles, aim to include ripe or overripe fruit. Frozen fruit tastes slightly less sweet than at room temperature, so that’s important to keep in mind. Feel free to blend fruits and then freeze or use chopped-up fruits within a liquid. Be careful to avoid including any potential choking hazards. Also, as a shortcut to avoid washing and prepping fresh fruit, frozen fruit can be thawed and then refrozen.

For an icy and fruity popsicle, fruit juice is a quick and delicious component to include. I recommend diluting fruit juice to decrease the sugar level so it’s not too sweet. If you’re using pieces of fruit within your popsicle, they can be suspended within the fruit juice, which will look really cool.

Greek (or Other) Yogurt

Milk Alternatives

Using a yogurt base is an excellent strategy for a creamier popsicle. Keep in mind that lower-fat yogurts have a higher water percentage and will therefore feel icier when frozen. For a creamier effect, use a higher-fat yogurt such as 2 percent or whole milk.

For a pareve version of a creamy popsicle, experiment with milk alternatives such as oat, almond, coconut, and soy beverages. Coconut cream (often found in a can) is another pareve creamy option.

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TIDBITS

Mediterranean Diet May Boost Mood Countless studies have already proven the myriad of benefits of the Mediterranean diet, an eating pattern that typically includes lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, beans, whole grains, olive oil, and minimal amounts of dairy and meat. Within this specific study, the Mediterranean diet guidelines emphasized the increase consumption of fresh foods and decreased consumption of fast foods, sugar, and processed meats.

Natural Sweeteners Depending on your ingredients and taste preferences, additional sweetness may be desired. Creative and more wholesome and nutritious options of sweeteners include honey, agave syrup, maple syrup, and silan.

Dried Fruit For additional texture and bite, chop up some dried fruit and add the pieces to your popsicle mixture.

When assembling, put the solid ingredients in before the liquid.

Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Self-Care Enthusiast on a mission to help women reach their ultimate health and wellbeing potential inside and out. She shares credible, clear, and inspiring nutrition information with women via her virtual private practice. To contact Esti with feedback or inquiries regarding her nutritional services, please email her at: esti@ estiashernutrition.com or visit estiashernutrition.com.

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Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney studied 72 men aged 18–25 for 12 weeks. In their study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the men were divided into two groups. The first group was instructed to follow the guidelines of the Mediterranean diet while the second group received “befriending therapy” (i.e., social support). Fascinatingly, the men in the Mediterranean diet group scored significantly higher on the Beck Depression Inventory Scale and a quality-of-life measurement. This may be because the gut, which benefits greatly from fiber, is where most of our serotonin (a happy hormone) is made. So whether you’re looking to benefit your body or your mind, the foods emphasized within the Mediterranean diet are worth including in your day.

Cranberries for Cognition Cranberries are known to be beneficial for general heart health and for promoting the health of other systems in the body. A new study sought to determine whether cranberries affect memory. A randomized placebo-controlled study determined that the equivalent of one cup of cranberries each day correlates with increased memory function.

The research team hypothesized that this is due to the increased blood flow to parts of the brain that affect cognition. So go ahead and add some cranberries to your fruit popsicle for a boost of flavor—and cognitive function.

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In the pages of Wellspring, we share expert advice from some of the community’s most popular and competent dietitians and nutritionists. In this column, you get to see how they practice what they preach in their own kitchens. Pull up a chair at “My Table” and join the chat.

SUMMER SHABBOS Now that Shabbos ends late, what’s something delicious and filling you serve for shalosh seudos?

Shira Savit, MA, MHC, INHC

O

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We usually have spelt pitas, egg salad, tuna fish, salad (either leftover from lunch or a fresh Israeli salad), and my son’s favorite: corn chips with salsa.

Shani Taub, CDC

Compiled by Shiffy Friedman

Q

My summer shalosh seudos treat is this healthier cheesecake.

1 cup farmer cheese 1 80-calorie vanilla yogurt 1 whole egg

2 egg whites 3 packs sweetener Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend all ingredients, transfer to a pan, and bake for 45 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until lentils are fully softened and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Lentil Burgers

Transfer to a medium bowl with remaining broth and mash well with a potato masher. Set aside.

Ingredients: 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed and strained 2 cups water or vegetable broth 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 1 large red onion, finely chopped 1 Tbsp lemon juice, optional ¼ tsp salt 8 oz spinach 4 garlic cubes 1½ tsp black pepper ½ tsp ground cumin

Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.

Add chopped onion, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring until softened, about 6 minutes. Add spinach, garlic, 1½ teaspoons black pepper, and cumin, and stir for about 3 minutes.

Add spinach mixture and breadcrumbs to lentils and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs Preheat oven to low broil. Divide mixture into 8, form patties, and Cooking spray spray on each side.

Instructions:

Grill for about 3 minutes per side.

Bring lentils and 1¾ cups of broth Serve with baby arugula, to a boil in a medium saucepan roasted red bell peppers, and over high heat. spicy mustard.

Shaindy Oberlander, BS, INHC

Tanya Rosen, MS, CPT

T

I love to serve lentil burgers during shalosh seudos. They can easily be heated up on the hot plate, taste great, and are very filling. Enjoy!

W

I typically treat myself to a coffee and a treat Shabbos afternoon, and I advise every single client of mine to do the same since Shabbos is a special day. Come shalosh seudos, I don’t need a heavy meal, but I do try to incorporate all necessary food groups into my meal: carbs, healthy fats, proteins, and veggies. Here are some options: • Salad with Mexican cheese blend and a matzah • Tuna, salad, and matzah • Feta cheese salad and matzah • Avocado, salad, and matzah

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Shiffy Friedman

Esti Asher, MS, RDN, LD

MY TABLE

W

My family and I prefer a light yet satisfying shalosh seudos.

We love having a big green salad, cut-up vegetables, a variety of dips, leftover chicken cut into strips, and wraps.

This create-your-own chicken salad/wrap feels laid-back, yet delicious and healthy, leaving us feeling satisfied and not uncomfortably full. While I do often utilize leftovers, I make an effort to include something new that is specifically designated for shalosh seudos, such as a fresh dip or salad.

One dip that is a staple at our Shabbos table is a roasted red pepper dip. I simply wash and cut up red peppers and roast them in the oven on a high temperature with oil and salt. Once the peppers are very roasted (including some charred spots), I let them cool and then blend with an immersion blender. Feel free to add some additional oil, depending on the texture you prefer.

I

Since we usually spend this time of Shabbos in the park, I cut up lots of peppers and cucumbers and have the kids snack on those while they’re playing. I find that when they’re outdoors and active, they’re excited to eat real food, especially if it’s colorful and handy. Along with snacks and cookies, I also take along almonds, matzah, and yogurts. Once we get home, I can sit down to my own variation of these foods knowing that the kids are full.

Bina Gottdiener, CN, CHC

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With Shabbos ending so late, I utilize shalosh seudos as my time to eat dinner. I prepare extra salmon (same as for Friday night), slaws, and roasted veggies for this purpose.

Often, I have unexpected guests on Friday night, which leaves me without leftovers, so in a pinch I prepare tuna and pepper for myself. I usually keep some tuna salad in the fridge (no mayo, just some reserved water, Dijon mustard, celery bits, and some chopped egg white with spices) and stuff it into a bell pepper. Yum and full of protein!

WELLSPRING / JULY 2022

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Product of USA

RANDOM

Age: 32 Location: currently Loch Sheldrake, NY

Questions

Occupation: Day Camp Director

for

Nechami P.

My favorite exercise Spinach with lots and lots of sautéed garlic

One misconception I used

Now during the summer, I’m in the pool doing laps at 8 a.m., so I’m ready to roll and fully energized when camp starts at 9:30.

to have about health

That it’s only for certain “types”.

One interesting thing I’ve learned about health Honestly, that some things never get easier, like always having wholesome dishes to put on the table. There are definitely hacks, but it usually takes at least some effort on my part to make healthy meals happen.

Healthy supper in a pinch

One food I avoid at all costs Even though I’m a kid at heart, the answer would be candy that gets stuck in my teeth.

Now in the summer, grilling is the way to go. I marinate loads of chicken cutlets on Monday morning and that gives me enough for filling dinners the rest of the week.

Whenever you have an opportunity to move, go for it. Take a brisk walk while you’re on the phone, do jumping jacks or squats with the kids when the music is on—you get the gist.

Physical activity gives us so much energy!

WELLSPRING / TAMUZ 5782

To answer these questions for an upcoming issue, please write to info@wellspringmagazine.com, subject title “Random.”

My favorite health food

Family: 3 kids

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