Wellspring Issue #30

WEALTH OF HEALTH CONFERENCE WITH AVRUMI GROSSBERG OF FER-REAL FOODS

SUMMER PROJECT IS BACK!

PRESERVING PLENTY How the fermentation process packs in the probiotics Plus! A how-to guide to fermenting in your own kitchen

HOW DO I PRONOUNCE ACAI? Why this tiny berry snags the top spot on the superfood list

KASHRUS PITFALLS Not all supplements that look kosher are kosher.

10RABBIQUESTIONS DOVID DEWICK OF MAGEN AVROHOM

FAST RIGHT

The ray of light for individuals struggling with anorexia

Before and after tips by Laura Shammah

Brought to you by:

ISSUE 30 JULY 2018 TAMUZ 5778 ALL IN A SUMMER'S DAY FROZEN TREATS FOR EVERY PALATE

NEW

Infant Formula with Iron

The first & only BADATZ-CERTIFIED infant formula registered for sale in the US

CHOLOV YISROEL

BRAND

INFANT FORMULA

Badatz-certified toddler drink also available

Actual Size

Think outside the (juice) box.

W E N

AR ADDED G U NLY -----------

O

----

S

-------------

CA L O RI E

E

E

-------------------------

80 ---

NO S

SPOON INSIDE

F AT F R

-- -

Ezra Medical Center

at our NEW second location!

Walk-Ins Welcome!

1278 60th Street Brooklyn, NY 11219 EzraMedical.org

Women’s Health

“My goal is to give patients the highest level of care possible.”

Meet Dr. Pedram Bral Dr. Bral serves as Ezra’s chief of OB/GYN with over 20 years’ experience, and specializes in minimally invasive surgeries.

Editor In Chief Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC Nutritional Advisory Board Jack Friedman, PhD • Moshe Weinberger • Mimi Schweid Yaakov Goodman • Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Nutrition Contributors Dr. Rachael Schindler • Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT Shani Taub, CDC • Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE Beth Warren, RDN Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC • Esther Fried, PFC Feature Editors Rochel Gordon • Liba Solomon, CNWC Copy Editors Gila Zemmel • Faige Badian Food Editor Esther Frenkel

At Ezra,

expect more.

Food Styling & Photography Yossi & Malky Levine Creative Director Rivky Schwartz Store Distribution Motty Srugo 718-496-1364 Write To Us: 670 Myrtle Ave. Suite 389 Brooklyn, NY 11205 info@wellspringmagazine.com www.wellspringmagazine.com The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by Maxi-Health Research LLC. 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 purposed 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.

1278 60th St Brooklyn, NY

718.741.7100

Hours: Monday 9-8 Tuesday 9-5

Wednesday 9-5 Thursday 9-5 Friday 9-2

Find The Wellspring as a monthly insert in Ami Magazine or at your local pharmacy or health food store.

For the PDF version and for back issues, visit www.wellspringmagazine.com Production: www.mediaotg.com

From the Editor

Dear Readers, The first time I engaged in the process of fermentation (sans reference to this sophisticated term) was as a high school freshie. Always eager for some extra-curricular action, our ninth grade class excitedly embarked on a pickle-making odyssey. Into the Mason jar on the teacher’s desk went our cucumbers, garlic cloves, salt, water, and dill— too much dill. Until today, I remember our disappointment when we finally, finally unscrewed the lid of the jar we’d been eyeing hungrily during those will-this-ever-end double periods only to bite into pickles that looked absolutely perfect but tasted overwhelmingly dilly. (Herbs were not the in thing in those pre-Wellspring days, don’t forget.)

For two whole weeks, I remember, the pickle jars remained atop our locker closet, tightly sealed. That, we erroneously believed, was key to the pickling process. Today, after doing a fair dose of research and interviews on the topic, I’ve learned that quite the opposite is standard procedure in fermentation. We were actually lucky that we weren’t hit by a garlic-dill explosion, the aromas of which wouldn’t do much good for our already windowless, airless adolescent haven. (Thanks, Toby G., for the miasmal reminder!)

As experts concur, a vital part of the fermentation process is to release the pressure inside the vessel by unlatching the lid every day or so. This allows for the emission of carbon dioxide, which the live bacteria produce as they flourish. (This explains why, when we recently left two jars of pickles to ferment on top of our refrigerator in our home before leaving on a two-week trip to the States, I returned home to the pungent aroma of garlic and the sight of brine streaks along the refrigerator wall.)

Because the bacteria in fermented vegetables are alive, they need their space to breathe. I couldn’t help but think of my children, when fermentation expert Sandor Katz said those words to me during our interview for this issue’s cover feature, “Preserving Plenty.” Why do we have the need to quiet every kvetch, to shush every cry? Our children are living, breathing beings that deserve their space, their opportunity for self-expression.

The child who loves to daydream doesn’t have to “snap out of it” so he can grow up to be a clone of his older brother.

That’s what makes him unique; that’s what makes him him. And telling a child who expresses fear not to be afraid doesn't do anything to take the fear away.

When I sat at the graduation of my dear seminary students two days later, this thought was on my mind again. I observed with pride how much these young women grew, thanks to the balance of direction and independence they were given. An essential part of our chinuch as parents and educators, I realized, is to give our charges this space to breathe.

I recently discussed with a friend how too many in our society subconsciously laud suppressing emotions. Based on conversations I’ve had with various people, including clients, it seems that many find it heroic for a mother who lost her child not to shed a tear, for someone struggling with a painful challenge not to express any sign of distress.

When I asked my husband if suppressing emotions (not to be confused with resilience) was perhaps a Torah value I was unaware of, he opened the pages of Mesillas Yesharim to provide the clarity I was seeking.

I won’t turn this column into another “Torah Wellspring,” but briefly put, the Ramchal brilliantly explains (in reference to anger) that the only right way to truly move past what we’re feeling is to allow ourselves to express it.

Acknowledging and expressing pain, according to the Chazon Ish, is in no way a contradiction to the belief that it’s for our good. In this issue’s “Emotional Wellness” column, Drs. Gavi Hoffnung and David Rosmarin discuss another angle of this topic, describing the power of accepting our emotions.

Summertime provides countless opportunities for our children to express their independence and uniqueness.

These slower-paced days are not only a great time to foster their creativity, but also give us parents a chance to look inward and pay attention to the messages we convey. Oh, and there’s no better time than now to try your first batch of homemade sour pickles! Check out this issue’s feature for recipes and instructions.

To a happy, healthy summer,

Shiffy Friedman

shiffy@wellspringmagazine.com

Well-Put!

“Although eating disorders share features with other addictive conditions, there is one major difference: an alcoholic or gambler can be told to abstain from alcohol or avoid gambling, but a person cannot avoid eating,” says Rabbi Dovid Dewick of Magen Avrohom. In this issue’s Dedicated to Health on page 28, Rabbi Dewick discusses what it’s like to help those struggling with anorexia and their families.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 7

Contents

ISSUE #30

JULY 2018 - TAMUZ 5778 WELL INFORMED

TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman WELLNESS PLATFORM

By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels SECRETS OF A KOSHER DIETITIAN

By Beth Warren, RDN HEALTH UPDATES IN THE NEWS

By Rikki Samson FIGURES

By Miriam Katz WEALTH OF HEALTH Conference with Avrumi Grossberg

By Sarah Weinberger HEALTH ED Fast Right

By Judy Leiber, CNC DEDICATED TO WEALTH Rabbi Dovid Dewick

By Chana Dunner

12 14 16 18 20 22 26 28

LIVING WELL ASK THE NUTRITIONIST Dairy in my Diet

By Shani Taub, CDC IN GOOD SHAPE Knee-Injury Workout

By Syma Kranz, PFC COVER FEATURE Preserving Plenty

By Shiffy Friedman HEALTH PROFILE Client: Eli

By Esther Steinmetz AT THE DIETITIAN IBD and Autoimmunity

By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE MONTHLY DOSE Curcumin

By Yaakov Goodman 8 The Wellspring | July 2018

30 32 34 60 62 64

EAT WELL

43 52 55 56 58

SEASONED All in a Summer's Day

By Yossi & Malky Levine THYME FOR DINNER

By Shiffy Friedman POTS + PLANTS

By Naomi Hazan TIDBITS IN THE NEWS

By Liba Solomon, CNWC NUTRITION FACTS IN A SHELL This Month: Acai Berry

By Devorah Isaacson

WELLBEING

68 71 72

CHILD DEVELOPEMENT Preventing Brain Drain

By Batsheva Fine EMOTIONAL WELLNESS Accepting Negative Emotions

By Gavi Hoffnung, PhD, & David Rosmarin, PhD CLEAN SLATE Numbers Don't Count

By Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC

AGE WELL

75 76

GOLDEN PAGE

By Yaakov Goodman SAGE ADVICE

By Aliza Simon

INKWELL

78 DIARY

By Devorah Ackerman The next issue of The Wellspring will appear iy”H on August 15th.

Springboard

Letters oils. Some companies sell oils at exorbitant prices. For instance, Thieves Oil could run at $65 for a ½ oz. bottle, and a 5 ml. bottle of PanAway® Oil can go for $48. These oils are available from other companies, in stores and online, for a fraction of the cost. I have tried both types, and the effects are identical.

Keep up your great work in providing highly informative content through a truly appealing means.

Fay Klein Florida

ing to you. Where can she find the magazine in Eretz Yisrael? And how can I get a copy of that article?

Leah Nemetsky Editor’s response: Thank you for the positive feedback, Leah. Although hard copies of the magazine aren’t currently distributed outside the U.S. and Canada, the PDF format of all back issues is available online at www.wellspringmagazine.com.

Flummoxed by Flaxseeds Smoother Digestion

[Issue #28: Monthly Dose] Yaakov Goodman wrote that due to poor lifestyle choices, many people have a hard time digesting gluten and milk. A doctor told me that gluten intolerance is due to GMOs (genetically modified organisms) found in many foods, including flours, we consume. Since the body doesn’t recognize GMOs as food, these substances cause damage.

Your readers may appreciate to know that the flour that’s imported from Eretz Yisrael is non-GMO and can be purchased in local grocery stores in New York. It is pre-sifted and has “non-GMO” clearly written on the bag. They also sell farfel and other packaged grains from Eretz Yisrael, which I understand are also non-GMO. Perhaps you can provide a good bread recipe so those of us using non-GMO flour can have healthy bread on a daily basis.

The stores sell what the consumers want to buy. I hope there will be a change for the better.

G. S. Brooklyn, New York

Word of Caution Regarding Essential Oils [Issue #26: A Whiff of Aromatherapy]

Thanks for the lovely article on essential oils. I went out and bought many of the oils you recommended and tried some of your recipes.

I want to bring to your readers’ attention that it’s important to be a smart consumer when shopping for essential

10 The Wellspring | July 2018

I’ve Calmed Down

[Issue #29: Health Platform] I thoroughly enjoy The Wellspring, from cover to cover every month. Having gained an appreciation for natural health intervention over the years, I appreciate the well-researched, illuminating articles regarding nutritional supplements, many of which I was tempted to purchase, with excellent results.

In particular, I found Rabbi Meisels’ coverage of Maxi Health’s supplement Maxi Calm™ to be accurate, informative, and helpful. I’ve been using the supplement for several months now, after having gone through an anxiety-ridden patch, and have been very pleased with the results. I found it interesting to read how each of the ingredients in the supplement work in promoting relaxation in the body.

Keep the articles coming!

Tzivia L. Far Rockaway

The Wellspring in Eretz Yisrael [Issue #26: Cover Feature]

Issue #26 features a most interesting and informative article on essential oils

by Shiffy Friedman. It was so interesting that my daughter in Israel asked me to send it to her, which is why I’m writ-

[Issue #20: Cover Feature]

I love your magazine!

I have a question regarding diverticulosis. As someone who has this condition, I would like to know if flaxseeds are permitted in my diet.

M. Solomon Liba Solomon, CNWC, responds: Not only are flaxseeds permitted for people with diverticulosis, but they may be helpful in treating the condition. Since flaxseeds contain fiber, they work as a laxative, softening stool and speeding transit time through the intestine. The recommended amount for daily consumption is 15 grams of ground flaxseeds per day.

Seeking Emotional Eating Explanation [Issue #29: Cup of Tea with Shira Sav]

Thank you for a wonderful magazine.

One line in the incredible interview with Shira Savit left me confused. She says “There is no difference in eating a tub of ice cream to alleviate her discomfort or a celery stick. They are both considered emotional eating.” I think that someone who chooses the healthier option should be applauded. What is considered a healthy distraction when feeling a specific emotion? Wouldn’t snack-

invites readers to submit letters and comments via regular mail or email to info@wellspringmagazine.com. Please include your name, address and phone number. 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.

ing on something light and healthy be comparable to listening to music for relaxation?

Thanks again for everything, Shaindy Eating Psychology and Nutrition Consultant Shira Savit responds: Thank you for your excellent question, Shaindy. I agree with you that from the perspective of basic nutritional guidelines, healthier food choices are of course always preferable. However, regarding emotional eating, making healthier food choices doesn’t change the fact that a person is eating for emotional reasons. When there is an emotional hunger, physical food will typically not satiate the eater, whether the food is considered healthy or not.

Generally, emotional eating has a negative connotation; it’s an “unhealthy” or “bad” way to eat. However, it can be used in a healthy way. An important message that I convey to my clients is to view emotional eating as a choice. If someone is stressed out and consciously eats a cookie or a piece of cake to alleviate their discomfort, this can be fine.

Emotional eating becomes a problem when it is one’s main coping mechanism in a particular situation, or worse, in all situations. And the real danger is when it becomes the only coping mechanism, as I find with many of my clients. If turning to food is the only way to deal with negative or even positive

emotions, then a person is not making a choice. That’s when emotional eating makes people feel stuck or trapped.

Many people numb or distract themselves with food in order to avoid uncomfortable feelings. It’s important to note that even a “positive” feeling, such as happiness, can be uncomfortable for someone. But for those who choose to eat emotionally and be aware of their feelings, emotional eating can, in fact, be positive.

Food can be a healthy distraction when experiencing an emotion, when one makes a conscious decision to eat.

This means one must identify the feeling and then, with awareness, choose to eat whatever they like at that time, and actually enjoy it. This reduces or eliminates the negative feelings associated with emotional eating. I agree that snacking on something and listening to music can both be positive outlets.

The point is that food should not be the only distraction; it is crucial to learn other coping mechanisms. When I work with someone who is struggling with emotional eating, I try to develop a set of alternatives based on the specific emotion that they are dealing with, so that emotional eating does not become their default mode. Examples of healthy distractions are journaling, calling a friend, taking a hot shower, organizing a closet, taking a walk, or reading a magazine.

Sometimes, regardless of whether or not the outlet is food related, these types of distractions may not suffice

in dealing with emotions. That is when digging deeper and exploring the root of the feeling is essential. My clients learn to develop methods that work for them, because each person is an individual.

Women’s Issues

[Issue #27: Springboard] I deeply appreciate the information you offered regarding Maxi Health’s Pure C Bio™ for women. Until I read that letter from a fellow reader, I hadn’t known that this natural product existed for an issue I’d been struggling with for a while. I immediately started taking it and found relief very quickly.

I feel it would be helpful to inform women of something I wasn’t aware of that caused me to feel quite unwell and made me go for lots of unnecessary testing. When a woman is taking hormonal manipulation medication for an extended period of time, she should never stop suddenly. While the hormonal upheaval may be simple for some, it can be really difficult for others, as it was my case. It’s critical to get advice from your doctor during the weaning process.

Thank you for addressing these important women’s issues and please keep the advice coming. We could use it.

Name withheld

Quick Question

Feel free to shoot us your health-related question to receive an answer from one of the health experts at the Wellspring.

Question: I’ve been suffering severely from chronic migraine headaches for a long time. I find that the headaches are even stronger when I’m in the sun or on humid days. This condition is seriously interfering with my daily life. Although I’m generally not one to take medication or even natural herbs, I’ll be glad to try whatever you suggest.

Response: I’m sorry to hear that you have been suffering from chronic migraines for such a long time. There are some great natural remedies that would be of benefit to you.

Migraine Max™ is a supplement from Maxi Health that contains magnesium, to relax muscular tension; vitamin B6; Co Q10 to aid circulation; and bromelain, which aids in digestion, a possible underlying cause of your migraines. You may also benefit from changing your diet, eliminating wheat and whole wheat, chocolate, and caffeine.

You mention that your migraines worsen when you’re in the sun, which indicates that you may be experiencing these headaches due to dehydration. When you spend time in the heat, you must increase your fluid intake considerably.

You may also benefit from yoga or deep breathing exercises on a regular basis to decrease your stress levels, another significant cause of migraine headaches.

Miriam Schweid, nutritional consultant

Well Informed

Torah Wellspring: Emotional Health By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

FEELING GRATEFUL WHY IT'S DIFFICULT TO THANK HASHEM FOR HIS BLESSINGS

The following is a letter we received from a reader regarding the Torah Wellspring column.

Dear Rabbi Friedman, After I read the article in which you described how transformative it is to designate ten minutes every day to thank Hashem, I felt it was something I really need in my life. In my moment of inspiration, I made a kabbalah to do this every single day for an entire month. True to my word, I haven’t stopped for the past ten days. While this sounds impressive, honestly, I can’t wait for the month to be over. I have two issues with this practice that I hope you can help me solve.

First, it’s simply very hard for me to sit down for ten minutes and thank Hashem. I don’t know why I’m finding it so difficult to express my gratitude to Him, but as soon as I start thanking, I feel uncomfortable with all the blessings I have in my life. And, even when I do bring myself to do it, it’s basically lip service. I must admit that I definitely don’t thank Hashem with a heart full of joy. Instead, I feel like I’m not really there.

I want to understand why it’s so hard for me and why I feel so disconnected.

I

Wants to get it right

Rabbi Friedman’s response:

I’m happy to see that readers like you are taking the content of this column as practical guidance. As the mussar sefarim

12 The Wellspring | July 2018

benefits.

tell us, the point is not to merely learn, but rather to apply the ideas we learn to our lives in a practical way.

I was especially happy to read that you undertook this practice as a firm kabbalah. This measure will ensure you remain committed.

I didn’t mention it in the last article, but it’s an important point which I thank you for raising. In order for a person to succeed in anything, our sefarim teach, he must commit to it as a kabbalah, not simply something he’ll try to do when he’s up to it. Because you’ve approached this exercise in the right way, you will be’ezras Hashem reap the

Thank you for your important question.

I appreciate your sincerity regarding your

feelings and I hope this response will transform thanking Hashem into a joyful practice.

When we need to reach out for help, we will first turn to someone who is closest to us, such as a spouse, parent, or sibling.

We understand that since that person loves us, they’re happy to do something for our benefit. It’s almost as if they’re doing themselves a favor by making us happy. It’s harder to accept a favor from a stranger, because people don’t like feeling indebted. Once that person does the favor, we now owe him something. Unless we have true self-esteem, which requires inner work (a topic for later discussion), we will thus avoid situations that leave us feeling beholden.

In order not to have to feel indebted, we tend to do one of several things. We may thank out of politeness but justify to ourselves why we’re not truly indebted: “He had to drive through my street anyway,” “She was anyway cooking for her family,” “He loves being an askan.” Other ways we circumvent this feeling are by not thanking, or by not asking for favors at all. Applying this to our exercise, when we express thanks to Hashem, such as during these designated ten minutes, we’re forced to stop and acknowledge what He does for us. In other words, we’re allowing ourselves to feel indebted, which is difficult.

In line with this, when you sit down to thank Hashem and start thinking about all the blessings in your life, you may start to feel incredibly indebted. Very likely, the thought that follows is, “I owe Hashem so much.” You feel you don’t deserve all the goodness Hashem sends your way. Of course, this turns the practice of thanking Him into a difficult, painful chore.

To counter this, we need to develop our appreciation that Hashem gives to us purely due to His tremendous love for us, and is independent of our actions. There are several reasons behind the inability to acknowledge that Hashem gives us purely from a place of love. The first is if we have guilt feelings regarding our relationship with Him, either because we’re committing aveiros or we committed aveiros in the past. For both, engaging in the various parts of teshuvah is the first step in repairing the relationship. If we are not careful with shemiras hamitzvos, guilt is understandable. That’s what guilt is for!

If we committed aveiros in the past but are currently doing our best, we must strengthen our belief in the power of teshuvah. The Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuvah that a person who repents is transformed from being soiled to being pure. It’s well worth studying this chapter to see the Rambam’s words regarding this topic.

Another reason we might have a hard time connecting to the idea that Hashem wants to shower us with blessings is if we have a misconception about the way Hakadosh Baruch Hu runs His world.

When we believe and feel that we’re Hashem’s child and that He loves us, thanking Him isn’t an unpleasant experience. In the same way we understand that our parents want to do us a favor, and thus feel most comfortable turning to them in times of need, acknowledging all the blessings Hashem showers us with doesn’t leave us feeling unpleasantly indebted.

We need to internalize the belief that Hashem loves to help us and to shower us with good, as Chazal teach. For this, it is helpful to learn Chovos HaLevavos or any sefer that highlights the purpose of this

world, which is that Hashem wants to bestow good upon us, that He loves us more than our parents do. Once we understand this, we won’t have a hard time thanking Him, because we’ll understand that He’s giving us all these blessings with love and joy.

To recognize the abundance of love with which Hashem grants the blessings in our life, let’s take a look at the words of the berachah acharonah we say on a constant basis, “Borei nefashos rabbos vechesronan, He created many creatures and their deficits.” The Rashba (Berachos) notes that Hashem could have created us as perfect beings lacking nothing. But the reason He created us “with deficits,” such as the need for food, clothing, parnassah, etc., is so that He can fill them for us. That’s the extent to which He desires to give!

To sum it up, the two questions you are asking are essentially one and the same.

Because you’re afraid to feel indebted, thanking is difficult for you. However, once you realize that Hashem is showering you with these blessings from a place of love, you will no longer feel guilty or indebted when expressing gratitude to Him, and you’ll engage in this practice with a heart full of love and joy.

My advice to you is to spend time learning about the love Hashem has for you, and to keep thanking Him every day and asking for siyata d’Shmaya in truly feeling His closeness to you.

I’m confident that your desire will bring you hatzlachah, as Chazal say, “Haba letaheir mesayin oso, One who desires to be cleansed is helped by Above.” May Hakadosh Baruch Hu give you the wisdom and ability to connect to the love He has for you. Once you live with this belief, your life will change.

When you sit down to thank Hashem and start thinking about all the blessings in your life, you may start to feel incredibly indebted. Very likely, the thought that follows is, “I owe Hashem so much.”

Wellness Platform By Rabbi Hirsch Meisels

CALM DOWN

I

A natural intervention for reducing anxiety (Part II)

In the last article, I examined the evidence-based research of two powerful ingredients in the anxiety-reducing nutritional supplement Maxi Calm™.

In this article, we’ll focus on the last two ingredients to understand how they too play a role in reducing anxiety and promoting better sleep and inner calm.

Valerian root, a perennial flowering plant native to Europe and Asia, also plays a role in secreting GABA, the neurotransmitter in the brain that promotes a state of calm. Researchers offer dissenting explanations as to how valerian root operates, but they all conclude that it ultimately supports relaxation.

In my research of this plant, I encountered various studies on how valerian root plays a role in decreasing insomnia, the condition that not only affects a person’s night but his day as well. This sleep disorder, which occurs when the brain is too awake, necessitates an intervention that calms the brain. Indeed, studies conducted using valerian root against a placebo found that subjects who took valerian root exhibited a greater ability to fall asleep and experienced better sleep quality, which automatically helps with anxiety and fears.

Other studies found that in the first 14 days, the results of the placebo group were no different than those of the experimental group. However, when the trial reached the 28-day mark, the contrast between results was stark. These findings indicate that it’s important to give a valerian root intervention for approximately four weeks before effects such as improved sleep quality kick in.

Clinical trials that were performed with valerian root versus sleep medi-

cation found that while both groups had an easier time falling asleep thanks to the intervention, subjects in the valerian root group woke up more refreshed, as opposed to the other subjects who woke up drowsy and experiencing brain fog.

St. John’s wort, an herbal remedy, has been proven to be effective in treating both depression and anxiety. As I’ve mentioned various times, we see the incredible wonders of Hashem’s natural healing interventions in that they often have the capacity to function in two seemingly opposing ways, as opposed to conventional medicine, which generally has only one targeted function.

For example, while people who struggle with anxiety may become restless and thus require an intervention that promotes relaxation, those dealing with depression become lethargic and fatigued and thus require a stimulant intervention. It’s hard to imagine that one solution would work for both conditions, but studies indicate that herbal remedies like St. John’s wort do offer this benefit.

As a side note, when someone who exhibits symptoms of depression takes an anti-depressant from the SSRI class, the serotonin in the drug induces wakefulness. Studies reveal that this may cause the person to then exhibit symptoms of bipolar disorder. As a result, the person who started off with one problem ends up with two: depression and anxiety, which then necessitates another medication in order to regain stability in the body, which doesn’t necessarily happen.

While analyzing studies regarding St. John’s wort, I was awed at the remarkable benefits research-based evidence has found on this herb as an intervention for both seemingly opposite conditions.

For instance, a 2008 meta-analysis regarding the efficacy of a placebo ver-

sus St. John’s wort found that the experimental intervention significantly increased serotonin levels in the body.

A clinical trial conducted in 2009 found that when compared to an intervention of anti-depressant medication for subjects with mild to moderate symptoms, St. John’s wort was equally effective in reducing the symptoms, perhaps due to its incredible anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Interestingly, for subjects with severe symptoms of depression, findings revealed that St. John’s wort was not more effective than the placebo—but neither was the medication. In other words, it’s as powerful as medications as Zoloft and Prozac. Various other studies found that whenever medication helped, so did St. John’s wort.

Similarly, St. John’s wort proved to be helpful in reducing the symptoms of subjects struggling with SAD, seasonal affective disorder. A clinical trial on an OCD population also found that those subjects who took St. John’s wort twice daily for 12 weeks experienced improved symptoms.

In 2008, one researcher who collected data from 29 trials found that even for major depression, St. John’s wort was more effective than the placebo. Depression and anxiety are experienced by each person in a very individual way, and what works for one person may not work for another. Natural intervention is definitely an avenue worth exploring. However, it’s important to note that before starting supplementation and/ or medication, a professional should be consulted. May Hashem help us all lead calm, content lives and have a relaxed, peaceful summer.

In this column, Rabbi Hirsch Meisels, a renowned expert on healthy living, delivers vital health information culled from his years of experience as the founder and director of FWD, Friends With Diabetes. The information was originally transcribed from his lectures on his hotline, Kol Beri’im.

14 The Wellspring | July 2018

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Well Informed

Well Informed

Research-Based Recommendations By Beth Warren, RDN

SECRETS OF A KOSHER DIETITIAN Secrets are something not properly understood. They are a valid but not commonly known or recognized method of achieving or maintaining something, according to Google. I’ve had success in my private practice with clients who want to achieve successful weight loss long term by exposing secrets I uncovered as a kosher dietitian. By working through easily overlooked or underestimated aspects critical for weight loss and keeping it off, you can finally break-free of yo-yo dieting and live a healthier, happier life. In this column, I share the secrets to weight loss success that may surprise you.

SECRET #4: REFOCUS YOUR FOCUS ON THE SCALE

It’s easy to become addicted to a number on the scale and its natural daily fluctuations. However, similar to focusing on calories when reading a nutrition facts label, which portrays only a general picture, focusing on the scale tells only part of the story of your weight loss success.

There are many factors that contribute to weight, including fat, lean muscle, skeletal muscle, water, and bone. My plan is guaranteed to cause fat loss, sustain or build lean muscle, and increase your metabolic rate, the factors that cause you to look slimmer and fitter.

As I explained in my book, Secrets of a Kosher Girl (Post Hill Press, June 2018), when I bump into people who haven’t seen me since I was pregnant or soon after I gave birth, they frequently comment on how much weight I’ve lost. While flattered, I quickly explain that although I lost my baby weight of about 44 pounds for the fifth time, I’m not at my lowest weight. I clarify that I’m at my fittest. With the bioelectrical impedance analysis of InBody that we use at Beth Warren Nutrition (BWN), I was able to track the progress on my plan and uncover that I, along with my clients, lost fat, boosted lean muscle mass, and increased my resting metabolic rate. Results like

these are what makes my weight loss more noticeable, more sustainable, and therefore, more worth it.

There is no shame in giving yourself the necessary self-talk multiple times to drag your attention away from the scale. Consistently remind yourself that achieving a certain weight does not mean you’ll look the way you want. Weighing yourself is important in gauging a part of the success of the plan, but it’s far from everything. Talking yourself through the urge to constantly jump on the scale will help you resist and be more successful on your weight loss journey by boosting your morale and keeping your progress positive.

I advise a weekly weigh-in during the phase of weight loss, and once per month during maintenance, if any. I find that clients who weigh themselves more than once per week do not stick to one diet. This seemingly-innocent act is a significant barrier to weight loss success. If the weigh-in is causing anxiety, throw the scale out altogether and gauge your progress by how you feel, by the measurements of your waist and hips, or pay attention to how your clothes fit. No one imagines themselves feeling thinner than they are; we are our own worst critics. If you start to feel it, you are looking it. Trust yourself, not a number.

To schedule a nutrition appointment with Beth in the Brooklyn, NYC, NJ locations or virtually, or book an appearance, email beth@ bethwarrennutrition.com or call 347-292-1725. Most insurances accepted. You can also follow her Instagram for healthy eating motivation and recipes @beth_warren

16 The Wellspring | July 2018

YOUR BABY HAS GREAT TASTE.

’

-

‫חלב ישראל‬

Well Informed

Health Updates in the News By Rikki Samson

KASHRUS ALERT

Just because it has a hechsher doesn’t always mean it’s kosher collagen protein powder was recommended on social media and in print, it was learned that despite the prominent hashgachah on the product’s label, the product was not certified by that agency at all.

Since health-minded Yidden are always on the lookout for the best products on the kosher market, they were initially glad to learn about this particular powder. In addition to the product being free of dairy, nuts, and eggs, which are common allergens for different people, it offered many other health benefits due to its collagen content. Relatively well priced, as well, this powder was available on Amazon.

To boot, it had a reliable kosher symbol on the front, and another marking on the back attesting to the certification.

It looked like a win-win product on all ends.

When a picture of this protein powder was recently recommended on social media and people questioned its kashrus due to the collagen content, they received the reply that since it does have a reliable kosher symbol, it’s permitted for use.

However, when the product was recently recommended in print, a discerning reader sent a message questioning the kashrus of the product, which comes from an animal source. The influx of inquiries regarding the kashrus of this product continued, at which the certifying agency was asked to enlighten the public. After several back-and-forth communications, a rabbi at the agency informed the interested parties that although the collagenproducing company does have other products certified by their supervision, this particular product indeed was not. To their credit, the agency whose mark was used moved swiftly into action to ensure that the kosher community was aware of the issue, and that the agency upholds its strict level of kashrus.

Since our health is important to us, the choice of foods we consume on a daily basis is generally aligned with our commitment to healthy living. As frum Jews, however, nutritional content is not the only factor we focus on; it’s secondary to kashrus, our number one priority.

While the halachos pertaining to kashrus may be complex, we’re privileged to live in an era in which we place our trust in highly-qualified kashrus agencies which do the research for us. Thanks to their dedication to this important cause, the kosher health food market offers an abundant, colorful variety of foods, snacks, and even nutritional supplements.

However, while very rare, there can be instances in which a product sports a kosher symbol but may not be supervised by that agency, one of which recently occurred. After a particular

18 The Wellspring | July 2018

To clarify, the collagen protein powder was in the process of being certified by a hechsher which may not be accepted in Orthodox circles. It seems that since many of the products of this company were certified by the Orthodox hechsher, a mistake was made in the printing of the labels of the collagen product, and this certifying agency’s mark was inadvertently placed on the product.

Since collagen powder is not a very popular item, this error hadn’t been noticed until it was recommended on social media and in print.

Within the same day that the discovery was made, the certifying agency jumped on the issue with sincere cooperation from the collagen company, who removed all pictures of the certified products from Amazon and recalled

all containers sporting the symbol. They also issued an apology, stating that they were offering refunds to anyone who had already purchased the product.

When people who had already used the product learned of this discovery, they were understandably concerned. Many wanted to know what to do with the equipment that had come into contact with the powder.

Shortly thereafter, the agency whose symbol was used issued a statement declaring that since the product is kosher bedieved, albeit not according to Orthodox kashrus standards, the keilim did not require any kashering process, whether they were used for hot or cold. Of course, however, they stated that use of the product should be discontinued. Thanks to the certifying agency’s diligence and responsibility toward the kosher community, people’s minds were put at ease.

Incredibly, there are millions of kosher certified products in the marketplace. Of course, the certifying agencies take precautionary measures to ensure that errors like this don’t happen, but these issues do come up just once or twice a year, which is impressive relative to the number of products overseen.

How can a kosher consumer be sure that the product they’re about to use isn’t one of these few exceptions? Kashrus organizations learn of these few-and-far-between issues not only through their careful diligence but thanks to the vigilance of consumers. If you buy a product that has questionable ingredients but has kosher certification, as an educated consumer, contact the applicable certifying agency to question the issue.

This episode serves as an illuminating experience on several fronts.

The steps we take to maintain our physical health are our hishtadlus, but nothing is more important than our spiritual health, which makes kashrus a #1 priority.

While the nutritional supplementation market is vast, choosing products that look familiar is the ideal choice for a consumer who values kashrus above all else. When Maxi Health® launched their brand of nutritional supplements in 1974, the company’s mission was not only to bring unique, rigorously-tested scientific formulas to the market, but also to ensure that every product meets the highest standards of kashrus, a goal they’ve stood by until this day. Especially since nutritional supplements can contain questionable ingredients, as is the case with collagen, the kashrus of such products is a crucial matter.

The episode also brought to the fore another powerful lesson. When the discovery was made, many expressed concern and frustration, even anger, toward well-meaning individuals who are certainly doing their best. We’re only human and mistakes do happen.

When it comes to shemiras hamitzvos, we all want to do what’s right. When emotions run high, however, we may erroneously transgress one mitzvah to uphold another. Just as we’re careful with what we put into our mouth, we must be equally scrupulous, if not more so, with what we let out of our mouths.

At this time of year, when we remember the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, which was destroyed due to the sins between man and his fellow man, this experience can serve to remind us that what we say and even think about others affects our spiritual and physical health in a way that can have an even greater impact than the foods we eat or refrain from eating. As a community of readers who focus on taking measures to promote a healthier lifestyle, we can ask ourselves, “What steps can I personally take to promote a healthier mindset and attitude toward my fellow man?” If nothing else but this message emerges as a result of this episode, we will all be better for it.

Disclaimer: This article is not directed at a specific kashrus agency. It is meant to educate the kosher consumer to issues that may arise by using the example of this true event.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 19

Well Informed

Figures By Miriam Katz

Fermentation Figures

There are about

100 trillion

bacteria in or around the body at all times

3

most common fermented vegetables are: • Cabbage, in the form of sauerkraut and kimchi • Cucumbers, in the form of pickles • Olives

The concentration of dietary minerals including calcium, magnesium, and zinc is

50%

In 2016, the global probiotic supplement market was valued at

higher in yogurt than in milk

In 2015,

3.9

million

4

dominant bacterial phyla in the gut are: firmicutes, bacteroidetes, actinobacteria, and proteobacteria

U.S. adults used probiotics/ prebiotics

35.9 billion and is projected to exceed

63

billion

20 The Wellspring | July 2018

1-2

by 2022

pounds of bacteria live in the human gut at all times

1

billion

As a general rule, a probiotic should provide at least

The human brain weighs

LBS.

3 3.5

LBS.

and a healthy human body has over

of probiotic bacteria and organisms in

400

In a study of

125 10 3-4%

CFUs (colony forming units)

There are

times more probiotics than cells in our body

overweight subjects, eating yogurt that contained probiotics reduced body fat by

over a 6 week period

There are more than

100

known benefits to taking probiotics

different strains

Probiotics are responsible for

70%

of our immune response Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 21

Well Informed

Wealth of Health By Sarah Weinberger

conference with: AVRUMI GROSSBERG FOUNDER AND OWNER OF FER-REAL FOODS PRODUCT:

Fermented pickles, sauerkraut, green beans, honey-fermented garlic, kombucha, garlic, carrots and borscht

SINCE: 2018 LOCATION: Monroe, New York

As the owner of Fer-real Foods, Avrumi Grossberg knows his fermentation stuff well. The result of thorough research and meticulous experimentation, each of the products in his brand new line of fermented foods offers a host of health benefits, especially probiotics, as well as perfect texture and taste.

Fer-real Foods products are certified kosher under CRC (Hisachdus) and are sold in select health food stores in New York.

YOU’VE LAUNCHED A BRAND THAT INTRODUCES AN ENTIRELY NEW CONCEPT TO THE HEALTH-MINDED KOSHER CONSUMER. HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?

By nature, I’m the type to explore, always eager to learn more about topics that pique my curiosity. I became interested in fermentation a while back, and when I mentioned it in passing to my mother-in-law, she said, “What do you mean?

That’s what we grew up eating!” I hadn’t known that her family has been engaging in this practice for decades. When she was a young child, her parents would grow their own vegetables in their backyard and then ferment the surplus of crops at the end of the season to preserve them. Her family grew up eating fermented products when most people didn’t even know what the word meant. She encouraged me to speak to her brother, who to this day ferments foods in his tiny Brooklyn kitchen. Two to three mason jars of fermenting vegetables are perpetually on his kitchen counter, and as soon as one batch of vegetables is done, he packages them in small containers.

Within a week or two, by the time the next batch is ready, the previous one is finished. Once I heard about the basic process of fermentation, I started doing more research on its benefits.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN BENEFITS OF FERMENTATION THAT ATTRACTED YOU TOWARD TRYING THE PROCESS YOURSELF?

There are four main benefits: preservation, diversity of flavor, predigestion benefits, and the concentration of beneficial

22 The Wellspring | July 2018

bacteria—probiotics. [For more on the benefits of fermented foods, read this issue’s cover feature- Ed.]

DID YOU START OUT FERMENTING VEGETABLES IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN?

Yes. At first, I experimented just with pickles. For the first batch I made, I sliced the cucumbers, then I tried with halves, then spears. Through trial and error, I learned that the end product is best and still maintains its distinct crunch when the cucumber is left whole. I kept perfecting the recipe and my methods to get a crunchy texture and great taste.

HOW LONG DO YOU FERMENT THE PICKLES FOR?

It depends on several variables, such as temperature, the amount of water and salt, and the size of the batch, but it generally takes between one and two weeks.

After another week in the fridge, it tastes most flavorful. I’ve heard people say that the duration of the process depends on the moon cycle, but I haven’t seen a difference.

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THIS PUBLIC?

I saw the need for this product that offers such incredible health benefits and great taste to health-conscious consumers.

We started selling our products from home, but in no time our counter was full of jars. Fermentation is a unique line, since every batch takes time. It’s not a one-two-three project. People were lining up for more while the vegetables were fermenting at their same old, slow pace. The demand was way greater than the

supply, so I quickly realized I’d have to obtain a more spacious kitchen and more equipment, so we moved production to a commercial kitchen nearby.

WHAT DO YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR PRODUCT LINE?

Keeping up with the demand is definitely a big one, especially since I’m basically running a one-man show.

Since the process is so time-consuming, I can’t make the products fast enough. It’s also challenging to upscale the business without sacrificing the quality of the product. We could easily buy inoculators, which are a quick alternative to the lengthy fermentation process, but I don’t want to compromise on the benefits that the proper process provides.

I want each vegetable to gain its own bacteria through the natural process, in the traditional way. This is not just for the flavor, but also for the predigestion and bacterial benefits.

We ferment the real way, starting with raw vegetables and letting them produce the lactic acid and beneficial bacteria throughout the fermentation process.

WHAT DID YOU TRY AFTER THE PICKLES?

My uncle encouraged me to ferment string beans, his go-to

fermented food, which taste great in fermented form. Borscht, kombucha, and sauerkraut came next, as well as kefir.

TELL US ABOUT KEFIR, A UNIQUE FERMENTED BEVERAGE YOU OFFER.

For the uninitiated, kefir in its original form is a sour-tasting drink made of cow’s or goat milk fermented with a certain bacteria. While the dairy kefir is not very tasty, we produce a pareve version (our facility is strictly pareve at this point).

Raw-water kefir tastes like apple juice with a touch of sourness. We flavor ours with organic cranberry juice. We’re still experimenting with the flavor to achieve a sweet beverage that will provide all the health benefits of this unique fermented beverage. We didn’t add any sugar to our latest batch, so the cranberry juice balances out the taste.

HOW ARE FERMENTED PRODUCTS SUCH AS PICKLES AND SAUERKRAUT DIFFERENT FROM THEIR COMMERCIALLY-PRODUCED ALTERNATIVES?

The benefits of fermentation are only present in foods that are fermented without vinegar, which is an acetic acid that is meant to achieve a certain flavor as well as to kill bacteria, not promote their growth. Alternatively, lactic acid

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 23

Well Informed

Wealth of Health By Sarah Weinberger

is not added to fermentation process. Rather, it's naturally produced when the bacteria on the vegetables convert the sugars into lactic acid. In turn, the lactic acid preserves the food, gives it its distinct flavor, and creates an environment for the bacteria to flourish.

WHY AREN’T THE CONTAINERS OF YOUR PRODUCTS SEALED?

ONCE THEY STARTED EATING THESE FOODS?

We used to have issues with pinworms literally every other night. We had stopped giving the children potato chips, let alone lollipops, in our desperate quest to stop the condition.

Since our family has started eating fermented foods, I don’t remember the last time we heard pinworm-related crying at night. Our fourth child, who just turned two, had molloscum all over his face. Now that he’s consuming fermented foods on a daily basis, that is improving, too.

Due to the fermentation process, as opposed to a canning or cooking process, the bacteria in the vegetables are alive, which means they emit carbon dioxide. They need the air.

FROM WHAT AGE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE For example, if you leave a closed container of yogurt on CONSUMPTION OF FERMENTED FOODS? the counter for a couple of hours, the cover starts to swell.

Technically, children can enjoy them In the refrigerator, the bacteria reach a as soon as they start eating solids. Even state of dormancy. Once they’re exposed infants who are still only on liquids can RESEARCH HAS SHOWN to a higher temperature, the fermentation be fed the juice. It’s particularly important process resumes. for fermented foods to be incorporated THAT AS LONG AS A into a breastfeeding mother’s diet, since BABY NURSES FROM ITS they have a significant impact on the DO YOU USE ORGANIC VEGETABLES FOR YOUR PRODUCTS? baby. Research has shown that as long MOTHER, IT DEVELOPS Most of the produce we use is not as a baby nurses from its mother, it A GUT FLORA SIMILAR organic, either because it’s too difficult develops a gut flora similar to the bacterial to obtain or due to kashrus concerns. composition of its mother's. The healthier TO THE BACTERIAL Cabbage is one example of a vegetable and more balanced the mother’s gut, the COMPOSITION OF ITS that must be greenhouse grown and is more beneficial it is for the child. It’s also MOTHER'S. thus not available in organic form. For our important to establish a good gut flora for fermented carrots, on the other hand, we the baby during pregnancy. do use organic produce. We just made an entire batch of them.

WHAT FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED FOR YOUR The reason many people hesitate to eat non-organic foods PRODUCT LINE? is because of their high pesticide content. However, the At this point, we haven’t been around for that long for people fermentation process nullifies those chemicals, as well as the to experience dramatic changes by consuming our products. bad bacteria they generate. The lactic acid kills bad bacteria As with the fermentation process, true change from the inside and promotes an environment for beneficial bacteria to thrive, out requires patience and consistence. But the customers are so even if the fermented vegetable is non-organic, it still offers definitely enjoying our products. Just yesterday I got a phone a host of benefits. call from a customer who asked that I please call her when I’m in the store to deliver the next batch because the supply runs IF FERMENTATION ERADICATES THE NEGATIVE out as soon as I drop the first batch off.

CHARACTERISTICS OF NON-ORGANIC VEGETABLES, WHY DO YOU USE ORGANIC PRODUCE AT ALL?

Organic vegetables are still closer to the soil and thus contain a greater bacteria count. For this reason, we try to use them whenever we’re able.

AS A HEALTHY PERSON, DID YOU FEEL A CHANGE IN YOUR BODY WHEN YOU STARTED CONSUMING FERMENTED FOODS?

Baruch Hashem, I didn’t have health issues when I first started incorporating fermented foods into my diet, about a year ago. I always led a relatively healthy lifestyle, so the changes weren’t that drastic. Still, I saw a difference. In the beginning, elimination would take place about three times a day. My body was going through a detoxing, cleansing process.

When our kids started eating the fermented foods, they kept asking for more. No matter how much I prepared, it was never enough.

DID YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR CHILDREN

24 The Wellspring | July 2018

WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE ARE EXCITED ABOUT YOUR LINE?

Because of its incredible health benefits. The taste is great too.

Fermented foods are recommended in ancient literature.

They’re said to contain lots of vitamin K2, which is good for bones and teeth. In fact, a doctor I once spoke to said the reason most people have so many dental issues today is because we’re missing the K2 from fermented foods.

Since we’re not so long into the journey, I don’t have that many stories about our products, but people have reached out to me with success stories concerning fermented foods in general. A woman who has Crohn’s disease and is living with a tube and a bag told me that after she started eating fermented foods two years ago, she has been able to go off her medication and is regaining her health.

One woman related that she was cured of psoriasis after a couple of months of eating fermented foods. Another woman who has already had more than 25 Crohn’s-related surgeries over the past 16 years told me that since she started

consuming fermented foods several years ago, she’s been feeling much better. While she’s not completely off meds, her situation is improving. Of note, she hasn’t had a surgery for the last 5 years, which is a considerable step up. Fermented foods are particularly potent for digestive conditions such as Crohn’s and colitis because they restore the bacterial balance in the gut.

WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR HONEY-FERMENTED GARLIC?

Garlic is a very potent vegetable for healing. Coupled with the raw honey and the fermentation process, it’s especially helpful in increasing immune power, particularly during the allergy season. A cousin of mine experienced frequent colds and a runny nose that would last for weeks. I gave her several containers of our honey-fermented garlic a couple of months ago, and she hasn’t had a cold since. One clove with a bit of honey per day is enough to generate results.

DO YOU RECOMMEND A PARTICULAR SYSTEM WHEN INCORPORATING FERMENTED FOODS INTO THE DIET?

example, a meat curing company in New York injected some salami with harmful bacteria at the beginning stages of fermentation for demonstration purposes. When the process was completed, they sent the meat to a lab, where no traces of these bacteria were found. The beneficial bacteria thrive through fermentation, and their powerful defense mechanism ensures the eradication of other harmful strains.

Since kombucha is fermented with sugar, it can turn a bit alcoholic if the preparer is not careful enough. So, the one law regarding kombucha is that we must state on the label that it may contain traces of alcohol.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

We’re working on perfecting our kombucha and kefir. We don’t want to come out with these products before we have a sizable stock, which takes a long time because they require a cultured fermentation process.

Mr. Grossberg can be contacted via The Wellspring.

When someone’s starting out, they shouldn’t consume more than the equivalent of a tablespoon for the first few days, which is approximately 2-3 green string beans or a ½ cup of beverage. Gradually increase your intake over time, a bit more at every meal. It’s never a good idea to overindulge, just as you wouldn’t take 5 probiotic capsules a day. If I eat 4 pickles in a day, I would feel it. It’s unpleasant but not harmful.

A great way to incorporate fermented foods into the diet is adding sauerkraut to a salad or falafel, and pickles into a potato salad. People add the fermented pickle juice to a salad instead of fatty dressings.

After sitting in the salad for about 20 minutes, the probiotics reproduce to approximately double.

WHY ARE YOUR PRODUCTS SOLD IN NEW YORK ONLY?

We’re not yet approved by the FDA, only by the New York State Department of Agriculture. We’re working on this, which is mainly a bureaucratic procedure. There are minimal regulations in the FDA file regarding fermented foods.

In fact, according to the USDA, there isn’t a single documented case of food poisoning reported from any type of fermented food, as opposed to the many cases of food poisoning from raw food, such as a presence of E. coli in certain vegetables, meats, and dairy products. This is because the lactic acid, and more importantly the lactic acid bacteria, are so potent that they kill off all other bacteria that may be present at the beginning of the fermentation process. To take an extreme

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 25

Well Informed

Health Ed By Judy Lieber, CNC

Fast Right NEW FEATURE! LAURA’S NOTES: BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND ADVICE

BY HIGHLY-ACCLAIMED REGISTERED DIETITIAN LAURA SHAMMAH, MS, RDN Fasting, the willful abstinence from (or reduced consumption of) some or all food, drink, or both for a period of time, has gained prominence in the health arena as a practice that allows the body to have a prolonged rest without caloric intake. Whether the health benefits of intermittent fasting are substantial or not, however, has no impact on the particular fast days that we, as frum Yidden are commanded to observe. Still, taking the proper measures so you can feel good during and after Tishah b’Av (and other fast days) is certainly a smart move. Take this quiz to find out if you know how to prepare for and break the fast right.

1

When should you start preparing for an upcoming fast?

A. 1-2 days before B. 2-3 days before C. 3-5 days before D. No advance preparation is necessary.

Answer: B. LAURA’S NOTES: The key to an easy fast is to hydrate in abundance. Starting from two to three days before the fast, drink one cup of water every hour. If it’s hard for you to drink plain water, or if you need more nutrients, especially if you work out a lot, try unsweetened coconut water. It’s packed with magnesium, potassium, and sodium, which will replenish the electrolytes in your body. Alternatively, you can snack on fruit, which also have a high water content. Munch on water-rich foods like melon and grapes. At dinner before the fast, start with drinking a few cups of water, since many foods need water to be digested properly.

4

2

True or False: Protein is the most important food group to be consumed on the day before a fast.

Answer: False.

LAURA’S NOTES: It’s important to eat balanced meals that include both protein and complex carbohydrates on the day before the fast. Plan the menu of the final meal so that it emphasizes carbohydrates with some protein and low-sodium foods, such as 100% whole wheat pasta, lentil or black-bean pasta, potatoes, brown rice, or sprouted- grain bread. These carbohydrates bond with water, which your body can “drink” when it needs to during the fast. For dessert, substitute sweets with watermelon and other water-retaining fresh fruit, such as cantaloupe or honeydew. Finally, drink a cup of warm water or tea to put a smooth finish on your pre-fast prep.

3

Which of these should be consumed first when breaking a fast?

A. Protein

C. Cold drink

B. Carbohydrate

D. Hot drink

Answer: D. LAURA’S NOTES: Start off with a hot drink like coffee or tea. It will calm your mind and stomach, preventing a binge. For the first ten minutes, sip slowly and enjoy with one to two rugelach, crackers, a homemade almond-flour muffin, or any type of complex carbohydrate, such as a slice of Ezekiel bread. During the first ten minutes, you can also have some cut-up vegetables to hydrate. For the meal, eat a balanced dinner combining protein, carbs, fat, and vegetables. Fill up one plate and don’t return for seconds. End your meal with some fruit and/or a treat.

Allow yourself to enjoy something sweet without the guilt.

However, not eating all day is not a reason for overeating afterward. Your body will store the extra calories just as it always does. Eat until you’re 80% full, not 110%.

True or False: Make sure to eat more than usual on the day after a fast to compensate for the caloric deficit.

Answer: False.

LAURA’S NOTES: Start off the next morning with a complete breakfast, like eggs and toast (I recommend Ezekiel bread). This will ensure that you start your day with a proper balance of nutrients to prevent a binge following the restriction of a fast. Make sure that lunch and dinner also include a combination of vegetables, lean protein, healthy fat, and complex carbohydrates. Hydrate all day.

26 The Wellspring | July 2018

MY GUT TELLS ME YOU'LL LIKE THIS.

Take control of your digestive health, these probiotic and Prebiotic rich foods, can help you with leaky gut, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, pinworms, eczema, psoriasis, acne and many other conditions.

Available at your local health food stores.

For wholesale, please call 845.662. 3340

Well Informed

Dedicated to Health by Chana Dunner

10 QUESTIONS FOR RABBI DOVID DEWICK

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF MAGEN AVROHOM

MAGEN AVROHOM IN A NUTSHELL:

1

WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO LAUNCH YOUR ORGANIZATION?

The inspiration behind it all was the Amshinover Rebbe of Eretz Yisrael. I was zocheh to develop a close relationship with the Rebbe. On one of my visits, he suggested that I was eminently suited to helping people with eating disorders. The Rebbe brought to my attention that each kehillah has several members suffering from an eating disorder. I soon realized that this endeavor entails far more than helping people; it’s about saving lives and putting families back together.

3

2

Magen Avrohom offers education, guidance, and support to individuals and families dealing with an eating disorder. Our goal is coordinating a multidisciplinary approach that encourages teamwork, so that each professional and the members of the struggler’s support group can all focus on their particular area of expertise.

WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AT MAGEN AVROHOM?

I’m the director of Magen Avrohom, which has approbations from Gedolei Yisroel and medical professionals. I started out as a one-man operation but currently work with a team of professionals and mentors, who offer the struggler a framework for building trusting relationships towards recovery.

The staff of Magen Avrohom coordinates this team so that everyone involved in the struggler’s progress is on the same page.

WHAT IS ONE CHALLENGE YOU FACE IN RUNNING THE ORGANIZATION? When someone comes to Magen Avrohom with a diagnosis of anorexia and we realize that it isn’t a true eating disorder, we can guide them where to go for help, and they recover quite quickly. On the other hand, when someone is suffering from a true eating disorder, the time and energy required to treat each family is challenging. It’s a difficult balancing act to focus on the struggler’s physical safety and emotional recovery.

There is no one procedure that fits all. The approach must be customized for each struggler and their family.

4

CAN YOU SHARE A STORY THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE WORK YOU DO? A young girl came to our office from abroad accompanied by her parents. The medical facilities in their country had given up on helping this girl, and the hospitals felt there was nothing left to do to save her life.

The parents had gone to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, for a berachah, and he directed them to us. The girl was in denial and was refusing all help. With the warmth, patience, and caring of our staff, we created an atmosphere in which she came out of denial and was motivated to get the proper help and necessary treatment.

I was once called to the home of a girl who had been anorexic for so long that she was already on a feeding tube and had figured out how to fiddle with the knobs so she wouldn’t get enough nourishment. She also refused to talk. I knew my time was limited; how could I save this girl?

She had nothing to live for, and I knew I had to think of a way to build her up. I had a wild idea; I would get her a job. But who would hire a girl who refused to talk and was halfway to the Next World? I approached a factory owner I knew and asked him if he had any job appropriate for her. It took a lot of convincing on all fronts, but eventually we had Access-A-Ride service take her to the factory, and I told the other girls who worked there to ignore the feeding tube, ignore the selective mutism, and just treat her like another coworker. It wasn’t easy; it was a long, complicated process, but she regained her self-esteem and desire to live, enabling her to begin working with a therapist. She underwent further hospitalizations under my guidance, but she was on the road to healing. Today, she’s a functioning member of society. And I recently heard that she’s back to eating spaghetti.

5

CAN YOU SHARE A POSITIVE STORY THAT YOU’VE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED?

The parents of a young bochur who had been struggling for many years were refusing to reach out for help.

When they finally came to us, we realized his issue wasn’t anorexia, and he was able to get help for his condition. The problem was taken care of in a relatively short time, and he was able to thrive.

7

WHAT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING REQUEST YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED ON BEHALF OF A FAMILY/ INDIVIDUAL?

“Prove me wrong, that I can really recover.” There are so many options that aid in recovery.

When families get better educated and receive the proper guidance and support, recovery is possible.

However, there is no one quick fix for recovery.

9

HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE STRESS THAT COMES ALONG WITH YOUR TAXING WORK?

I try to relieve the stress of dealing with pikuach nefesh issues all day by focusing on the eventual positive outcome of my work at Magen Avrohom.

6

WHAT DO YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD KNOW ABOUT EATING DISORDERS?

Although eating disorders share features with other addictive conditions, there is one major difference: an alcoholic or gambler can be told to abstain from alcohol or avoid gambling, but a person cannot avoid eating. Thus, the regulation and control of eating is much more difficult. Therapy is indeed important, but contact with a therapist for one or more hours per week is inadequate when dealing with an eating disorder. It’s essential that help is available 24/7/365. It’s also crucial that family members understand the condition and are guided how to relate to the affected individual. Magen Avrohom meets these difficult demands and provides this life-saving service.

8 10

WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR WORK? THE TOUGHEST?

The best part of my work is removing the confusion and emotional pain of a struggler and their family members. The toughest part of my work is removing the confusion and emotional pain of a struggler and their family member. No, this isn’t a typo. The hardest work ends up being the most rewarding.

WHAT WAS THE BEST COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?

When people call and tell me, “Thank you, I became a kallah,” “Thank you, I’m able to build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel,” “Thank you for helping my shalom bayis,” and best of all, “Thank you for saving my life.”

Living Well

Ask the Nutritionist By Shani Taub, CDC

Dairy in my diet:

Q A

Is it a must?

In my quest to lead a healthy lifestyle, I’ve been eliminating foods that are known to be detrimental to health, such as processed foods and foods containing white flour and sugar. I would like to hear your take on dairy. It’s one of the USDA’s recommended food groups for daily consumption, but I’ve also heard opposing thoughts on it. Is it important for me to have dairy in order to obtain adequate calcium from my diet or should I stay away from it?

My toddler refuses to eat dairy products, including yogurt, cheese, and milk. When I first introduced him to dairy, he exhibited signs of an allergic reaction—a slight rash on his skin and puffy eyes. Although he doesn’t get that reaction anymore, he still won’t eat these foods. How can I give him the right amount of calcium, preferably in its natural state, in a way that appeals to him?

While dairy may take up a sizable chunk on the standard food pyramid, dairy products as we know them today are a far cry from what they used to be.

Unfortunately, most are loaded with hormones and

chemicals, to the extent that their harmful effects may outweigh their benefits.

It’s true that dairy products in their original state offer a considerable amount of calcium and that, by default,

30 The Wellspring | July 2018

minimizing their inclusion in the diet significantly decreases the level of calcium in the body. Calcium is crucial not only for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth, but also for helping the heart, muscles, and nerves function properly. However, calcium can be obtained from other sources as well.

For starters, green leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli are an excellent source of this important mineral. Nutritional supplementation is another way to ensure the body receives an adequate amount of calcium, as well as other crucial vitamins and minerals. I recommend not only my adult clients to take a multivitamin daily, but children also.

My own children get a multivitamin every single day. Since the foods we consume today don’t provide enough nutritional substance, supplementing is key to ensuring that our bodies get what they need to function optimally.

I’ve had many clients who had to be off dairy and, as nursing mothers, required even more nutrition than usual, who were still able to maintain a healthy

calcium content in their body even without including dairy in their diet. The same is true for vegetarians who don’t eat dairy products.

fine if you eat a slice of American cheese every now and

I have only mentioned the drawbacks of the healthier dairy products like milk and yogurt. Regarding hard cheeses and especially American cheese, the saturated fat content is so high that the nutritional disadvantages are exponentially greater. However, since I believe that everything in moderation is okay, you’ll be perfectly

In light of all the above, when I give a client a regular

Calcium Calculator The recommended daily intake (RDI) of calcium for adults is between 1,000 and 1,300 mg per day, depending on age.

Think dairy is your only source of this important mineral? Here are the facts:

What’s for Dinner?

During the Nine Days, you don’t have to eat dairy for supper every night in order to get your fill of protein. Cheese does not satiate you in the way fish does, and as we have discussed in this article, its nutritional benefits aren’t that noteworthy either.

Fish is your best protein choice for healthy living, especially for weight loss. It’s a filling food that’s an incredible source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. Fish is also rich in calcium and phosphorus, as well as zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.

Beans and legumes are also a nice way of filling up on nutritious proteins.

then.

diet plan, I recommend consuming dairy only once a day. If you’re eating an otherwise healthy diet, you don’t need to be concerned about calcium deficiency, especially if you’re taking a daily multivitamin.

Milk

1 cup

300 mg

Cottage cheese

0.5 cup

65 mg

Yoghurt

I cup

450 mg

Hard cheese (cheddar, jack)

1 oz.

200 mg

Mozzarella cheese

1 oz

200 mg

Acorn squash, cooked

1 cup

90 mg

Arugula, raw

1 cup

125 mg

Bok Choy, raw

1 cup

40 mg

Broccoli, cooked

1 cup

180 mg

Spinach, cooked

1 cup

240 mg

Figs, dried,

1 cup

300 mg

Kiwi, raw

1 cup

50 mg

Orange juice, calcium fortified

8 oz

300 mg

Orange juice, from concentrate

1 cup

20 mg

Garbanzo beans, cooked

1 cup

80 mg

White Beans, cooked

0.5 cup

70 mg

Brown rice, long grain, raw

1 cup

50 mg

Oatmeal, instant

1 package

100 to 150 mg

Almonds, toasted, unblanched

1 oz.

80 mg

Sesame seeds, whole roasted

1 oz.

280 mg

Salmon, canned, with bones

3 oz.

170-210

Sardines

3 oz.

370 mg

Please send your questions to the nutritionist to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Shani Taub, CDC, has been practicing as a certified nutritionist in Lakewood for almost a decade, meeting with clients in person and on the phone. She also owns the highly popular Shani Taub food line, which carries healthy, approved, premeasured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 31

Living Well

In Good Shape By Syma Kranz, PFC

Move Toward Healing Knee-injury Workout

If you’ve ever had a knee injury, you know how easy it is to feel it flair up when you’re engaging in extreme cardio.

Exercise may be the best medicine for chronic achy knees, but you must use good form and technique when doing a workout for knee pain. Strengthening the muscles around the joint protects you from injury by decreasing stress on the knee. Be sure to never bend your legs to a point where your knees stick out past your toes, which puts a lot of pressure under the kneecap. This not only applies to the

following exercises for knee pain but also when you're stretching or doing aerobic activities.

Of course, it’s always crucial to talk to a doctor and/ or get clearance from a physical therapist about your particular ankle or knee issues and make sure the specific exercises you’re interested in are smart choices. Personal trainers can be great resources too; they will show you how to stretch properly after a workout.

1. SWIMMING If you're on a search for cardio exercises for injured knees, head to the pool. Swimming provides a great workout that is low impact, versatile and burns calories fast. Whether you’re doing the butterfly or backstroke you’ll work all major muscle groups in your body including your glutes, abdominals and chest muscles.

Wondering which is the best stroke? Freestyle, which tends to be the fastest stroke, can burn 100 calories every 10 minutes – more than jogging - but all of them will work your whole body.

32 The Wellspring | July 2018

2. ELLIPTICAL Opt for an elliptical over a treadmill for minimal risk of knee injury. Your feet never leave the pedals, which means there is less of a chance to injure your knees, back, neck or hips. You’ll also get your heart rate up, making you work up a sweat! Increase the resistant to really test your endurance.

3. CYCLING Whether you prefer hitting a stationary bike indoors or riding your bicycle outside, you’ll get a fantastic fatburning workout that will gradually improve your knee flexibility and strength.

To ensure you don’t put pressure on your knees, avoid hills and stick to a flat terrain. Raise your seat level slightly to decrease any pressure on your kneecap.

Wondering about spin classes? Don't fret. All good spin instructors will check for injuries before the class begins so let them know and they’ll be able to advise on how to best tackle the session.

Except where stated, do 10 to 12 repetitions of each of the following, 2 or 3 times a week.

4. PARTIAL SQUATS

5. SIDE-LYING LEG LIFTS

Stand about 12 inches away from the front of a chair with your feet about hip-width apart and your toes forward. Bending at the hips, slowly lower yourself halfway down to the chair. Keep your abs tight, and check that your knees stay behind your toes.

6. PILATES AND YOGA

Who says these workouts are just for relaxing? Pilates and yoga will help you work up just as much of a sweat as circuit training or a cardio machine will. they’ll keep your heart pumping and your body moving, and they’ll improve your flexibility to boot.

Lay on your left side, legs straight and together, with your left arm supporting your head. Keeping your right foot flexed and your body straight, slowly lift your right leg to about shoulder height, then slowly lower.

Repeat with your left leg.

7. STRAIGHT-LEG RAISES Sit with your back against a wall, left leg straight and right leg bent with your foot flat on the floor.

Slowly raise your left leg straight up about 12 inches off the floor. Hold, then slowly lower. Repeat with your right leg.

EXERCISES TO AVOID: Lunges Deep squats

These recommendations should not be considered medical advice. Follow a physician’s recommendation for movement about an injured joint.

Syma Kranz, PFC, is a certified aerobics, Pilates, and Barre instructor, as well as the fitness director at Fusion Fitness in Lakewood, New Jersey. What started out as a small exercise class in her home catapulted into a popular gym that prides itself with tzanua, professional instructors and an appropriate atmosphere with lyric-free music and proper attire. Syma specializes in training women to integrate fitness into their busy lives, paying special attention to proper form and alignment and specializing in core and pelvic floor strengthening.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 33

Living Well

Cover Feature

34 The Wellspring | July 2018

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 35

Living Well

Cover Feature

Last year, if you would have told standup comedian and social media personality Malkie Knopfler, @TheComicCook, that she would one day be eating fermented green beans and enjoying them too, she would say the joke was on you. But that, says Malkie of her new lifestyle, is the serious truth.

effects on health, including the improvement of various intestinal inflammatory conditions, positive impacts on the immune system and even weight loss, and can alter the composition of the gut microbiome.

The health benefits of fermented foods go beyond their microorganisms. The fermentation process enhances the nutritional quality of food by contributing beneficial compounds such as vitamins, and by increasing the bioavailability of minerals.

For most of her adult life, Malkie tried the infamous practice of dieting over and over again. She wanted to be at a healthy weight, but she kept falling off the bandwagon all too soon, returning to eating habits that were “When I tasted fermented foods for the first time,” detrimental to her health. Then, last year, when she was Malkie reports, “I found them to be flavorful with a disdiagnosed with a chronic digestive condition in her cotinctive crunch.” She also observed some of their health lon, after spending one long benefits firsthand. week in the hospital, she knew “My daughter has psoriait was time to take her lifestyle WHEN A VEGETABLE UNDERGOES sis, and although she always seriously.

THE FERMENTATION PROCESS, loved sour pickles, eating them “Even certain healthy foods would irritate the skin around WHICH INVOLVES ALLOWING IT are now off limits for me,” says her mouth. When she ate her Malkie of the customized diet TO SIT IN A VESSEL, SUBMERGED first fermented pickle, I was she now follows to keep her shocked that she wasn’t getting IN BRINE, ITS BENEFICIAL condition at bay. “When I got a reaction at all. Not only havout of the hospital, I realized I BACTERIA—ALSO KNOWN AS en’t the fermented vegetables had to make a drastic change caused inflammation, but we PROBIOTICS—ARE GIVEN A in my eating habits. I was used actually see an improvement in to throwing food into my mouth CHANCE TO THRIVE AND MULTIPLY. her skin in general. It’s incrediwithout giving it a thought.” ble to see the transformation. I Once Malkie adopted her new don’t know the science behind lifestyle, she appreciated the vast variety and beauty in it,” Malkie confesses, “but I see that it works for me and the health food market. “As soon as I started paying atthat’s all that matters.” tention to what I was feeding my body and what wasn’t Malkie also notes another benefit that she’s observed good for me, I started experimenting in the kitchen. I love by incorporating fermented foods into her diet. “On days trying new recipes, like sourdough bread and cauliflower that I eat fermented vegetables, the scale moves much burger buns, and tasting foods I would have turned down faster, even if I’m doing the same things otherwise. Alin my old life. So, when I heard about the benefits of ferthough I’ve not been eating fermented foods for that long, mented foods, I was excited to try them too.” the short term results are amazing. Kefir water, for examFor the uninitiated, fermentation is the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms. (It’s also the process involved in the making of beer, wine, and liquor, in which sugars are converted to ethyl alcohol.) In the case of fermented vegetables, such as pickles and sauerkraut, the process begins with lacto-fermentation, in which the natural bacteria feed on the starch and sugar in the food, hence creating lactic acid. This process preserves the food and creates beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin K2, digestive enzymes, and various strains of probiotics.

When a vegetable undergoes the fermentation process, which involves allowing it to sit in a vessel, submerged in brine, its beneficial bacteria—also known as probiotics— are given a chance to thrive and multiply. The action of the bacteria makes the minerals in cultured foods more readily available to the body, and the bacteria also produce vitamins and enzymes that are beneficial for digestion. Probiotics, such as those found pickles and kimchi, a Korean pickled vegetable dish, have a range of positive

36 The Wellspring | July 2018

ple, gives me such energy. It’s refreshing and tasty, with a slightly sour tang due to the fermentation. These foods make me feel good from the inside out.”

Although fermented foods offer various health benefits, their most notable contribution to the healthy diet is their high probiotic count, a result of the multiplied microorganisms in the fermentation environment. Over the years, finding completely natural foods that offer optimal bacterial benefits has become difficult. The market is saturated with pasteurized, vacuum-packed foods, and the modern mentality is still very much at war against bacteria. Thus, we try eliminating all types of bacteria, be it through chlorinating our water or giving antibiotics freely to our children. Consumption of highly-processed foods devoid of microorganisms that are good for us, as well as hormonal manipulation medication, are also profoundly harmful for the gut flora.

“Back in the day,” says Mr. Avrumi Grossberg, a proponent of fermented foods who has thoroughly researched the benefits of this practice, “when a child had pneumonia or strep, their illness was practically a death sentence.

Today, we’re privileged to have antibiotics at our disposal, but does this mean that the amount of children who have strep today would have passed away in childhood back then? The numbers today are exponentially higher.

In those days, even without antibiotics and antibacterial soap and latex gloves, many of these children managed to grow into adulthood, even if they shared one bathtub.

They had something else that prevented these diseases in the first place.”

mune healing.”

Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, and kombucha have the ability to restore equilibrium in the gut not only thanks to their high probiotic count, but also due to the lactic acid they contain which ensures that the beneficial bacteria aren’t eliminated during the digestion process.

“Food undergoes four stages of digestion until it reaches the gut,” explains Grossberg. “It is first digested through chemicals in the saliva, then in the stomach, large intestine, and small intestine. The highly acidic environment in these organs leads to the elimination of most probiotic cells. However, the lactic acid in fermented foods creates an environment in the stomach and even the mouth to

According to Grossberg and other advocates of gut health, it’s the balance in the gut flora that determines immune strength, a balance that becomes deeply upset by many of our modern lifestyle habits. When the harmful bacteria eat away at the gut lining, havoc is wreaked in the body. “Think of it as a sanitation truck that’s driving around with a huge leak underneath,” says Grossberg. “When we eat healthy foods, the beneficial parts enter the At the time that Malkie got home from the hospital with instructions bloodstream and make their way to to lead a diet that would keep her chronic digestive condition at bay, important organs such as the brain, her friend Suri graduated from a nutritional coaching program. “I told while the waste enters the gut to Suri I’ll be her first client,” remembers Malkie, “and she said, ‘Okay, ultimately be eliminated from the Malkie, I think it’s time to start.’ But even as I committed, I had no pabody. If the gut lining gets destroyed tience for it. I knew it would involve work and restrictions, but I didn’t through harmful bacteria, which is realize how much I would come to love it.” known as leaky gut syndrome, the harmful wastes leak right back into In addition to losing 20 pounds over the past few months, Malkie rethe body. A balanced gut flora relates that she feels great as a result of her healthful choices. “In generstores that lining.” al, I don’t feel deprived. Because I removed sugar from my diet, I don’t According to evidence-based research, many of the digestive issues, skin issues, and even mental issues we struggle with today are a result of this imbalance, since 80% of the human body functions through the gut.

Tamar Feldman, also known as “The Gut Dietitian,” is a New-Jersey based registered dietitian and popular Wellspring columnist who witnesses the repercussions of imbalanced gut flora in the staggering number of cases of gastrointestinal diseases she sees in her practice, including clients with SIBO, Crohn’s disease, and colitis. “As part of a much broader healing diet and supplement regimen for my clients, I usually incorporate fermented vegetables, as well,” says Tamar. “Although I can’t speak definitively of the consumption of fermented vegetables on their own, I do see that clients who follow all my guidelines, including the usage of fermented vegetables, usually have higher success rates with gut and autoim-

crave it like I used to. Instead, I use only natural sweeteners, like honey and coconut sugar. I was a major pasta girl, but now things have changed. I was never able to control myself the way I am now, even when eating healthy foods. In the past, I would sit down to a tray of roasted broccoli because it was ‘free.’ Now, I sit down and ask myself, ‘Am I really hungry?’”

Fermentation, says Malkie, came as a result of her newfound appreciation for healthy eating. “I’m much more mindful of what I’m putting into my body.”

Not only did Malkie’s pantry get a makeover, but the changes in her diet affected her entire home. “The kids are taking it very well. They love it, actually. I make the chocolate chip cookies with almond flour that I clipped from The Wellspring, and they keep asking for more.”

Regarding the work that leading a healthy lifestyle necessitates, Malkie says, “It really can be hard, but once you start it, you can’t stop,” she laughs. “When I made sourdough bread for the first time, my kids kept asking for more. It’s really delicious. I know that the fermentation process gets killed with heat, so it’s not fermented bread, but the gluten is more tolerable. People with celiac who used to be in agonizing pain every Motzei Shabbos tell me that since they started eating sourdough challah on Shabbos, they feel much better.

“I’m happy to see that so many people are becoming more mindful of what they’re putting into their bodies. I did a poll for customers at Evergreen supermarket in Monsey regarding which products they want to see more of. Incredibly, 90% answered healthy products. People are actually stopping to think, ‘How can I take better care of myself?’”

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 37

Living Well

Cover Feature

promote the beneficial bacteria to thrive there.”

What advice does Tamar give to clients who are starting out with the consumption of fermented foods? “The most important advice I give is to go slow in order of introduction. That being said, the majority of my clients enjoy choosing more familiar foods like fermented pickles and sauerkraut when they’re first starting out.”

Although fermented foods are lauded for their incredible health benefits, a word of caution is necessary, as well.

“People with active irritable bowel disease (IBD) should avoid fermented foods initially until symptoms are extremely mild and controlled,” cautions Tamar. “Believe it or not, fermented foods are poorly tolerated by intestines

that are diseased and/or malabsorbing food. As the gut heals, small amounts, such as ½ tablespoon, can be consumed, progressing very slowly to ¾ of a tablespoon per day, as tolerated.”

By virtue of being alive, our bodies are constantly flooded with harmful bacteria. We inhale these microorganisms when we breathe (especially in polluted environments), and every time we have a cold or bacterial infection the numbers escalate. Therefore, it’s crucial to restore the biodiversity in the gut through consuming foods such as yogurt and fermented vegetables that contain not only a significant amount of beneficial bacteria, but also other significant health benefits.

Fermentation is the transformative action of microorganisms in an anaerobic environment, absent of oxygen. When oxygen is present, the microorganisms transform into mold, whereas in an anaerobic environment, such as in water, the beneficial bacteria multiply. In order to provide a completely anaerobic environment for the vegetables, they must be entirely submerged in water.

The bacteria in decaying foods develop in the presence of oxygen. Air is full of harmful bacteria, and when food is exposed to air for an extended period of time, in the right climate, such as at room temperature, it catches the harmful bacteria, which overcome the beneficial bacteria.

The process of fermentation, on the other hand, is anaerobic, so the beneficial bacteria can thrive without interference from any other bacteria. After the first few days, the bacteria convert the carbs, sugar, and yeast into lactic acid. At that point the bacteria has reproduced so much that it already acquired its defense mechanism to kill off anything that might get in its way, as well as producing the other health benefits.

You can, but the vegetables must be “burped” to release carbon dioxide. Therefore, if you choose to ferment in an airtight vessel, make sure to open the lid every day or so. Omitting this step may lead to the explosion of the vessel.

Even if the vegetables are entirely submerged in water, keeping the vessel open will lead to the growth of a thin layer of yeast cells across the surface, otherwise known as kahm yeast, which invites mold. You will have to constantly skim that layer off if your vessel isn’t covered.

38 The Wellspring | July 2018

Pickles 1 pound cucumbers 1 quart (liter) chlorine-free water 3 Tbsp Kosher salt 2-3 bay or grape leaves 1 Tbsp pickling spice 6 garlic cloves (optional) dill (optional) Rinse cucumbers.

Place 2 bay/grape leaves and spices into the bottom of a widemouth quart-sized canning jar.

Pack in cucumbers, getting at tight a fit as possible.

Dissolve salt in a quart of water and pour over cucumbers to cover.

Place 1 grape leaf on top of cucumbers, tucking them into the jar.

Loosely screw on the lid, or use an airlock system.

Set in a shallow dish (to catch brine overflow) and leave to ferment for 6-12 days.

If using a tight lid, burp daily to release excess pressure.

Ideal fermentation temperature is 68-72 F. When pickled to your liking, refrigerate.

Enjoy!

For thousands of years, people have engaged in fermentation as a means of preservation. At the end of the short harvesting season, they would ferment the abundance of leftover crop to have food to subsist on during the long winter ahead.

In 1812, after the mechanism of canning was invented, fermentation was no longer the only known method of preservation. In the canning process, the temperature is raised, after which the food is canned, sealed, and cooled down. Since this process sucks out the oxygen in the food, which in turn eliminates bacteria, canned food can be preserved indefinitely, although with detriment to the food’s nutritional content. With the rise of its usage, the art of fermentation was gradually forgotten.

Until the mid 19th century, bacteria’s role in the body and in foods was not recognized. Fermentation had only been used as a method of preservation and the belief at the time was that both decay and fermentation occurred as a result of decomposition.

Finally, in the late 1850s-early 1860s, the French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur isolated bacteria from yeast cells, which led to his realization that bacteria are the ones responsible for the process of fermentation. Ultimately, his findings led to the introduction of pasteurization, the process of raising the temperature to eliminate bacteria. Since pasteurization became a common practice, however, the consumption of beneficial bacteria significantly decreased.

There’s a limit to the ways you can prepare fresh food, even in cooked form. Fermentation allows for greater diversity of flavor, especially due to the distinct sour tartness it lends to foods.

The main reason people consume fermented foods nowadays is thanks to their high probiotic count. Probiotics are renowned for strengthening the immune system, and as 70% of your immune system is found within the gut, it’s wise to maintain a healthy bacterial balance.

In fermentation, especially wild fermentation, the pro-

biotic content is not only high but also incredibly diverse.

For example, lab research has found that a tablespoon of sauerkraut juice contains 1.5 trillion colony-forming units (CFUs) of probiotics. Fermenting vegetables with their peels allows for the highest possible probiotic count, since much of the good bacteria in soil-based vegetables live on the skin.

When you consume fermented foods, the food provides a protective wall that shields the friendly bacteria from the acid in the stomach and also speeds up the transportation from the stomach to the colon and small intestines, hence keeping the bacteria intact. The bacteria work in the colon and small intestines and then break down and process foods even more, thus providing essential nutrients required to power up the immune system.

In addition to increasing the probiotic count, the fermentation process breaks down molecules that are difficult to digest into smaller pieces, thereby promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines.

Foods that are made more digestible thanks to fermentation include soybeans, dairy, and gluten. (For this reason, before beans are used in cooking, they’re soaked overnight. The soaking process breaks down difficult-to-digest particles into a more digestible form.)

The Asian culture discovered that soybeans are a great source of protein source. However, since soybeans are difficult to digest, they came up with fermentation processes that resulted in the production of foods like miso, tempeh, natto, soy sauce, and tofu.

The same is true for yogurt, which undergoes a process that makes lactose more digestible. Many people who are lactose intolerant find that they’re able to digest yogurt more easily. While regular commercial yogurt is only fermented for about 2.5 hours, homemade yogurt is fermented anywhere from 12-24 hours, varying according to individual preference.

Nowadays, the sourdough movement has exploded, and it’s not for naught. The fermentation process that the starter goes through makes the gluten in the wheat more digestible. While sourdough bread doesn’t offer the full benefits of fermentation, since the high temperatures of the baking process kill the probiotics in the starter, it does contain prebiotic benefits, which are especially helpful for people who are sensitive to gluten.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 39

Living Well

Cover Feature

Also known as “Sandorkraut” and “The Fermentation Revivalist,” Katz is internationally renowned for his expertise in the practice of fermentation. The author of several books on the topic, including Wild Fermentation, he travels the world to share the fermentation wisdom he has learned and to demystify home fermentation.

I’ve always been interested in the science of food, and a significant part of food preparation is fermentation. You may not have paid attention to it, but many of the delicacies we enjoy are products of this process, such as coffee, cheese, wine, and beer. Everybody eats products of fermentation every day. It might be in the coffee you’re drinking or the chocolate you’re snacking on. Vinegar comes from French sour wine. These foods all go through a different fermentation process using various sugars, fruits, or even honey.

My grandparents are immigrants from Eastern Europe, and I loved the pickles they served me as a kid. In my mid to late 20s, I followed a macrobiotic diet, which puts a strong emphasis on these foods.

When I moved from New York to Tennessee, I got involved in gardening. While the activity was fun, I didn’t realize that everything would get ready at the same time.

When I suddenly found myself with a huge supply of cabbage and not enough of a demand, I realized I should be making sauerkraut. That began my obsession with fermentation. While I appreciate the health benefits and flavor fermented foods offer, the catalyst at that moment was preservation.

From anecdotal stories I’ve heard from people, digestion wins. I’ve spoken to people who’ve been living with digestive conditions for years and they’ve witnessed, in a very tangible way, how incorporating fermented foods into their diet led to improvement. The immune system benefits are more abstract, but research proves that restored biodiversity in the gut has a major impact on that, as well. Of course, we can’t discount flavor and pleasure as benefits too.

Virtually every vegetable can be fermented beautifully and because I love vegetables, I’ve given so many a try, including wide allium and ramsons. The results were incredible. I’ve also fermented dykon radishes and black Spanish radishes. Of course, you can’t go wrong with cabbage!

40 The Wellspring | July 2018

I have lots of different kinds, ranging in size from 200 liters to less than 10. Right now, the weather is very hot, which is not a great time for preserving food for long term, but every fall I fill up the 200 liter vessel with radishes and cabbages, the last of which I’m still enjoying now, seven months later.

Once, when I was visiting a farm in Vermont, the farmer disappeared into his cellar and brought up kimchi that was three years old. It didn’t taste very different from kimchi that has been fermented for only three months. Fermented foods don’t get infinitely more sour; the flavor plateaus once it reaches its full sourness.

When that happens depends on particulars, such as the temperature of the environment. In a warm environment, such as my cellar, which is warmer than earth temperature, enzymes in the vegetables break down the pectins, so the crisp texture becomes mushy, like baby food. Consuming such foods certainly wouldn’t be dangerous; it’s just less appealing because the texture declines.

I’ve taught workshops in many different places; it gives me the opportunity to see food practices across different cultures. One and a half years ago, I travelled to China and observed the fermentation traditions there. I was certainly wowed by traditions in Japan, Indonesia, all over Europe, Mexico, and South America. It’s a really universal feature of human cultures—whatever people have in great abundance, they seek to preserve for later use. Many people who grew up in families of Russian/Ukrainian background report that fermented foods were a staple in their diet. Sauerkraut often meant survival for people, since it was one of the only foods that lasted long after the harvesting season.

Any vegetable is a great start. There’s no need to obtain a special starter culture or special equipment. One of the beautiful things about vegetables is that lactic acid is pres-

ent in all of them. You can use any jar that’s sitting around in your apartment and any quality vegetable, and you’re off to a good start.

The process is incredibly easy. You chop the vegetables, lightly salt them to taste, squeeze them or pound them, stuff them in jar, making sure that they’re submerged in water, taste them between intervals, and move them to the fridge. My best combos are cabbage and radishes. For those who prefer a quicker process, cucumbers and zucchini get soft faster than other vegetables.

Certainly. Fermentation jars do not have to be sealed. I often ferment in an open vessel. The vegetables actually need an outlet to release carbon dioxide. If you seal the vessel too tightly it’ll explode, so care must be taken to release the pressure by loosening the top. This is not a canning process.

I’ve found that people project their anxiety of bacteria onto fermentation. They think of the idea of stuffing vegetables into a jar and they’re horrified. They ask, ‘How can I know it’s good for me? How can I know it won’t make me sick?’

If you salt your vegetables heavily, which is the case when you’re fermenting them for long-term use (think several months down the line), you would want to eat modest portions. If you’re only fermenting for a shorter period of time, go easy on the salt. Although it helps to maintain texture, it’s not an essential ingredient. I do recommend a small amount of salt rather than no salt at all.

In terms of alleviating that concern, there are no documented cases of illness or food poisoning from fermented vegetables. In fact, they’re actually safer than raw vegetables. Incredibly, even if you took contaminated vegetables and fermented them, the good bacteria would kill the bad bacteria.

Cucumbers are one of the more challenging vegetables to ferment, because they have a greater propensity to get soft. One of the ways to solve the problem is storing the vessel in a cooler temperature. More salt will also help slow down the enzymes. Horseradish or grape leaves help keep them crispier for longer. Another factor at play is the amount of time you allow fermentation to occur. When I ferment cucumbers in the hot summer weather here, I just ferment them for 3-4 days and then move them into the refrigerator.

1. Wild Foods made through wild fermentation include: sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi These foods do not necessitate a starter in order for bacteria to develop and thrive. The only requirement is that the foods be submerged in water.

Fermentation itself doesn’t create any circumstances of concern. However, just because fermented vegetables are good and healthy, doesn’t mean you should be eating only fermented foods. It’s important to have a diverse diet.

The only evidence-based studies I’ve seen that focused on problems with fermented vegetables were focused on populations that consumed primarily preserved, salty vegetables, in which the researchers observed elevated levels of gastric and esophageal cancers. Subjects who consumed fermented vegetables along with fresh vegetables, however, did not experience an increase in these conditions at all.

People tell me proudly that they drink two liters of kombucha a day. I don’t think it’s any better than drinking two liters of coca cola. They’re downing too much sugar. It’s important to consume all foods in moderation.

2. Cultured Foods made through cultured fermentation include: kombucha, kefir, yogurt These foods cannot become probiotic-rich without the inoculation of a starter. Back-slopping, the traditional method for cultured fermentation, involved using part of an old batch to start a new batch of fermented foods. (If store-bought yogurt is used as a starter, the second generation may work, but the third will be too watery.) Nowadays, a probiotic capsule can also be used to provide cultures.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 41

U LOVE O Y T A E ITY TR ANGE! R O THE FRU E L P PINEAP NOW IN

B RO U G H T TO YO U B Y:

ISSUE 30 JULY 2018 TAMUZ 5778

All in a Summer’s Day Frozen treats for every palate

THYME FOR DINNER: ROASTED VEGETABLE QUINOA SALAD

B RO U G H T TO YO U B Y:

Eat Well

Recipes

Dear Cooks, You probably get to hear the Nine Days talk every year, so I won't use this space to express my take regarding turning meals into a dairy party during these days of mourning. While we don’t want to indulge in foods that excite us, we still want to please the palate and nourish our bodies properly.

Thyme for Dinner’s quinoa salad is one great example of a meal that fits the bill.

It’s pareve, wholesome, and very filling, and the chickpeas finally get their rightful place as the main protein in the dish as opposed to their usual purpose as a simple addition to a salad or soup.

Since summer is synonymous with frozen treats, especially for the child within, we also bring you some creative ideas of how to have your dessert and feel good too. The talented Malky and Yossi Levine came up with three super-creative ways for you to cool off without filling up on the stuff that drags you down.

Kitchen Talk Quick & Easy Mayo

[Issue #29: Thyme for Dinner] I thought your readers would appreciate knowing that mayonnaise can be made with an immersion blender directly in the container that will go in the fridge. Simply put in the egg, then the rest of the ingredients, adding the oil last. Stick the blender in until the bottom before turning the power on. Work your way upward slowly, and you’re done!

F. Weichbrod Brooklyn, New York

Cookie Review

[Issue #27: Pots+Plants] Thank you for a fabulous gluten-free cookie recipe. I made the cookies with regular milk because my baby is off soy, and they came out amazing.

E. Wolf Lakewood, New Jersey

Perfect Picnic Enjoy your meals as you weave everlasting family memories!

Esther

[Issue #28: Spring in Your Plate] Soon after you published the gorgeous picnic recipes, our family did an outdoor picnic at a local park. We prepared every single dish you featured and had a most delicious, nutritious meal. The sweet potato quinoa jars were a hit!

Elana Druk

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 45

some have well guarded trade secrets we just call them family traditions

HERZOG LINEAGE nine generations of patient winemaking

Eat Well

Recipes, Styling & Photography By Yossi & Malky Levine

Watermelon-Mint Popsicles The fruit-mint combo is refreshing enough. Add the frozen element and you get summer in a popsicle!

4 cups watermelon chunks juice of 2 lemons/limes handful of mint leaves ½ cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) Add watermelon chunks, lemon/ lime juice and mint leaves to a blender and pulse until combined.

Fill popsicle molds with watermelon mixture until ž full, drop some blueberries in each, and then continue filling with watermelon mixture. Stick in popsicle sticks (or sticks that come with your mold) and freeze.

Once set, remove from freezer.

You may have to run your molds under warm water for a few seconds to get them to loosen up and free the popsicles.

Yield: 8 popsicles

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 47

The New York Pasta Authority • 718-469-1295 • nypasta.com

Eat Well

Recipes

Banana Ice Cream-Graham Sandwiches We love how the texture of frozen bananas resembles real ice cream with no need to compromise on the nutrition aspect.

Pair that with these gluten-free graham crackers for a delectable treat that even works as a fun summer breakfast.

Homemade Graham Crackers: 2 cups almond flour ¼ cup xylitol

1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt 1 large egg

1 Tbsp butter, melted 2 tsp maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300˚F. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Stir in egg, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until dough comes together.

Turn dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper or silicone mat and pat into a rough rectangle.

Top with another piece of parchment. Roll out dough as evenly as possible to about ⅛ to ¼ inch thick.

Remove top parchment and use a sharp knife or a pizza wheel to score squares of about 2 x 2 inches.

Do not separate them. Transfer the entire piece of parchment onto a baking sheet.

Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until just beginning to brown and firm up. Remove crackers, allow to cool for 30 minutes, then break up along score marks. Return to the warm oven. (If the oven has cooled down too much, turn it on and set the temperature at lower than 175˚F). Let crackers sit another 30 minutes or so, then cool completely (they will harden as they cool).

Yield: 24-30 crackers 4 ripe bananas

Banana Ice cream: ¾ cup diced strawberries (fresh or frozen)

Slice bananas into disks, place in a single layer on a lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours, or until frozen.

Blend banana slices in food processor until creamy. (I like to leave some chunks in too.)

Scoop banana into a large bowl and fold in diced strawberries.

Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper. Spread banana mixture in the pan in an even layer.

Freeze. Cut banana mixture into squares (use a graham cracker as a pattern) Assemble ice cream sandwiches by placing a graham cracker on the top and bottom of your ice cream square.

Wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag to store.

Yield: 12 ice cream squares

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 49

He the igr asty tr t g a sailedthe Be rino craft a e v ' y e T round d ld th e wor e been ato Hollan Dock. h t s 'Cros hey hav ustralia ingapore T om A S fr bustling , k c o l is b To th

Win $500 Showcase your literary chops!

Test your creative flair!

Gefen Instant Noodle Soup...

It’s the staple of the summer For family trips and camp canteens Because no matter where you are Count on freshness guaranteed So use that noodle in your head And travel back in time Where has Gefen Noodle Soup taken you?

Tell us all in verse and rhyme

*Conditions & Restrictions apply

Poems can be of any length There aint no set amount Be descriptive and be witty For it’s the quality that’ll count Cash prizes for the winners Poems published for all to see Grab a pen and let’s get cookin’ Tell us your “soup-er” memory Submit yours by the 25th Of this coming month of July One week later we’ll draw winners It may be you, so give it a try!

Email: Gefencreative@gmail.com | Mail: Gefen Foods 670 Myrtle Ave, Suite 389, Brooklyn, NY 11205

rips mily t tain hikes, a f d moun all, n-fille On fu ampsites ory one and e b C yk sipped teen or t e b o r spirit T dult o daring A a e v , you ha explore press Should desire to re and supd soa A nd the an wings sta Don't pread your S

Eat Well

Recipes

Froyo Bites This is our latest variation on the highly popular yogurt bark. Really a win-win for moms and children alike, especially if you use homemade fermented yogurt.

4 cups assorted flavors Greek yogurt handful of fresh fruit, diced (strawberries, mango, kiwi, blueberries) Use silicon muffin cups on a tray or cupcake holders in muffin tins.

Using a spoon, dollop some yoghurt into the bottom of each, filling about halfway.

Pop a few pieces of fruit into each cup, pressing them down into the yoghurt with the tip of your finger. You can have your kids create food art with assorted diced fruit.

Freeze for a couple of hours until set solid.

Once frozen through, remove from the muffin cups/cupcake holders and serve (or bag up and pop straight back in the freezer to eat later).

Yield: 12 froyo bites

Eat Well

Recipe and styling by Shiffy Friedman, photo by Ruchy Lebovits

Thyme for Dinner If you want your salad dairy, feel free to add feta cheese and black olives.

I omitted the cheese from the original recipe because this amount of chickpeas provides an adequate serving of protein for one meal.

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad If you still haven’t jumped on the quinoa bandwagon because you’ve been told it’s flavorless or bland, this salad makes for the perfect introduction. When this protein-packed grain is combined with the deep, rich flavors of roasted vegetables, roasted chickpeas, and herbed spices, you not only get great taste, but also incredible texture. And if you’re already a quinoa fan, this salad needs no introduction.

1 cup quinoa 1¾ cups water salt pepper 2 red peppers, diced 1 yellow pepper, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1 zucchini, diced 12 cherry tomatoes, halved 10 broccoli florets, optional 2 Tbsp olive oil

spices (I use salt, pepper, onion powder, thyme, oregano, paprika, and basil) 12 oz. raw chickpeas (garbanzo beans), soaked overnight spices (I use salt, pepper, onion powder, thyme, oregano, paprika, and basil) olive oil spray Romaine lettuce 10 cherry tomatoes, halved 3 scallion stalks, cut into thin circles

Preheat oven to 450˚. Drain soaked chickpeas and pat them dry.

Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, spray generously with olive oil spray and season. Roast for about 45 minutes, until browned.

While the chickpeas are roasting, heat olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add peppers first, then zucchini, tomatoes, and broccoli. Allow to sauté for about 20 minutes, then add spices and sauté for another 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

To prepare the quinoa, bring 1¾ cups of water to a boil in a small pot.

Add the quinoa with salt and pepper. Reduce flame and simmer for about 10 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender.

Allow to cool.

To assemble the salad, place fresh vegetables in a large bowl. Add roasted vegetables (including sauce), chickpeas, and quinoa and mix. The liquid from the sautéed vegetables serves as an adequate dressing, but if you like your salad more moist, add olive oil as desired.

Total prep time: 50 minutes (excludes soaking time) Yield: 4 servings

If you’re used to eating chicken, fish, or meat as your protein every night, you may feel that having chickpeas as your main protein is “not enough” as a dinner. However, this legume is not only high in protein, but is also an excellent source of fiber and other key vitamins and minerals, such as iron, folate, and magnesium.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 53

Eat Well

Recipe and photography by Naomi Hazan

Build your meal on vegetables

Green Goodness Dressing I whipped up this green goodness dressing using all of my favorite springtime herbs. I drizzled it over some baby greens and chickpeas for a fabulous meal! How do you like your salads?

Naomi @onelifetoeat ⅓ cup cashews, soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes ⅓ cup cold water ⅓ cup chopped dill, stems included ⅓ cup chopped parsley, stems included ⅓ cup chopped scallion 2 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp salt Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Store dressing in an airtight container for up to 6 days.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 55

Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News By Liba Solomon, CNWC

THE SWEET TRUTH

Is stevia the healthy sugar alternative it’s made out to be? stevia as one of the safest of the sugar substitutes in a 2014 report, in part because it has a long history of use in Japan.

Stevia sweeteners are broken down by bacteria in the large intestine, but gastrointestinal symptoms like bloating and diarrhea haven’t been reported in studies. However, some products containing stevia also include sugar alcohols like erythritol, which can cause digestive complaints if consumed in large amounts.

Q. Are there any downsides to the sweetener stevia? Is it associated with negative effects or gastrointestinal symptoms? Does it cause sugar cravings if you’ve given up sugar?

A. Major health and food safety organizations generally regard stevia, a sweetener made from a plant native to South America, as safe. But some researchers warn that we don’t have enough evidence to fully understand how products like stevia, so-called nonnutritive sweeteners that have no calories, affect the body.

Ounce for ounce, stevia is 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar, so a small amount can add a lot of sweetness.

Stevia is found in products like soda and iced tea, sweetener packets with names like Truvia® and Pure Via®, and foods marketed as low sugar, such as ice cream and yogurt.

Stevia sweeteners are purified extracts of one type of constituent, called steviol glycosides, found in the leaves of the stevia plant. The European Food Safety Authority and the World Health Organization both say these compounds are safe in the amounts typically used. This conclusion is based on studies, mostly industry funded, in bacteria and rodents that generally show that stevia neither damages DNA nor causes cancer, as well as several human studies that found no effect on blood pressure or blood glucose.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food advocacy group that has often been critical of sugar substitutes, initially raised concerns about stevia sweeteners when they came onto the market in 2008, saying the Food and Drug Administration should have required more testing. However, the group ranked

56 The Wellspring | July 2018

According to Marina Chaparro, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, using stevia is a reasonable strategy to reduce the amount of sugar we consume, “It has the flavor without adding the extra sugar and affecting your blood sugar,” which is especially useful for those with diabetes, she said. She also recommends other strategies to reduce sugar intake, like adding fresh fruit to oatmeal instead of sugar and drinking flavored water instead of soda.

It’s uncertain, though, whether using calorie-free sweeteners like stevia can reduce caloric intake. A recent small study found, for example, that when participants had a drink sweetened with stevia instead of sugar in the morning, they compensated by eating more at lunch, accompanied by bigger lunchtime spikes in blood glucose and insulin.

Some researchers worry that long-term use of nonnutritive sweeteners could have unintended metabolic effects that might not be detected using standard toxicological tests or other measures.

Additional research is questioning how these sweeteners might affect our gut microbes and if the taste of sweetness without the reward of calories could alter the regulation of energy intake and response to sugar consumption. Until we know more, it’s best to minimize the consumption of any sugar, even the “healthy” ones.

THE FACTS ON FAST FOOD

Research reveals its long-term effects on the immune system A recent study conducted at the University of Bonn, which was published in Cell, discovered disturbing findings regarding the consumption of fast food. Even after a change to a healthy diet, the immune system in people who consistently consumed high-fat, high-sugar foods remained hyperactive.

According to research, the immune system reacts similarly to a high-fat and high-calorie diet as to a bacterial infection.

Even long after switching to a healthy diet, inflammation toward innate immune stimulation is more pronounced. These long-term changes may be involved in the development of arteriosclerosis and diabetes, diseases linked to the Western diet.

Researchers involved in the study placed mice for a month on a diet high in fat and sugar, and low in fiber, mimicking the Western diet. The animals consequently developed a strong

inflammatory response throughout the body, similar to the body’s response to an infection caused by harmful bacteria.

“The unhealthy diet led to an unexpected increase in the number of certain immune cells in the blood of the mice, especially granulocytes and monocytes. This was an indication for an involvement of immune cell progenitors in the bone marrow,” Anette Christ, a postdoctoral fellow in the Institute of Innate Immunity of the University of Bonn explains. To better understand these unexpected findings, bone marrow progenitors for major immune cell types were isolated from mice fed either a Western diet or a healthy control diet and a systematic analysis of their function and activation state was performed.

“The genes affected included those responsible for proliferation and maturation,” explains Prof. Dr. Joachim Schultz from the Life and Medical Sciences Institute (LIMES) at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). Fast food thus causes the body to quickly recruit a huge and powerful army. When the researchers offered the rodents their typical cereal diet for another four weeks, the acute inflammation disappeared.

What did not disappear was the genetic reprogramming of the immune cells and their precursors; even after these four weeks, many of the genes that had been switched on during the fast food phase were still active.

“It has only recently been discovered that the innate immune system has a form of memory,” explains Prof. Dr. Eicke Latz, Director of the Institute for Innate Immunity of the University of Bonn and scientist at the DZNE. “After an infection, the body’s defenses remain in an alarm state, so that they can respond more quickly to a new attack.” Experts call this “innate immune training.” In the mice, this process was not triggered by a bacterium, but by an unhealthy diet. So while consuming fast food every now and then won’t have long-term effects, it seems that subsisting on these foods affects more than tomorrow morning’s reading on the scale.

OFFICIAL FAREWELL

The end of artificial trans fat According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the food industry had until Monday, June 18, to stop producing foods that contain artificial trans fat—a deadline that came just over 14 years after the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke partially-hydrogenated oil’s regulatory status as safe for use in foods. As a result, the heart-disease-promoting, factory-made fat, once ubiquitous in restaurant deep fryers and in pastries, pie crusts, microwave popcorns, margarines, shortenings,

and thousands of other packaged foods, is virtually gone from the food supply, according to the nonprofit nutrition and food safety watchdog group.

“The elimination of artificial trans fat from the food supply represents a historic and long-fought victory for public health,” said CSPI senior scientist and former executive director Michael F. Jacobson, who led CSPI’s efforts to get artificial trans fat out of foods. “The food industry once used about eight billion pounds of partially-hydrogenated oil annually. Replacing that with healthier oils was an enormous undertaking that will save tens of thousands of lives each year.”

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 57

Eat Well

Nutrition Facts in a Shell By Devorah Isaacson

Here’s the place to check out nutrition labels for the nutrient-dense produce that come in their natural peels-- just so you know what wholesome goodness you’re feeding your family and yourself!

THIS MONTH:

ACAI BERRY

Calories

70-80 Kcal

Fiber

3-4 g

Protein

1-2 g

Principle

Percentage of RDA

Manganese

130%

Vitamin A

15%

Copper

8%

Iron

4%

Thiamine

4%

Calcium

4%

Magnesium

4%

The first time I read about the trendy acai bowl, my first reaction was, “How do I pronounce this word?” (It’s a-sie-ee, if you have the same question). Once the linguistic matter was tackled, I wanted to know, “What’s in it for me?” How did this tiny berry make it to the top superfood list, even having a smoothie bowl named in its merit?

For starters, anti-inflammatory, high-antioxidant foods not only help keep you healthy, but can even play a role in banishing illness. Berries of all kinds are full of valuable anti-inflammatory nutrients: anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, protocatechuic acid, procyanidins and epicatechin— in addition to vitamin C, vitamin A, and dietary fiber. Acai, the trendy berry of the moment, is no exception.

Perhaps more than any other type of fruit, acai berries have become synonymous with slowing down signs of aging and promoting good health. Some studies show that acai is even richer in protective antioxidants than cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, or the goji berry. In addition to providing many antioxidants, just like other varieties of berries do, acai berries are also believed to help control appetite hormones, increase energy, prevent heart disease, and help with many metabolic functions. It’s not every day that a superfood actually tastes great too, and that’s one of the reasons for acai’s popularity.

In Your Plate

The most convenient way to use acai is to blend it into a smoothie. You can also easily create your own “acai bowl” at home (a type of trendy breakfast made from blended fruits/superfood powders that are topped with muesli or granola) using both acai powder and other superfoods.

Here’s a basic recipe, but feel free to add your own fruits and toppings for a filling, nutrient-dense meal. The addition of almond milk, almond butter, and oats provides the protein and carb your body needs to keep you fueled for hours.

½ small banana 3.5 oz. frozen acai pulp ½ cup frozen strawberries ½ cup frozen blueberries ½ cup unsweetened almond milk 1 Tbsp almond butter

Topping suggestions: oats/granola shredded coconut chia seeds sliced bananas

Serves: 2 Purée all ingredients. Add desired toppings and enjoy.

Note: As with all other berries, consult your Rav regarding how to inspect for bugs.

58 The Wellspring | July 2018

These small, deeply purple-colored berries are native to Central and South America, especially Brazil, where they grow in parts of the Amazonian rain forest. Acai berries have sustained traditional Brazilian and Amazonian populations, including the Caboclo tribe, with nutrients and calories for hundreds of years. In fact, during certain parts of the year acai berries constituted more than 40 percent of the total calories they consumed. The Caboclo people were able to hunt and gather food for many hours without becoming hungry, tired, or weak, which many have attributed to the phytonutrients and fiber gained from these nutrient-dense berries.

But acai berry has more to offer than just antioxidants; it contains many other electrolytes, trace minerals, amino acids, and even small amounts of essential fatty acids.

No doubt about it, there’s quite a long list of health benefits attributed to acai berries. Most of the benefits you’ll get from eating acai berry are due to its extremely high antioxidant content. Acai berry has a high ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) score, which is used to classify foods by how many antioxidants they contain based on weight, and is very close to the top of the list. Purple acai berries get their distinct color due to high concentrations of certain pigmented nutrients they contain, especially anthocyanins, which are found in many reddish-purple berry species. The concentration of antioxidants in acai is believed to be 10 times higher those in red grapes, and acai is estimated to have 10 to 30 times the amount of anthocyanins than red wine.

Antioxidants, including anthocyanins, contribute immensely to the anti-inflammatory and anti-aging benefits of acai berries. That’s because antioxidants are “free radical scavengers,” which means they help slow the process of free radical damage (oxidative stress) that causes the body to deteriorate and develop ailments over time.

By helping the body remain more resilient to the effects of free radicals, acai is beneficial for nearly every body system: cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, neurological, immune, etc. And when it comes to acai’s anti-aging effects, good things come in small packages—studies show antioxidants in acai are able to enter human cells in a fully functional form and to perform oxygen-quenching functions even at very low doses.

body to show oxidative stress. Dark spots, wrinkles, fine lines, saggy skin, and discoloration are all tied to free radical damage within the skin. Consuming plenty of antioxidants helps the body repair damaged skin cells faster, helping to maintain a more youthful appearance.

While acai berry offers a good dose of fiber, it improves digestion in other ways, as well. Acai berry is considered a natural digestive cleanser, helping the liver and kidneys process and remove waste and toxins from the body. It’s also a natural colon cleanser, preventing the accumulation of harmful substances and undigested matter from staying lodged in the colon, where they can cause constipation and other digestive problems. By improving the metabolism, acai berries are capable of speeding up bowel transit time, preventing foods from fermenting in the intestines and causing bloating, gas, and constipation.

Although it’s known best for its antioxidants, acai is also considered an anti-inflammatory food because it contains monounsaturated fatty acids, in addition to dietary fiber and phytosterols, that all help promote cardiovascular health.

Studies show that regularly drinking acai juice has positive effects on blood lipid levels and can protect the heart. Consumption of acai berry helps lower inflammation, which is one of the root causes of coronary heart disease and hormone-related problems, including type 2 diabetes.

Acai is particularly rich in monounsaturated fats like oleic acid, which is found in heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil and helps the body use omega-3 fish oils to lower inflammation and make cell membranes. One of the biggest obstacles faced with marketing acai berries is that, just like all other berries, they are very perishable and fragile. Acai berry starts spoiling within 24 hours after being picked if it’s left out and not dried, which makes it difficult for suppliers to grow and ship fresh acai berries, and also for manufacturers to dry the berries into powder, or extract their nutrients to make supplements, without damaging the important phytochemicals they contain in the process.

Acai berry is also useful for preventing early signs of aging and helping with skin regeneration.

For millennia, people have used antioxidant-rich foods and herbal treatments, including acai, both topically and internally to prevent skin degradation and keep skin resilient and healthy looking.

Skin is often one of the first parts of the

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 59

Living Well

Health Profile By Esther Steinmetz

ELI

In this fun column, The Wellspring readers get acquainted with a fellow reader’s health profile, getting a glimpse into the role that health and wellness play in her everyday life and the tidbits of advice that Tanya Rosen, owner of Nutrition by Tanya, offers for improved quality of life.

Age: 26 Gender: Male Location: Five Towns Weight: 250 lbs.

Height: 6’0” Marital Status: Married Occupation: Insurance broker

Favorite health food: Dry roasted almonds.

Great choice. Almonds contain lots of healthy fats, protein, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E.

Favorite junk food: Danishes and chocolate chip muffins.

They’re surely tempting, but there are excellent alternatives available, such as TAP muffins.

These are not only filling, but also flavorful.

Favorite exercise: Walking

Try breaking a sweat and increasing your heart rate while walking, which involves increasing your speed and/or walking uphill for a considerable amount of time.

Favorite nutritious dish: Tuna salad wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pickles, etc.

Great. When you have this dish, you’re incorporating a starch, protein, and vegetables into your meal. Make sure, though, that the tuna doesn’t contain more than one tablespoon of fat, and choose a whole grain over white flour for your wrap.

My usual bedtime: 12:00 a.m.

My usual wake-up time: 6:30 a.m.

60 The Wellspring | July 2018

My biggest meal on a usual day: Dinner. Everyday when I get home from work, my wife cooks a delicious dinner for us. This is also my favorite meal of the day.

That’s amazing. I’d love to hear about one of her most popular dishes. Nutritious dinners can be delicious too.

My usual dinner menu: It’s always different. My wife cooks new and different dishes all the time. One of my favorite dinner dishes is steak with broccoli and baked potato.

Red meat is an excellent source of iron, as well as other minerals. However, since it’s high in saturated fat, which raises blood cholesterol, it’s not the ideal dinner choice for every night.

My weight loss saga: I want to lose weight, but I find the hardest thing is to eat well throughout the day. When I’m working, I forget about food. I basically only remember to eat when it’s time for dinner.

When we’re busy, it’s easy to forget to eat throughout the day. However, there are many quick and nutritious options available to take with you on the go. Pack up your meals, such as cut-up vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, before you leave the house so you’ll have them with you at mealtimes.

Greatest weight loss challenge: Junk food.

Eating junk food creates a craving for more. If you stay away from it for even a short amount of time, your body will crave sugar less and the challenge will decrease.

My weight/lifestyle goals: I want to lose 85 pounds and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

With determination, hard work, and sticking to a plan, you can definitely do it.

How I would treat myself if I get there: I’ll throw a party!

Sounds like fun! Enjoy the journey too.

Tanya Rosen, M.S CAI CPT is a nutritionist, personal trainer, and owner of Nutrition by Tanya with locations in Flatbush, Boro Park, Williamsburg, Monsey, Crown Heights, Manhattan, and Lakewood. Tanya is the creator of the TAP (Tanya approved products) line available on her website, offices, and select super markets, offering all natural low calorie delicious snacks and food.

She’s also the creator of the Shape Fitness Kosher workout DVDs for ladies and for teens, available in all Judaica stores. Tanya can be reached through The Wellspring.

To be interviewed for this column (anonymously) please send your contact information to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 61

Living Well

At the Dietitian By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

THE FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO IBD AND AUTOIMMUNITY I am often asked what the ideal diet is for inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and colitis) and other autoimmune problems. While diet is vital as part of the healing process, most people don’t realize that any form of autoimmune disease is a symptom of a fundamental body process that has gone awry, and needs to be addressed on many fronts. We can call this the body’s inflammatory response.

Interestingly, autoimmune disorders occur almost exclusively in developed countries. People living in under-developed countries without modern amenities like running water, toilets, washing machines, and sterile backyards do not develop them.

Similarly, those who grow up on a farm are also less likely to be affected by inflammatory disorders. Playing in the dirt and being exposed to bugs and infections trains the immune system to recognize what is foreign and what is “you.”

When the body acts in an unnatural manner and attacks itself, it is really fighting an underlying problem—an infection, a toxin, a food sensitivity, or the stress response—but misdirects its attack to the joints, brain, thyroid, gut, skin, or sometimes the whole body. The answer in reversing autoimmunity lies in determining what the body is fighting, and addressing all possible fronts. A person with Crohn’s disease needs to approach the healing process in the same way as someone with rheumatoid arthritis, as both diseases are results of the body’s inflammatory system having gone haywire.

Unfortunately, many of the conventional treatments available have serious side effects. Anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil® and steroids, immune suppressants like methotrexate, and TNF-alpha blockers like Remicade® can lead to intestinal bleeding, kidney failure, depression, psychosis, osteoporosis, muscle loss, and diabetes, not to mention infection and cancer. When used selectively these drugs can help people get their lives back, but they are not a long-term solution. They should not be used as the mainstay of treatment, but as a bridge to cool off inflammation while the root cause of the disease is treated.

The Functional Approach: Case study Moshe Age: 45 Diagnosis: Crohn’s disease Medications/Supplements: Humira® and vitamin D Functional history: Frequent antibiotic use as a child for recurrent strep and as an adult for almost-yearly bronchitis.

Diet: Low fat and low fiber. Avoids citrus, tomato products, and spicy foods. Limits dairy.

Bloodwork: Elevated CRP and ESR /sed rate (inflammatory markers) Lifestyle: High stress: travels often for work and self-described Type A personality.

The functional healing protocol: Moshe had taken so many antibiotics that his gut bacteria was completely altered and yeast had taken up residence in his gut, as evidenced by positive antibodies to yeast in the stool. Fungus flourished in his body, growing between his toes, on his toenails, and scalp. He had H. pylori bacteria in his gut as well as a leaky gut. He reacted to many foods, including dairy and gluten. He chose to skip the heavy metal testing as he did not have high risk factors for exposure.

After treating the yeast with anti-fungal herbs and a low-sugar diet, and the H. pylori with antibiotics, we started a 30-day Paleo Autoimmune Protocol to jumpstart the healing process. After the 30-day diet, we moved to a diet that eliminated gluten, dairy, and yeast, as well as soy and corn (commonly problematic in autoimmune cases).

Post 30-day healing diet: • Grass-fed beef, chicken and turkey, wild fish • Cooked forms of mostly organic fruits and vegetables • Ground nuts and nut butters • Small amounts of rice and quinoa, rotated every 2 to 3 days • Potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes • Avocados • Pea protein-based smoothies • Fermented veggies and soaked legumes added after 3 months • Sweeteners: small amounts of honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar Supplements: Zinc carnosine; L-glutamine; aloe; marshmallow root; three types of probiotics, including soil-based spore-forming strains; curcumin.

Moshe was encouraged to start a yoga or breathing/meditation program at home and to work on improving his response to stress.

At the 6-month mark, Moshe had self-weaned off Humira® with his doctor’s approval and was in complete remission. The multi-system approach that addressed not just food sensitivities but yeast and bacteria imbalance, possible metal toxicity, and stress load, was key in stopping the inflammation caused by these factors. Once the war against the stressors was over, there were no more inflammatory “soldiers” attacking its tissues, and he was able to return to his natural healthful state.

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist and a Certified Diabetes Educator with over ten years of experience. She maintains a busy nutrition practice in Lakewood and via phone/skype to numerous international clients, specializing in balanced and sustainable weight loss and nutrition therapy for autoimmune and gastrointestinal issues. She can be reached at 732-364-0064 or through her website: www.thegutdietitian.com

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 63

Living Well

Monthly Dose By Yaakov Goodman

AN HERBAL OUNCE OF PREVENTION CURCUMIN FOR BRAIN HEALTH AND OTHER BENEFITS Among the many vitamins and herbs at our disposal, curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been rigorously studied and tested like no other. Newly published data about curcumin continues to astonish scientists, physicians, and the public.

Curcumin has been time tested, which is the best possible indicator of its longterm safety. It has been used since an-

cient times, dating back to when the Romans and Greeks valued its medicinal properties. Indeed, its English name derives from its Latin moniker, which translates as “earth-merit.”

Many thousands of peer-reviewed

64 The Wellspring | July 2018

studies from around the globe have demonstrated curcumin’s ability to halt or prevent certain types of cancer, stop inflammation, improve cardiovascular health, prevent cataracts, kill or inhibit the toxic effects of harmful microbes and dangerous parasites, and protect the brain from oxidative stress and cognitive decline. As one investigative team declared, “Curcumin has been proven

to exhibit the most remarkable benefits from any herb.”

The difficulty regarding curcumin is its poor absorption through the digestive tract. Although the market is flooded with low-cost turmeric supplements,

quality is therefore essential when it comes to taking this supplement.

A little over a decade ago, a patented form of turmeric extract known as BCM95® was developed. Years of painstaking “trial and error” were spent by some of the world’s leading experts until the final product was ready. Clinical studies of BCM-95® show that its bioavailability is over seven times greater than that of a standard curcumin extract. Not only is the BCM95® formulation better absorbed, it achieves significant blood levels and remains in the blood vastly longer, so that the body reaps the beneficial effects of curcumin for considerably more time. Given this success, Maxi Health was proud to be the first in the kosher market to present this product.

Let’s explore some of these bountiful benefits that this wonder herb has to offer.

Brain Health Five crippling conditions account for the majority of diseases that impact the brain and its function in aging Americans. These include, in order of their prevalence: • Major depression (more than 15 million adults) • Alzheimer’s disease (about 5.5 million) • Parkinson’s disease (up to 1 million) • Stroke (nearly 800,000 new cases per year) • Brain cancer (nearly 80,000 new cases per year) Among the many factors that cause the brain to age are the cumulative effects of oxidative stress, environmental toxins, inflammation, the buildup of tox-

Depression Researchers have discovered that major depression is associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and microscopic-level brain-cell damage. These findings radically change our understanding of the causes and potential treatment of depression. Because of curcumin’s unique anti-stress and anti-inflammatory properties, scientists are now exploring it as a novel antidepressant.

Animal studies going back nearly five years have shown that curcumin supplementation reduces depressive-like behaviors in established models of depression. More recently, studies in depressed humans are now confirming these results.

By mid-2017, there was enough data

on curcumin’s impact on depression to warrant a meta-analysis. That study, which included six clinical trials and 377 patients in total, confirmed that curcumin effectively reduced depression as measured by standardized depression scores. Three of those studies also reported significant antianxiety effects.

No adverse events were reported in any of the trials, contrasting sharply with modern antidepressant drugs.

Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia. Despite its prevalence, there is still no effective drug treatment. Promising studies are emerging on natural treatments for Alzheimer’s, and curcumin is a leading star.

In a study published in 2016, researchers gave older adults curcumin supplement with enhanced bioavailability for 12 months. At six months of the study, the placebo group experienced a decline in cognitive function. There was no such drop in curcumin-supplemented subjects—an example of curcumin’s ability to protect the brain against cognitive decline.

Animal studies reveal that curcumin works in several key ways to protect against Alzheimer’s.

First, Alzheimer’s patients often have abnormal insulin signaling pathways.

Curcumin helps to normalize those pathways—a protective action that results in improved cognitive function, spatial learning, and memory.

Finally, curcumin inhibits the enzyme acetylcholinesterase, which helps boost levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in synapses. This is the mechanism by which several Alzheimer’s drugs work.

Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s severely impairs movement and balance, and carries a high risk of dementia. Like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s is driven by toxic protein accumulation, inflammation, and selective loss of dopamine-producing brain cells.

These driving forces suggest that curcumin can function as a powerful ally

against this brain-robbing disease, and studies are starting to support this.

The first indications of curcumin’s protective effects were seen in laboratory studies. In these studies, toxic chemicals are often used to induce Parkinson’s-like symptoms in cell culture. But when these cells were pretreated with curcumin, they were completely protected against such toxicity.

A similar model of Parkinson’s showed that curcumin enhanced cell survival, reduced cell death by apoptosis, and increased mitochondrial function—all important actions that provide both new life and renewed energy to afflicted cells.

Stroke An ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow is cut off to part of the brain, leaving brain cells inflamed and dying in its wake. Following stroke treatment to reopen an occluded cerebral artery, the inflammation and oxidative damage that results from the sudden return of blood can produce a process known as ischemia-reperfusion injury. Curcumin may help combat this type of injury, which means it could help minimize the damage caused by the stroke.

To test the effects of curcumin in rats, scientists gave them curcumin daily both before and after inducing a stroke.

The treated animals showed significant increases in markers of cell restoration, an indication of improved healing after the acute stroke. They also had reduced oxidative damage during the reperfusion phase. Most remarkably, curcumin supplementation significantly reduced the behavioral effects of the stroke, while improving neurological scores.

During stroke-induced brain cell injury, there is an increase in inflammation as the tissue heals. Giving curcumin to the rats before they had a stroke was found to reduce the inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction that typically occurs during the post-reperfusion phase of a stroke.

Curcumin also shrank the size of the infarcted (cell death) zone in this study and significantly reduced tissue swelling characteristic of the post-stroke state.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 65

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not ibntended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

ic proteins, the loss of energy-generating power, and gradual damage to vital genes in individual cells.

Curcumin protects against these factors in the aging brain. For example, studies demonstrate curcumin’s ability to improve the management of cellular energy and to enhance cellular free-radical protection systems. The result is reduced fat oxidation and decreased accumulation of toxic molecules that contribute to premature brain cell death.

In addition, much of curcumin’s value may relate to its ability to turn on genes that trigger the emergence of new brain cells. This exciting discovery was demonstrated in a study of adult mice.

When supplemented with curcumin, subjects experienced a significant increase in new neuron formation, particularly in the memory-critical hippocampal area of the brain.

Evidence is also rapidly accumulating that curcumin plays a major role in protecting existing brain cells from the slow degradation that occurs in disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

As an added benefit, curcumin appears capable of minimizing the impact of acute catastrophes such as stroke and head trauma and chronic toxicity from alcohol.

Living Well

Monthly Dose

Much of these effects, evident hours after the acute stroke, resulted from reductions in inflammatory signaling molecules.

Overall, these studies show that taking curcumin as a protective measure could significantly reduce damage caused by the stroke.

Brain Tumors Brain tumors remain among the mostfeared of clinical conditions. Curcumin is showing early signs of success in fighting brain tumors, especially the deadliest kind, glioblastomas. These tumors are highly aggressive and have an extremely poor prognosis. Average survival is just 15 months following diagnosis, and virtually no one survives past two years.

Curcumin has several modes of action against cancer. Most promising is its ability to target cancer stem cells, which are resistant to radiation and chemotherapy. Curcumin has been shown to reduce cancer stem-cell survival and sensitize them to chemotherapy, making tumors more vulnerable to treatment.

When applied directly to human brain-cancer cells in culture, curcumin induced cell death both by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) and by destroying the cells within 72 hours of treatment. Curcumin also causes cell-cycle arrest, essentially “freezing” malignant cells into one phase of their replicative cycle. This makes it impossible for these aggressive cells to continue to multiply. A recent study demonstrated that cells and patients treated with curcumin lived longer. This is especially noteworthy considering the poor prognosis of this type of brain cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, one out of every three women in the United States risks developing some form of cancer. For men, that number rises to one in two. Since cancer is an age-related disease, the risk of diagnosis increases the longer one lives, making it the second leading cause of death in this country.

Curcumin has emerged as a potent cancer-preventing agent, with 240 pub-

66 The Wellspring | July 2018

lished studies appearing in the global scientific literature in the past year.

Curcumin’s multimodal effects act to simultaneously counter ten discrete causative factors in cancer development. It intervenes at each stage in the complex sequence of events that must occur in order for a cancer to develop, progress, invade, and ultimately metastasize to healthy tissue.

The multi-targeted mechanisms of curcumin have yielded compelling results in combating a remarkably broad array of cancers, including those of the

CURCUMIN HAS BEEN PROVEN TO EXHIBIT THE MOST REMARKABLE BENEFITS FROM ANY HERB. breast, uterus, cervix, prostate, and GI tract. A burgeoning body of research demonstrates curcumin’s potential to counter cancers of the blood, brain, lung, and bladder as well.

Curcumin regulates tumor suppressor pathways and triggers mitochondrial-mediated death in tumor tissue, thereby increasing the death of cancer cells. Curcumin also interferes with tumor invasiveness and blocks molecules that would otherwise open pathways to penetration of tissue. It also helps starve tumors of their vital blood supply, and it can oppose many of the processes that permit metastases to spread. These multi-targeted actions are central to curcumin’s capacity to block multiple forms of cancer before they manifest.

Prostate Health Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.

Fortunately, its long latency period and slow growth rate make it a prime candidate for prevention. Curcumin strikes at multiple targets in prostate malignan-

cies, interfering with the spread of cancer cells and regulating inflammatory responses through the master regulator.

Anti-inflammatory benefits According to emerging research, curcumin may be the single most powerful anti-inflammatory agent. A recent study was conducted on people with active arthritis during a flare-up of the disease.

Throughout the study, the patients were evaluated using a standard arthritis disease activity score. In addition, blood tests were done at the beginning and the end of the treatment period to determine the patients’ overall degree of inflammatory responses. Patients also assessed their own pain levels on a 0-10 scale. Those taking curcumin saw a staggering 70% decrease in pain and swelling. All patients in the study experienced significant improvements in their disease activity scores by the end of the study.

Adding the standard drug did little to enhance the effect of curcumin acting alone; indeed, on many of the study’s measures, curcumin alone outperformed the drug/curcumin combination. These compelling results demonstrate the practical advantages of curcumin over the standard drug treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Conclusion As we have noted, curcumin has served mankind for thousands of years, and scientists continue to discover its potent benefits. The advent of a revolutionary delivery system in the form of BCM-95® promises to make these benefits more readily available to the consumer.

As the favorable evidence is mounting, curcumin seems an appropriate everyday supplement for individuals across the spectrum. Maxi Health’s Turmeric™ BCM-95® should be seen as a choice supplement for those seeking better health.

This supplement is not intended to replace medication when needed. If you are using any blood thinning medication, please consult your physician before use.

YOUR WELLNESS LIST

Supplements related to content in this issue that can improve your health and wellbeing To get a detailed understanding of the following nutritional topics, read more on the page numbers listed below.

MAXI HEALTH TWO COMPLETE™ Related to Ask the Nutritionist pg. 31

OMEGA YUMS 1000™ Related to Child Development pg. 68

As nutritionist Shani Taub responds to the letter writer in her column, since most of the foods we consume today are lacking in nutritional content, supplementing with a multivitamin is always a good idea. You certainly can’t go wrong with taking a daily dose of Maxi Health Two Complete™, the multivitamin that contains essential vitamins, minerals, and even a superfood blend of antioxidants and amino acids, to support your health and help you get through the day.

If you’re concerned about your child’s brain drain this summer, Maxi Health’s Omega Yums 1000™ are here to alleviate the issue for you. What better way to boost your child’s brain development than supplying it with the fatty acids that are lauded for their role in doing just that? The delicious chewable soft gels are easy to digest and contain just the right amount of omega-3 fish oil.

MAXI PRO 100 BILLION™ Related to Cover Feature pg. 34

MAXI COLLAGEN H.A.™ Related to Golden Page pg. 79

Fermented foods are one great way to supply the body with a hefty dose of probiotics, but taking a daily dose in supplement form also goes a long way in helping restore healthy gut bacteria. Maxi Pro 100 Billion™, a probiotic in a delayed release capsule, contains both Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, providing 500 million active organisms in one capsule.

The health and vitality of hair, nails, and skin begins with the health of the tissues that comprise them.

Maxi Collagen H.A.™ is the very first kosher collagen capsule on the market that nourishes the body’s vital structural proteins from within, by strengthening collagen needed to sustain structural integrity and an attractive appearance.

MAXI CALM™ Related to Health Platform pg. 12 As recommended by Rabbi Hirsch Meisels, Maxi Calm™ contains just the right combination of nutrients to reduce anxiety, insomnia, fears, and restlessness. Packed with herbs that have been known for centuries for their medicinal properties, such as passion flower, this natural intervention activates the inhibitory GABA neurotransmitters to generate a calming effect on the entire body.

Ask for these products at your local health food store.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 67

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Selection Guide

Living Well

Child Development By Batsheva Fine

Preventing Brain Drain Boosting our kids’ cognitive development while school is out While summertime can do wonders for a child’s development in social, motor, and emotional development, being out of school for two whole months can negatively impact cognitive growth. Here are some ways that mothers keep their children’s cognitive abilities up to par so they don’t face the repercussions of summer when September rolls around.

CHAVA

MOTHER OF SIX MONROE:

In our community, many of us send our kids to the same school and stay home for the summer, so this idea may not work for everyone. However, you may be able to adjust it according to your circumstances. Two years ago, several mothers on my block came up with the idea to set up a round-robin system. Every Monday during summer vacation, six kids from the same age group gather in a different neighbor’s house. They all bring their summer homework booklets along, and the woman in charge that day comes up with a motivation to get the kids to do several pages.

Because the kids have the same booklet, they enjoy working together to review the material they learned during the year. The competition is also a great motivating factor, so even if your child works with only one friend, they can still move along nicely.

SHULI

MOTHER OF FOUR FAR ROCKAWAY:

This is exactly the issue I have every summer! It bothers me so much to know that my kids are not using their developing brains for two months’ straight, especially since I grew up in Europe, where summer vacation was so much shorter. I try new ideas every year to minimize the negative consequences of this too-long break.

This year, I stocked up on a variety of activity books from the local toy store. I picked out books that focus on various cognitive strengths, such as simple mathematics, riddles, and fun facts. I plan on doing them with the kids after they have their snacks when they come home from day camp. I can’t yet tell you how successfully this plan will pan out, but at least I know I’m trying!

RECHY

MOTHER OF FIVE LAKEWOOD:

I find that kids love learning, no matter the time of year. Their developing brains are thirsty for knowledge, and they soak up new information like sponges. However, the question is how to facilitate learning. As a teacher, I’m quite familiar with the importance of good motivations, which I transfer to my mothering techniques. So much of what happens during the day can be turned into a teachable moment if we only concentrate a bit more.

For example, if your child learned how to count in school this year, have her count the cookies you put into her snack bag, or the beans you’re putting in the cholent pot. If your child learned the times table, find ways to test her on that.

Today’s kids’ magazines are also excellent channels for maintaining literacy skills in older children. I feel that if you’re aware of what your child learned this past year and you make it your business to find opportunities to test them in a fun way, they will do just fine—even without completing their booklets.

BLIMY

MOTHER OF FIVE BORO PARK:

This is what worked in our home for the past three summers. At the start of the summer, we all sit down at the table to draw a large chart with four columns (for the kids who are old enough to participate). I place a photo next to the name of each child to make the contest more exciting, and they each get to decorate their column. I make sure to keep their workbooks from school as well as the summer booklets their teachers send home, and every weeknight, as part of the bedtime routine, I set a timer for fifteen minutes.

During this time, every child is engaged in the material she learned during the past year, and I alternate between helping them out and testing their knowledge. The competition works great when I start pasting stickers in the columns. At the end of each half of the summer break, we go to the toy store to choose prizes according to how many stickers each child earned.

TOBY

MOTHER OF THREE BORO PARK:

I don’t think the kids have to actually review what they learned in school to maintain their cognitive abilities. It’s all about using the brain. I’m always on the lookout for brain-boosting educational games, amassing a nice collection for summertime. I find many inexpensive ones online or in random stores, but even today’s Jewish toy market is flooded with cognition-oriented games.

When the kids are in a relaxed mood, and especially on rainy days, I unveil my exciting finds and have them get busy with these activities.

YOCHEVED

MOTHER OF SIX MONSEY:

I try as much as I can not to make the learning into a pressure. Once the kids enjoy it, they have no problem making it happen. For this reason, at the beginning of every week, I ask every child to choose one time slot during that week when she wants to sit down to do some work with me. When they feel that they’re given a choice, they’re much more willing and excited to participate.

During that time, depending on the age of the child, I review the teacher’s material or come up with my own activity related to what the child learned that year. Of course, this only works if you’re involved in the child’s studies throughout the year, which I feel is crucial for the child’s development and self-esteem.

SMART SOLUTIONS Essential fatty acids with omega-3 fish oil are the foundation of a child’s healthy brain. Purdue University researchers have found that boys with low blood levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids have a greater tendency toward behavioral, learning, and health problems consistent with ADHD. The Journal of Child Neurology (2012) cites a fascinating study on the efficacy of essential fatty acids on the brain’s development. Children (6-12 years) with ADHD being treated with methylphenidate and standard behavior therapy for more than six months, whose parents reported no improvement in behavior and academic learning, were randomly assigned to receive supplementation with a combined omega-3 and omega-6 preparation or a placebo.

The outcome was measured at three and six months after treatment, using a self-assessment checklist completed by the parents. Statistically significant improvement was found in the treatment group compared with the placebo group in the following measures: restlessness, aggressiveness, completing work, and academic performance. Essential fatty acids are not only effective for children with ADHD; they work wonders on a healthy brain, as well. In order to ensure your child’s brain is developing properly, provide him with a daily dose of omega-3 fish oil.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 69

Wellbeing

Emotional Wellness By Gavi Hoffnung, PhD, & David Rosmarin, PhD

How Can I Accept My Negative Emotions?

Q A

I’ve been reading a lot lately about mental health and psychotherapy, as well as emotional wellness. However, I’m confused about something that I hope you can clarify. In many articles, I’ve come across the concept that one should try to “accept” negative emotions instead of trying to get rid of them. What does this mean? Aren’t negative emotions exactly what we don’t want to feel? Why should we accept them?

A yeshivah bachur with questions

Dear Yeshivah Bachur, This is a great question. You’re absolutely correct that the notion of “accepting” one’s negative emotions is a paradox. To strengthen your question: when we ask people to try to accept their anxiety, depression, or other symptoms, we’re asking them to feel comfortable with feeling discomfort, which is a clear contradiction in terms. However, that very contradiction constitutes the power of acceptance, and is precisely why acceptance is such a vital concept in emotional health.

To illustrate the power of acceptance, consider the following. Let’s say you’re grappling with moderate or even severe depressive symptoms— you struggle to get out of bed, feel you can’t get to work in the morning, and you’re not even interested in playing the piano even though it’s been your solace for over 10 years. On the one hand, your depression is very real; you may feel sad, overwhelmed, and lack enjoyment in all the above activities. Furthermore, your sad feelings make you feel even worse, because you judge yourself for being

depressed. On the other hand, you could theoretically push yourself to do the above activities; it wouldn’t be easy, but you could muster up enough strength to engage in life. You could also learn to accept and stop judging yourself for not feeling happy.

Acceptance teaches us to drop expectations that we “should” feel a certain way and instead to refocus our energies on re-engaging in the behaviors that are meaningful to us. So, in the above scenario, an acceptance-based therapist would encourage you to “accept” and stop fighting your depression, and then re-engage in a steady wake-time, work, piano, and other activities, without having any expectation that the re-engagement will change how you feel. The fascinating paradox of acceptance is that learning to accept our emotions and stopping to judge ourselves for how we feel, in of itself leads us to feel better. By contrast, chasing “fixes” and getting hung up on feeling better is a surefire way to extend the duration and worsen the intensity of our negative emotions.

Steven C. Hayes, the founder

of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, puts it as follows: “We are usually not responsible for our psychological struggles, but we are always profoundly response-able.”

Acceptance is about appreciating this subtle distinction. It empowers us to change the things we can (usually our behavior), and accept the things we cannot (like negative emotions).

However, to clarify, acceptance is not saying, “I’m happy with the way I am,” or, “It’ll never be different, so I may as well be ok with how I feel.”

Acceptance is about recognizing that we do not need to feel differently to move forward. For example, instead of saying, “I can’t take it anymore!

I’m so tired of feeling depressed!” we learn to say, “I don’t like feeling sad, but I can’t control my feelings directly so I’m going to accept how I feel and refocus on making behavioral changes.” The power of acceptance is that instead of playing the blamegame and getting upset at ourselves for feeling a certain way, we learn to focus on what we can do to get better.

Thanks again for writing, Gavi Hoffnung & David Rosmarin

Gavi Hoffnung, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Anxiety’s Monsey office. He combines a strong background in neuropsychology with a staunchly behavioral approach to provide treatment to adults, adolescents, and children in both English and Yiddish. David H. Rosmarin, Ph.D., ABPP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, part-time, and a board-certified clinical psychologist.

He also directs the Center for Anxiety, which has offices in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Monsey, and Boston.

Readers may submit their questions on anxiety or any mental-health related topic to be answered by the columnists in the next Anxious to Know column. All identifying details will be changed. Questions can be submitted to info@wellspringmagazine.com. Subject line should be “Anxious to Know.”

Wellbeing

Clean Slate By Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC

NUMBERS DON'T COUNT

F

WHEN THE SCALE BECOMES DANGEROUS

For years, Gitty struggled with the numbers on the scale, first when she was severely overweight, and even later, after she lost copious amounts of weight. “There were times I dreaded stepping on, because I knew I would beat myself up afterward, and then there were times that I looked forward to that moment with heart-fluttering excitement.”

In the sidebar of the first installment in the emotional dieting series, I listed five signs that indicate that you may be an emotional dieter, including the focus of this article: You’re fixated on numbers; your happiness is dependent on the scale, body measurements, or your clothing size. How is fixation on numbers a sign of emotional dieting and how can this obsession be reversed?

A while back, my friend told me that her elderly, impeccably-groomed grandmother, who looks 20 years younger than her age, weighs herself every morning. If she sees that she gained a pound or two, she limits her food intake until the desired number reappears on the screen. At that point, when I hadn’t yet explored the depths of the emotional world that all too often exhibits in food-related practices, I was impressed. Today, however, my reaction is quite the contrary. Instead of being in awe of this woman’s conviction for being mindful of her health, I feel pity for her. And although we can’t know definitively, a safe assumption we can make about people who step on the scale every morning, who have a need to see a certain number in order to feel content, is that they’re hard on

72 The Wellspring | July 2018

themselves, that they find it difficult to accept themselves as they are.

As a general rule, as long as we’re eating healthfully for the right reason— to nourish the body, the scale should have no significant place in our life.

However, when a healthy lifestyle is only a means toward achieving weight loss, of course the scale plays a prominent role. It’s certainly pleasurable to see how the changes we make in our diet yield desirable results, but having our entire lifestyle depend on these numbers is detrimental to emotional health. (Avoiding the scale while leading a non-nutritious lifestyle, though, may be a result of denial.)

For most people, the infamous bathroom scale serves as a measuring stick.

As Gitty, my client, expressed, if the number satisfies our ego—the way we would like to see ourselves—we use it to pat ourselves on the back. It’s a practice that may reward the ego, but does nothing to our true sense of self, to our nefesh. If the number doesn’t feel good to us, we can spend the entire day berating ourselves about it. We may even end up making better choices for the entire following day or week or month, but the power that’s driving us is unhealthy.

Another way an emotional dieter might use the scale is as a warning stick, such as before heading out for a simchah or vacation (“You’d better watch out, if you know what’s good for you”). While these uses may seem plausible to an emotional dieter, they’re all skewed. Sadly, people can keep their weight down for decades using these

methods of internal torture.

“Even when I was already eating healthfully, I was bound to the scale.

On the days that I surprisingly dropped a pound or two, my mood lifted. But if the number went up since the last time I weighed myself, or if it didn’t budge, I started thinking that the whole diet wasn’t worth it.”

In essence, of course it was “worth it.” Eating properly is not only a commandment in the Torah, but also provides incredible health and wellness benefits, exclusive of weight loss. When emotional health is present, a person chooses to eat healthfully as a means to fuel the body with proper nutrition.

When emotional health is lacking, on the other hand, it’s merely a means to escape the pain, i.e., I want to lose weight so I can feel better about myself (which doesn’t happen). This type of “healthy lifestyle” is dreadful. Only if it yields a drop in numbers is this painful procedure “worth it.”

Only recently, once Gitty has started learning how to value herself as she is and to properly process the plethora of emotions she faces on a daily basis, has she let go of the scale. “It’s gathering dust in the vanity closet. I’m still eating very healthfully and probably weigh less than I ever did, but because I’m doing it from a place of self-love, the numbers don’t matter that much anymore.”

In this column on emotional eating, Shiffy Friedman, MSW, CNWC, discusses the journey toward a healthy relationship with food from a Torah-based, psychological, and personal perspective.

AGE WELL ISSUE 30 JULY 2018 TAMUZ 5778

5 Steps Toward a Longer Lifespan

GOLDEN PAGE THE SECRET TO SMOOTH AND SUPPLE SKIN

Our Promise t Heaven & Earth we promise

e promise to only use the best ingredients.

to bring you the wholesome,

e promise to never compromise flavor.

better-for-you foods and snacks that you

e promise to never use artificial flavors, colors or

can be proud to serve your family.

preservatives, and we didn’t stop there: we also promise to never include MSG or trans-fats. e promise to bring you the best of Heaven & Earth,

We don’t make this promise lightly,

for foods & snacks you can feel good about eating—and

because it’s the same one we would make

sharing with the rest of your family.

to our family. And, to be as clear as our ingredients, before we rolled our first cookie or made our lollipops lick-worthy, we spent a lot of time figuring out what we wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) include.

e promise not to cut corners—if you don’t know what

it is or can’t pronounce it, you probably won’t find it in our ingredients. e promise to always be up front and clearly

communicate with you. Our labels will provide you with all the information you need to know about our products in a simple, easy-to-read format.

For a little Heaven on Earth

Golden Page By Yaakov Goodman

SMOOTH AND SUPPLE

C

COLLAGEN FOR WRINKLE-FREE SKIN Collagen for wrinkle-free

Collagen, which makes up 70% of the weight of the dermis, the inner layer of the skin, is vital for healthy, vibrant skin. It’s the main structural protein that provides supple flexibility and supports elastin, which allows the skin to stretch and return to its original shape. By the age of 21, we start losing about 1% of the collagen in our skin every year. When we reach middle age, this number starts to steadily increase. The visible effects of a decrease in collagen include thin, wrinkled, sagging, and dry skin; thinning, weak, dull hair; and dull, brittle nails.

However, the age-related decline in these critical proteins goes far beyond the external, cosmetic effects. They reflect more serious problems on the inside, including adverse changes in blood vessel walls, bone, connective tissues, and other vital organs where these structural proteins predominate.

In addition, skin exposed over time to the sun’s radiation undergoes a breakdown and alteration of collagen fibers and accumulates disorganized elastin proteins throughout the dermis, the deeper layers of the skin. The good news is that supplementing with high-quality collagen has shown to reverse these losses, and to promote a more vibrant physical appearance.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the effectiveness of collagen as an oral supplement was published in 2014. The primary focus of this study was to evaluate its effect on skin wrinkles and synthesis of the

dermal matrix. Subjects were 114 women aged 45 to 65.

Skin wrinkles were measured regularly during the eightweek trial of daily oral supplementation. At four weeks, the volume of eye wrinkles for the supplemented group had decreased significantly by 7.2%, compared with placebo recipients. At eight weeks, that difference rose to 20.1%, a one-fifth reduction in the size of unsightly eye wrinkles.

Collagen has been shown to be remarkably useful for improving strength and appearance of hair and nails, as well. In one study, women with damaged, fragile, and stressed hair took two capsules of collagen daily. After 90 days, electron microscope photos showed that uneven hair surfaces had become smooth, interlocking, and watertight—which translates into smoother, shinier hair.

Also, the number of hairs lost during washing was reduced by 30%, and hair strength was increased by 12%.

The health and vitality of hair, nails, and skin begins with the health of the tissues that comprise them. Expensive cosmetics will only temporarily cover the telling signs of a tired and aging body. An entirely different approach is to nourish the body’s vital structural proteins from within, by strengthening collagen needed to sustain structural integrity and an attractive appearance. Maxi Health’s Maxi Collagen H.A.™ is the very first kosher collagen capsule on the market, sourced from the highest quality kosher fish. It has helped many seeking to improve and rejuvenate skin, hair, and nails, as well as bones and joints.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 75

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Age Well

Age Well

Sage Advice by Aliza Simon

FIVE STEPS TOWARD A LONGER LIFESPAN While only Hashem determines who will be blessed with arichas yamim, here are five ways you or your elderly parents can make as hishtadlus toward leading a longer, healthier life.

According to a new study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, Americans don’t live as long as members of most other high-income countries. The good news is researchers found that modest lifestyle changes could increase their lifespan by as much as 14 years. Although the U.S. is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, it ranks 53rd in the world for life expectancy at birth, according to 2015 data from the World Health Organization.

“If more Americans adopted healthy lifestyles, it could have quite a big impact on life expectancy,” says the study’s lead author, Dr. Yanping Li, a research scientist at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The study conducted by researchers at Harvard University examined how lifestyle factors like regular physical activity, not smoking, moderate drinking, and maintaining a healthy weight and diet might raise life expectancy among Americans, using data from 123,219 patients compiled during a 34year period in the Nurses’ Health Study and 28 years of the Professionals Follow-up Study.

The average lifespan has been increasing steadily in the U.S., from 62.9 years in 1940 to 76.8 in 2000 to 78.8 in 2014, a rise attributed partly to a steady decrease in smoking. In 1965, 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked. By 2014, this had dropped to 16.8 percent. As Li explained, life expectancy rates should have risen even higher due to smoking cessation rates, but they were counterbalanced by the high rate of people with poor diets and sedentary lifestyles.

The researchers focused patients who kept the five “low-risk lifestyle factors”: never smoking; exercising for 30 minutes a day at a moderate to vigorous level (including brisk walking); having a normal body mass index; eating a healthy diet; and consuming a moderate level of alcohol, defined as no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

The researchers found that 50-year-old women who engaged in all five low-risk factors lived an average age of 93.1 years—14 years longer than women who adopted none of the lifestyle factors.

Men at 50 who adopted all five factors lived to an average age of 87.6, or 12.2 years longer than men who kept none of the five low-risk factors.

76 The Wellspring | July 2018

“Americans put a high priority on health care, but our findings support the idea that we should be putting more effort on prevention than on treatment,” she says.

“It’s a key point, because obesity prevalence keeps increasing in America,” she says.

The new findings show that taking small steps, like a brisk 30-minute walk five times a week, can add up to a longer “health span,” a term which describes how long people are healthy, not just how long they live.

“What encouraged me the most about this data is it does not take perfection to be healthy,” Dr. Li notes. “These were not people who were running marathons or adopting vegan diets.

You just need to adopt small goals, like eating more fruits and vegetables, achieve them, and move on to another step. Even modest changes can have a big impact in the long-term.”

Cookies (also available in sugar free)

with ALL MADE FROM 100% ORGANIC SPELT FLOUR AND SUGAR.

159 LEE AVE • 718-387-7411

Cakes (also available in sugar free)

Breads Challah.

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 77

Diary By Devorah Ackerman

On the Safe Side

To a healthy summer

The doctor’s office was packed to capacity with patients who had come to get their camp forms filled before the summer season took off. Entire families were having themselves examined, “just to be on the safe side,” and I was at the end of this queue.

For me, it wasn’t just a “let’s be on the safe side” visit. My little Chaya had been running a fever, and she was uncharacteristically cranky. After her incessant coughing and restlessness kept us up for two nights in a row, I felt I had to brave the wait and do my duty to discover what was going on with my child.

After our turn finally came around, the pediatrician gave us his full attention. From what he heard through the stethoscope, he wasn’t sure if Chaya had bronchitis or if it was just a simple case of congestion. He suggested, “just to be on the safe side,” that I give her Omnicef (an antibiotic), but I wasn’t sure I wanted to start medication “just

in case.” I had recently read an article printed in The New England Journal of Medicine about viral bronchitis. Most cases of bronchitis are indeed viral, the article explained, and do not respond to medication. According to the experts quoted, warm drinks, steam, humidity, and essential oils are much more effective.

In addition to following that advice, I gave my daughter Maxi Health’s Pantomax Supreme™, which is known to boost immunity. From my own experience, I knew how effective this intervention would be. I once took this product when I had a miserable sinus infection and wasn’t able to take antibiotics. After one week, my sinuses totally cleared. This time, as well, we got incredible results. After 24 hours of taking Pantomax Supreme™, Chaya’s congestion and cough considerably improved, and her fever disappeared. Finally, I started feeling that we were on the “safe side.”

How has your health and wellbeing improved thanks to Maxi Health? To receive a free bottle of the supplement that changed your life, send a 50-100 word description of your story to info@wellspringmagazine.com.

We reserve the right to end this promotion at any time, without notice.

78 The Wellspring | July 2018

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent or cure any disease.

Inkwell

Farewell

Dictionary

leaky gut Definition: noun

a condition in which the lining of the small intestine becomes damaged, causing undigested food particles, toxic waste products and bacteria to "leak" through the intestines and flood the blood stream.

“

IF THE GUT LINING GETS DESTROYED THROUGH HARMFUL BACTERIA, WHICH IS KNOWN AS LEAKY GUT SYNDROME, THE HARMFUL WASTES LEAK RIGHT BACK INTO THE BODY. A BALANCED GUT FLORA RESTORES THAT LINING. -AVRUMI GROSSBERG, COVER FEATURE

”

Tamuz 5778 | The Wellspring 79