Wellspring Issue #56

SEPTEMBER 2020 // ELUL 5780 // ISSUE 56

This Way Up

Back to the Desk

How to support your child toward spiritual health

“If you are to make only one change in your lifestyle to minimize exposure to pesticides, I would focus on just this one.”

Tamar Feldman shines the spotlight on a toxic ingredient

Ask Shani The numbers aren’t budging

DIY: Sinus and headache relief oil blend New Series!

Behind the scenes at Full ’N Free with Rorie Weisberg

Jumpstart your child’s learning during this postquarantine period

My Table

What I serve the kids when they get home from school

School of Life

Girl Without a Pancreas

What a rare health condition taught me about resilience, recovery, and reality No to Sugar, Yes to Flavor

US $6.99 // CALIFORNIA $7.50 CANADA $7.99 // UK £5.50 EUROPE €6.50 // ISRAEL ₪24.9

You need this muffin to get you through the day

What’s for snack today?

100% natural fruit snacks

HEART.WORKS

A cola

that finally

ends the

debate.

Introducing a cola with all of the flavor and none of the junk. Now that’s real refreshment.

REAL. REFRESHING. Coke and Pepsi are trademarks owned by the The Coca-Cola Company and The Pepsi Bottling Group.

HEART.WORKS

Coke vs. Pepsi

Look what I br My Leiter’s Sukk ought you, Avi! ah, whi for the last 29 yech I’ve used ars.

It’s still in perfect happy for your fa condition. I’d be so mily to the next 30 yearenjoy it for s!

Thank you, Shver! mories of the We have so many special me kah. suk r you time spent in beautiful Yesterday we bought this s all the way dow win has it Leiter’s Sukkah; able to re we around - I love that we nted! wa we at wh ctly exa choose l be wil ily fam ky luc Now which getting your sukkah?

R

S

STAY H O M E . STAY SA F E . L E I TE R S OFFERS CU STO M M EASU REM ENT SERV ICES AT YO U R HO M E.

EVERYO

A

TER’S

1 34 6 39T H ST R E E T L E IT E R S S U K KA H .CO M

E

EI

71 8 .4 36 .0303

N

L U

KK

O AH F

Heart.Works

For those with higher standards.â„

Due to the current situation, our top-rated Kendamil formula was temporarily out of stock. But we’ve got good news.

With plenty of hard work and siyata d’shmaya, we’ve got Kendamil formula back on shelves. Find us in your local supermtarket today!

Are Shabbos afternoons draining you?

Are you ready for a break?

Introducing the Rayim Shabbos Circle – a unique respite program geared to give kids a good time and moms a peaceful Shabbos afternoon.

Please call us at 845.782.7700 ext. 403 for more details.

by

Ezra's exceptional Primary Care keeps me and my family healthy.

We offer Covid-19 testing with results in 15 minutes!

1312 38th Street | 718.686.7600 1278 60th Street | EzraMedical.org

Editor In Chief Shiffy Friedman

COPY & RESEARCH Deputy Editor Esther Retek Nutritional Advisory Board Dr. Rachael Schindler Laura Shammah, MS, RDN Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE Bashy Halberstam, INHC Shaindy Oberlander, INHC Shira Savit, MA, MHC, CHC Nutrition Contributors Tanya Rosen, MS CAI CPT Shani Taub, CDC Health Advisory Board Dr. Chayala Englard • Chaya Tilla Brachfeld, RN • Miriam Schweid Fitness Advisory Board Syma Kranz, PFC Esther Fried, PFC Child Development Advisory Board Friedy Singer, OTR/L Roizy Guttman, OTR/L Coordinating Editor Liba Solomon, CNWC Feature Editors Rochel Gordon • Rikki Samson Proofreaders Faige Badian • Meira Lawrence

FOOD CONTENT Food Editor Esther Frenkel Recipes, Food Styling & Photography Yossi & Malky Levine Charnie Kohn ART & PRODUCTION Creative Director Baruch Samuel Designer Rivky Schwartz Digital Rivkah Shanowitz • Chanah Singal ADVERTISING Executive Account Manager Estie Rubin 718-412-3309 Ext.2 ads@wellspringmagazine.com SUBSCRIPTION 718-412-3309 Ext.1 subscribe@wellspringmagazine.com DISTRIBUTION JMD Network LLC 718-972-0308 Esther@jmdnetworkllc.com

WELLSPRING MAGAZINE: 718-412-3309 info@wellspringmagazine.com www.wellspringmagazine.com 670 Myrtle Ave. Suite 389 Brooklyn, NY 11205

The Wellspring Magazine is published monthly by Wellspring Magazine Inc. All rights are reserved.

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

Put your uncertainty to rest.

FDA-EUA APPROVED

GET THE COVID-19 ANTIBODY TEST.

ADVANCED PRECISION TESTING

Get results within 48 hours

Unsure if you had coronavirus in the past? Get peace of mind.

Take the breakthrough antibody test to discover if you’ve developed an antibody response to Covid-19.

Schedule an appointment today.

Ezra Medical Center

718.686.7600 1312 38th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11218 1278 60th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11219

EzraMedical.org

From the Editor shiffy@wellspringmagazine.com

Always a Student Until the very last minute, we in Eretz Yisrael did not know what our summer vacation would look like this year.

With the constant changes due to corona-related precautions and regulations, we didn’t know if we’d be locked up in our home or enjoying the great outdoors. Finally, when word got out that a proper (for the most part) vacation would be possible, I started looking into lodging options up North, envisioning the reenactment of my childhood summers in the country for my children. Here in Eretz Yisrael, the alternative to the American summer home or bungalow that a family settles into for a solid eight to ten weeks is a cabin, or tzimmer, where the lucky inhabitants get to spend two or three, perhaps four, nights cramming in all their summer experiences into the very concentrated, very fun-filled hours at their disposal. If you’re lucky, your place even boasts a pool. You can be even luckier, and it’ll be just for your family — no need to split the hours with the other vacationers on the premises. But due to travel restrictions this year, those said lodging places were eyed upon by thousands upon thousands of families, all interested in being there during the same three weeks of chofesh.

When I let our kids know we’d found a place where we would spend a few nights, they broke into a joyous dance. After I showed them photos of the place — cabin, pool, and all — their imagination swung into full gear. (So how many suitcases are we packing?

Can I take along my doll? [Note: the one she never plays with, of course.] Can I take my new tractor?) But

10 Wellspring | September 2020

shortly afterward, due to a double booking, our plans fell apart. I was back to square one, scouring websites and vacation guides for another vacant lodging that had somehow not been fully booked during this season of vacation desperation. Understandably, the kids were disappointed. Over supper that night, when they lamented about missing out on the good times they had already pinned their hopes on, and mused over the attributes of the particular place we had thought was already ours, my husband suggested, “Why don’t you make a list of what you want to have?”

Two of our young daughters sat down with a blank piece of paper and they began to draw up a list. They wanted a bungalow (not just an apartment), pool stuck to the ground (Editor mom: in-ground!), steps to the bedroom. My husband and I sat and watched as they worked their way through the page, assembling a meticulously detailed “criteria for success” plan. For them, expressing their wishes was a fun activity of its own.

For my husband and me, it was a lesson. “So this is what we look like…” we said to each other. At that point, we had no idea what our summer would end up turning out to be. Perhaps we would be spending it at home, doing day trips, or in some villa with an in-ground pool that would meet all of our daughters’ requirements — and then some. But all I knew, watching them draw up a plan for what they perceived as perfect and ideal, is that my teachers are everywhere.

Right there, at the kitchen table, these little girls reiterated what we’ve known all along: Hashem is the One who makes the plan, the one that is exquisitely perfect. We may appear to be doing the arrangements,

we may think we know what’s good for us, but only He knows what best. Thankfully, He’s the only One who’s pulling the strings. It’s the message COVID-19 has put on a pedestal for us, the “What do we know?”

In this issue, we bring you a Wellbeing feature on how to support our children toward spiritual health.

For the most part, this is the role we’re in as parents.

It’s what we daven for even before they’re born, and it’s what we hope and aim for all life long: vezakeini legadeil…

When we take a deeper look, we notice that it’s the other way around too. From our children, we can learn about our own spiritual journey, cull lessons about a strengthened connection with Hakadosh Baruch Hu. As this issue’s Torah Wellspring explores, perhaps our children are our best spiritual teachers because they are still so in touch with their neshamos, still so connected to their pure essence. I continued to draw lessons from

my kids as our search for a summer place continued.

Every phone call I made was accompanied by a background chorus of “Hashem help! Hashem help!” We ended up having a beautiful summer, baruch Hashem.

I have no doubt that the tefillos of these youngsters played no small part in that.

The opportunities for lessons are everywhere. When in learning mode, we can deepen our appreciation for the gifts in our life, such as our health, from every encounter, including the pages of this magazine. A cover feature like this month’s, A Girl Without a Pancreas, in which the writer details her experiences with a rare medical condition, leaves us feeling awed—and grateful. We can come away with a renewed sense of gratitude for every organ from a column like Insider.

The messages are everywhere; may we merit keeping an open eye to see them, an open heart to internalize them. The more we learn, the more we can teach. The more we absorb, the more we can spill forth.

Wishing all of you a kesivah vechasimah tovah, a year of health, wealth, and wisdom.

Shiffy Friedman

Well-Put! Even if you may not be seeing the numbers you’ve envisioned, know that as long as you’re eating the foods that are right for your body, you’re doing what is good for you.

Shani Taub, CDC

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 11

Contents

SEPTEMBER 2020 ELUL 5780 ISSUE 56 Our expanded Succos issue will appear on Tuesday, September 29th.

WELL INFORMED

LIVING WELL

18

32 IN GOOD SHAPE Thrown off Balance

By Tova Jeremias, PFC

TORAH WELLSPRING

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

22 SPIRITUAL EATING

By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

52

34 ASK At a Standstill

By Shani Taub, CDC

24 DENTAL HEALTH

By Dr. Jacques Doueck, DDS 26 HEALTH UPDATES IN THE NEWS

By Esther Retek

36 COVER FEATURE A Girl Without a Pancreas

By Aidel R.

28 INSIDER The Nose

By Roizy Baum

44 AT THE DIETITIAN Ingredient Alert

By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE 46 BYE, DIET. HELLO, LIFE. Chapter 3: 24-Hour Diet Recall

By Gila Glassberg, MS, RD, CDN

WELLBEING

49 DIY Sinus Infection & Headache Relief

By Miriam Schweid

52 FEATURE This Way Up

By Shiffy Friedman 64 EMOTIONAL EATING

By Shira Savit 66 CHILD DEVELOPMENT Short Stop

By Friedy Singer & Roizy Guttman, OTR/L

71 12 Wellspring | September 2020

36

AT

R AT E

PR

W

NE

Did

844.672.4430 MONSEY 419 ROUTE 59 UNIT 15 | AIRMONT, NY 10952

whiteorchidmedispa.com

GE KA C

A

FU

LL LASER

So you can stay permanently satisfied with smoother results.

BORO PARK 4911 13TH AVE. | BROOKLYN, NY 11219

G

U

R

Take care of unwanted hair even faster. White Orchid’s Diode Laser treatment works quicker, more effectively, and with less discomfort than other treatments.

Coming Soo!

IN

O

Hair can grow .5 mm a day, or up to a full inch every month.

JUST

1,999

$

FOR

o n w? k u o y

I C

!

FL

Sun 12-9 Mon, Wed 12-8 Tue, Th 11-7 Fri 9-1

P

Springboard

Letters

On Healthful Summer Foods, Corona-Related Smell Issues, Screen Time, and More

Beyond the Screen Issue #54: Child Development

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

I just finished reading the fascinating article on how screen time impacts children. All I can say is, “Wow.” Freidy and Roizy, whose articles are always eye-opening and thought-provoking, have really changed my perspective on the topic. I’ve always understood, even intuitively, that entertaining my kids through the screen was not ideal, but I never realized how it actually impacts their brain development and functioning in such a profound way.

Thanks so much for being the catalyst toward necessary and powerful change, at least in this home.

With much appreciation for an exemplary publication, month after month.

Instead of a mayo-based salad dressing, you can achieve the same creaminess by replacing the mayo with avocado. In a blender, combine avocado with a little lemon juice or rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, fresh or frozen garlic, salt and pepper, and some oil. Blend, and add water to thin to desired consistency.

For a crunchy salad topper, drain and rinse a can of chickpeas and roast uncovered on a baking sheet with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a drizzle of oil.

Instead of ice cream, blend a frozen banana with a little milk and peanut butter.

Blend in some cocoa powder or cinnamon if desired.

Ruchama F.

M. S.

Baltimore, Maryland

Salad, The Healthy Way Issue #54: Tidbits

Thank you for your excellent and informative magazine.

14 Wellspring | September 2020

In reference to the summer food traps and their alternatives in the July issue, I'd like to share some ideas.

Where’s the Recipe?

Issue #54: Cover Feature

I’m in awe of your fresh and interesting content each and every month anew!

Thanks for bringing so much health awareness and emotional health informa-

Q

Quick Question

I had the coronavirus several months ago and I’m still feeling some of its aftereffects. How can I get rid of hardened mucus in my lungs that sometimes makes my chest ache and cause coughing and difficulty breathing?

A

While a medication called Mucinex is available for this issue, and it is dispensed to patients in the hospital, you may want to try a natural alternative, such as certain essential oil combinations that have shown to be very effective in improving this problem. A blend of peppermint and eucalyptus is one example. In the past two months, much research — with positive results — has been done on the efficacy of thyme oil for this issue, as well. Apply a few drops to the chest area and massage into chest.

Take care, Miriam Schweid, kinesiologist

In the article titled “Eat Clean in Quarantine,” I was really anticipating the recipe for the healthy muffin broadcasted on the front cover but I couldn't find it anywhere.

I assumed it would be in the next issue and waited very patiently but can't find it there either. Any way to get that recipe?

Dear Chaya,

Chaya G.

Here’s the recipe for you and all readers to enjoy. Each muffin is approximately 100 calories.

1 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup oats

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp baking soda ½ cup honey 1 egg

¼ cup oil

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup sugar-free chocolate chips/dried cranberries/blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with a spoon.

Pour batter into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20–25 minutes.

Enjoy,

Libby Silberman at “Eat Clean”

Bach Remedies for Improved Breathing Issue #51: Memos From a Kinesiologist

There is very little information available on Bach Remedies. I’ve gotten most of my education on the topic from Wellspring.

When I was recommended the Cherry-Plum remedy for my 9-year-old who was complaining about difficulty breathing, I went into the local health food store to inquire. The salesperson had no information on how this remedy could help my son breathe more easily, but I went ahead with the purchase anyway. At that point, he was still relying on an inhaler that contained Albuterol (a medication used to prevent and treat difficulty breathing,

wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness caused by lung diseases) for moments when his breathing was really difficult.

Together with the remedies, I bought an oximeter for my peace of mind — so I could see whether we were progressing or not. Last week his oxygen measured 92! I gave him four drops of the Bach Remedy Cherry Plum and Rescue Remedy under his tongue. Five minutes later, with the help of Hashem, his oxygen measured 98. Thanks for making knowledge about these remedies available.

P.S. Bach remedies are made with grape alcohol. They are available with a hechsher.

Please inquire.

K. P.

Clarity Gained Issue #55: Letter

Over Pesach, I read the comprehensive article you ran on body image and how the need for thinness has infiltrated into our community. Although the results you got in your survey were very telling,

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

tion to the public.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 15

Public Service Announcement

To Smell Again

My 20 year-old-daughter contracted COVID-19Â in April and for months after her sense of smell did not return. She tried everything, including essential oils, zinc, supplements, nasal sprays, and acupuncture.

A friend told me that she heard that inhaling a cloth soaked in bleach has helped some people (no reason or scientific evidence was provided). Of course, we knew to be very cautious, ensuring that there was adequate ventilation in the room, protection for her eyes, etc. Just two days later, her sense of smell returned completely.Â

 � � � � �  ­ � ­ �

� ­ € ‚

 �����  ­€ �

I didn’t need them to know that we have this problem. That’s not because I know too many girls who are struggling with eating disorders, but also because I was able to relate to this phenomenon as well. How often do I look at someone who’s thin and secretly envy her “problem-free� life? When thinness becomes so important to us, we tend to crave it and wish for it as if it was the magic trick to eradicate all of our issues and discomfort in life. That’s obviously not the Torah approach to living and appearance.

On the other hand, I was having a hard time understanding how indulging in foods that aren’t good for us as freely as we’d like reconciles with Torah values. After all, we are taught that self-control, although it doesn’t come without a lot of hardship, is an ideal. Just because I’m craving chocolate right now doesn’t mean I need to have it. The problem with giving in to our every temptation is not only the weight we gain — it’s also the person we become. The Rambam is known to have referred to those who restrict their consumption of foods that aren’t good for them as a gibor.

Shiffy Friedman’s letter in the August issue provided the clarity I needed on the topic. We spent a lot of time discussing it in our bungalow colony circle, and it has helped me personally understand what my approach should be toward healthy living. I really appreciate that, and the rest of your incredible content. I love having a magazine that is free of politics or news, and chock-full of important information that has really enhanced my life in more ways than I could have imagined. Â

Kesivah vechasimah tovah, S. R. Gruen

AT

R AT E

PR

W

NE

Did

844.672.4430 MONSEY 419 ROUTE 59 UNIT 15 | AIRMONT, NY 10952

whiteorchidmedispa.com

GE KA C

A

FU

LL LASER

So you can stay permanently satisfied with smoother results.

BORO PARK 4911 13TH AVE. | BROOKLYN, NY 11219

G

U

R

Take care of unwanted hair, permanently. White Orchid’s Diode Laser treatments are faster and less painful than other treatments—and work better on lighter and thinner hair, too.

Coming Soo!

IN

O

The average hair measures between .04 and .1mm in width.

JUST

1,999

$

FOR

o n w? k u o y

I C

!

FL

Sun 12-9 Mon, Wed 12-8 Tue, Th 11-7 Fri 9-1

P

Well Informed

Torah Wellspring: Spiritual Health By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Revitalizing the Relationship A Perspective on Elul

E

Elul, as we know, is the acronym for ani l’dodi v’dodi li, I am for My friend and My friend is for Me. This alludes to the deepened connection to Hashem that we can experience during these days. What does that mean for us?

When the Yamim Noraim drew to a close last year, we came away with the joy of feeling connected. It was a time when the relationship between us and Hashem, between us and our chelek Elokah mima’al, had become more deeply cemented. And as the months progressed, the relationship may have gradually grown more distant from our end. We may have gotten busy with our “stuff,” with new fears and worries that kept cropping up during this tumultuous year. There may have been times when we felt more distant, more alone, perhaps more weary. And now, the last month of the year has come upon us again.

It is the time when HaKadosh Baruch Hu says to us, “The time has come for us to meet

18 Wellspring | September 2020

again. I want you to feel connected and experience this closeness again.”

We may have gotten busy with our “stuff,” with new fears and worries that kept cropping up during this tumultuous year.

During Elul, the seforim tell us, haMelech basadeh, the King is in the field. He doesn’t sit on His Heavenly throne, kiveyachol, as He does during the year — in a way that we may feel distant from Him, but instead chooses to come down amongst us, to provide us with an opportunity for a connection that is unique to this time. “I come where you are because I love you. I want to be connected to you and you to Me.” This is a time of rachamim veratzon. Our Father looks at us with mercy and says, “You’ve had a difficult year. You’ve gone through what you’ve gone through and this may have left you feeling distanced. Now, come closer to Me.” Consequently, thanks to the outpouring of such mercy, the ratzon of a Yid is kindled at this time. When we start to perceive Hashem’s love for us, we find our-

When Hashem looks at us with eyes of mercy, as He does during this month of rachamim, we start to feel who we are at our essence.

selves becoming in touch with the dormant retzonos — those that have always been there, but may have been obscured all year long, even from ourselves — the desire to come closer, to live a more elevated life.

Song of the Mountains

When Hashem looks at us with eyes of mercy, as He does during this month of rachamim, we start to feel who we are at our essence — a neshamah which only wants to do good. We can now internalize that we are never alone, always in the presence and embrace of a loving Father who only wants our good, and our desire for closeness ignites. It may start off as a tiny ember, but soon after explodes into a roaring flame, sparking a ratzon that is impassioned and determined.

Elul is a sweet, joyous month that we’ve been granted as a gift from our loving Father. The seforim tell us that, as the final month of the year, this is the month when Hashem sends us all the “remain-

ing” hashpa’os that were assigned to us for this year. These are hashpa’os of closeness and ahavah.

At the same time, it is also the month of hachanah for the Yemei Din. True, these are days of judgment and thus days of awe.

But when we take the time to process why we are put through this judgment — so our sins can be forgiven and we can come closer to Him again and fulfill our purpose in this world — we feel immense joy too. We realize that His din is only a vehicle to bring us closer to the pleasure He wants for us. He is here to rouse us from our slumber. Hashem calls out to us, “‘Uru yesheinim mishenaschem,’ because there are way better pleasures available to you than sleep. Wake up!” When we’re asleep, we can’t possibly attain the levels of simchah that can be achieved when we’re awake.

Being busy fulfilling our worldly desires may be enjoyable, but that pleasure is minuscule in comparison to the joy we experience when we’re truly “awake.”

The seforim tell us that the entire bri-

ah — from the oceans to the mountains and animals — which is constantly conveying its gratitude, thanking Hashem for having been created to serve Him, is especially animated during Elul. The seforim expound on this, interpreting the verse in Tehillim, “Neharos yimcha’u chaf yachad harim yeraneinu, the rivers clap their hands, together the mountains sing” (98:8–9). When will this happen, the seforim ask. “Lifnei Hashem ki va lishpot es ha’aretz, when Hashem comes to judge the world.” A special simchah is visible in the entire briah, not only us Yidden, during this month. This is the time when Hashem showers us all with love and mercy, enabling us to feel so much closer to Him. This is the incredible simchah of Elul.

Intoxicating Joy

t

In essence, HaKadosh Baruch Hu showers us with mercy all year long. It’s in

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 19

Well Informed

Torah Wellspring: Spiritual Health

Change may be very difficult and fleeting, whereas becoming true to who we are is not only simpler, but also more authentic and enduring.

Elul, though, that it becomes easier for us to connect to it. All we need to do is open our heart and let ourselves feel the great love He has for us. Of course, there are madreigos on which we feel this. For the tzaddikim, the Gan Eden they live in — feeling this closeness — becomes visible on their glowing countenance.

Rav Moshe of Kobrin, ztz”l, used to say, “A Yid could get intoxicated from the ‘Ani l’Dodi v'Dodi li.’” Indeed, in the haftarah in this month we read of shechirus velo miyayin, intoxication, but not from wine. When we feel the love Hashem has for us, when we merit feeling close to Him, we experience the joy that is usually attributed only to those who are inebriated.

Come Elul and every Yid feels a sense of longing. If we would only let ourselves feel it, we’d allow ourselves to tap into it, to take just a few moments to let go of our distractions and connect to this, and then we’d face the feeling of, “I want more. There’s something I want that I don’t have yet. I’m hungry for it.”

Through all our travails and travels, it’s the closeness to Hashem that we keep seeking and searching for all along. As Dovid Hamelech expresses so exquisite-

20 Wellspring | September 2020

ly in Tehillim, “Hadricheini ba’amitecha velamdeini ki… oscha kivisi kol hayom, Direct me with Your truth and teach me that it was You I was seeking all this time” (25:5). If we don’t know what we’re seeking and where we can find it, our search is for naught. It’s draining and fruitless. Teach me, Hashem, that behind every desire and longing, it is really You that I seek and that this is at the core of my yearning. t Don’t Change, Just Return In our desire to come closer to HaKadosh Baruch Hu, we may notice the areas in our lives that require improvement. How can we go about bettering ourselves in a way that our commitment will be enduring and authentic?

First, it’s important to realize that as long as we are under the impression that we need to become something that we aren’t, that we’re meant to implement a change at our core, holding on to that change will be arduous, if not impossible. So what can we do? What kind of improvement can we implement that is sustainable? Let us look at the word

teshuvah for our answer. Teshuvah is not about changing; it’s not about becoming that which we aren’t, it’s about returning to who we are at our core.

Look into yourself and see, “What am I really?” Each of us is a chelek Elokah mima’al. This is our essence; everything else is an external layer. By virtue of possessing this Heavenly part, all of the attributes of Hashem are inherent within us too: kindness, mercy, the ability to be erech apayim, etc. Each of us is a being of love and goodness. When we don’t recognize it, it’s not because it’s absent. It’s only because we’ve distanced ourselves from this essence. The steps we may have taken to move away from this core were in contradiction to who we really are; the steps back are not.

Coming closer to Hashem and ourselves requires that we return to our essence, that we recognize that this is who we are at our core. Change may be very difficult and fleeting, whereas becoming true to who we are is not only simpler, but also more authentic and enduring.

What Are Your Strengths?

The assumption that in order to be loved and accepted some kind of transformation is required often emanates from our erro-

neous understanding that, in essence, we are not good. This is often the case in adults who, as children, came to the conclusion that something is not right with them as they are. A child, in his state of vulnerability and innocence, accepts the messages that are sent his way, either directly or indirectly.

And the conclusions he may have drawn about himself become a part of his self-identity.

Whatever may have happened in the past was meant to be, but now, as adults, we have the ability to look deeper and see ourselves for who we really are. We have the opportunity to look at ourselves with kind, understanding eyes and ask, “What do I really want? Who am I really?” With such a perspective, we find that we want to be good, to be kind, to live a life of spirituality and connection.

If it’s challenging for you to ascertain whether your essence is pure or not, think about which of your deeds you feel pride in. It’s safe to say that no Yid takes pride in the mistakes he’s made, in the moments when he fell. As the Kedushas Levi would say, “Never has a complete angel been created from a Yid’s sin, because never has a Yid transgressed an aveirah with a whole heart.”

The Chovos Halevavos writes that just as we are required to make a cheshbon nefesh of our chisronos, to acknowledge and correct them, it is also incumbent upon us to take count of the kishronos we were blessed with. Not for egoistic purposes, of course, only with the goal of internalizing our pure essence and see who we really are so we can draw upon this part in ourselves to become the Yid we truly want to be. This enables us to do authentic teshuvah, to return to who we really are. Explaining the verse “Lo hibit aven beYaakov lo ra’ah amal beYisrael, Hashem does not see sins in the Yidden,” the seforim remark that even when a Yid sins, there’s a part in him that stays pure. This is the part that always wants to do good, it’s just that the yetzer hara lured the Yid away at a moment of weakness.

In Elul, since Hashem showers us with fountains of love, we especially have the koach to judge ourselves lekaf zechus.

Genuinely judging someone favorably means truly believing that, at his core, he is good. It is the belief that the individual is thoroughly good at his core and thus did not want to carry out the misdeed. This is true for every single Yid, including — especially — ourselves. Only when we approach ourselves

from this perspective, as the good essence that we are, can we truly believe the same of others.

With this clarity, we can understand the words of the Yismach Yisrael, who said, “Just as it is a mitzvah to believe in HaKadosh Baruch Hu, so it is a mitzvah to believe in ourselves.” Only when we recognize our perfect, thoroughly good essence, can we do real teshuvah — returning to who we really are — and lead a life of connection to Hashem and His Torah.

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

Well Informed

Spiritual Eating By Rabbi Eli Glaser, CNWC, CWMS

T

No Shortcuts

Thirty Days to a Flat Stomach. Cabbage Soup Diet. Ice Cream Diet. Eat all the Chocolate You Want and Still Lose Weight. Melt Away 18 Pounds in 4 Days.

If our intuition and common sense aren’t enough to tell us something is suspicious about fad diets, we have a verse in this week’s Torah portion that will do it for us.

“Righteousness, righteousness you shall purse, in order that you may live” (Devarim 16:20).

The famous question is asked: “Why the repetition of the word righteousness?”

If the Torah had merely written, “Righteousness you shall pursue,” the meaning would be clear: your pursuits in life should be virtuous. What are we meant to learn from the doubling of the phrase?

Many times in life, we have goals that we know are honest, good, and beneficial.

And in the name of doing the right thing, sometimes people permit themselves to pursue those objectives in a less than ideal manner. They can excuse their questionable actions along the way as necessary in order to achieve the desired result.

An individual may want to save money to pay for their children’s tuition, so he may cheat on his income taxes to earn a few extra dollars. Another individual may rationalize driving 90 mph on the way to the nursing home just so they can have a little extra time while visiting their elderly aunt and performing the mitzvah of bikur cholim.

They may be doing these actions in the name of pursuing righteous goals — convincing themselves that the end justifies the means. This is prevalent in the realm of dieting and weight loss. With about 70 percent of Americans either overweight or obese, those who are not struggling with extra pounds are the exception, not the norm.

We want to be healthy, we want to lose weight. We want to lower our cholesterol, our high blood pressure, and chance of contracting diabetes, G-d forbid — which are all noble and necessary

objectives. However, we’re clamoring for the quickest means, the shortest cut and the easiest road, but not necessarily the righteous path.

We desperately want the result — but we may be going to great lengths to avoid the solution. The result is to lose weight.

The solution is to change our behavior.

That’s why fad diets are so appealing to many. We’re told that either we don’t have to change our behavior at all — that somehow we can continue eating the same foods or eating in the same manner and still lose weight. Or we think that we only have to temporarily make a radical change to lose all the excess weight — and then we can return to our previous attitudes and somehow maintain a healthy body size.

There are no shortcuts in life. Didn’t our parents tell us that at one time or another? If we want to maintain a healthy body size, we need to identify our unhealthy behaviors and attitudes with food and be honest and courageous enough to make the steady and consistent changes required — regardless of how much of an effort it takes. That’s the truly righteous path, and it will lead us to a lasting solution.

Rabbi Eli Glaser is the founder and Director of Soveya. He is certified as a Nutrition/Wellness Consultant and Weight Management Specialist, with 25 years of coaching and counseling experience, and is maintaining a 130-pound weight loss for more than 16 years.

Soveya has offices in Lakewood and Brooklyn, and works with clients via phone and Skype around the world. For more information or to make an appointment, contact Soveya at 732-578-8800, info@soveya.com, or www.soveya.com.

22 Wellspring | September 2020

AT

R AT E

PR

I

JUST

G

NE

IN

W

C

!

FL

KA

O

LL LASER

P

Did

FU

A

U

C

FOR

R

GE

1,999

$

o n w? k u o y

A new hair begins to grow as soon as one is removed from the follicle.

Take care of unwanted hair, once and for all. White Orchid’s Diode Laser treatments are faster and less painful than other treatments—and effective enough to get rid of hair for good.

So you can stay permanently satisfied with smoother results.

Coming Soo!

BORO PARK 4911 13TH AVE. | BROOKLYN, NY 11219 844.672.4430 MONSEY 419 ROUTE 59 UNIT 15 | AIRMONT, NY 10952

whiteorchidmedispa.com

Sun 12-9 Mon, Wed 12-8 Tue, Th 11-7 Fri 9-1

”

Well Informed

Dental Health By Dr. Jacques Doueck, DDS

BUT THAT’S WHAT THE PATIENT WANTED!

There are three common reasons why a patient would insist on the wrong treatment or no treatment even after their dentist has determined otherwise.

Money: Or the lack thereof, to be more precise.

When a patient can’t afford the right treatment, I will often hear three words that I dread, “Can’t you just…” followed by some ineffective alternative plan. Skipping steps to save money often ends up costing more in the long run, or even worse, causing more serious damage.

Time: Not all dentistry can be done quickly. De-

”

pending on your condition, it may require treatment in stages, multiple sets of crowns, surgery, implants, root canals, and more. In an effort to shortcut the process, sometimes patients look for “alternatives.” It’s true that there is often more than one way to treat a problem. However, there are certain principles that cannot be overlooked.

Fear: This is a biggie. Patients are afraid of pain.

Patients are afraid to take out teeth. But they don’t realize that delaying treatment or avoiding pulling a tooth could be much more painful in the end.

CASE #1

HERE ARE SOME CASES REPORTED BY THE PEER REVIEW COMMITTEE OF THE LOCAL DENTAL SOCIETY.

24 Wellspring | September 2020

A patient came in with only a few upper teeth, all presenting with bone loss and gum disease.

The dentist recommended either implants or a removable bridge. The patient insisted on a “permanent” bridge with no implants, and agreed to accept all responsibility for any negative consequences. When the case failed eleven months later, the patient was shocked. “I thought it would last!” He filed a Peer Review complaint with the dental society. The committee determined that the dentist should have refused to treat the patient even though the patient had agreed to be responsible for negative consequences.

CASE #3

CASE #2

A patient came in with missing teeth and other teeth with many cavities. The dentist discussed the need for crowns and a removable bridge. The patient refused the crowns because his dental insurance would not pay for the crowns. He insisted that he only wanted a removable bridge at the time and he would do the crowns in the future. Because the teeth supporting the removable bridge had been extensively decayed, they should have been repaired before creating the removable bridge. The committee determined that the dentist should have refused to treat the patient unless the supporting teeth were treated first.

The patient was undergoing extensive complex dental work consisting of orthodontics, implants and crowns. The orthodontist and general dentist agreed that porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns should be placed prior to the orthodontic treatment. In addition to the braces, a second set of crowns would have to be made to correct the bite. The patient said that she could not afford a second set of crowns and insisted that the dentist make only one set. The dentist tried to explain the rationale for having two sets of crowns made but was unable to convince her, and he finally gave in to her request. As treatment progressed, the first set of crowns needed to be adjusted, resulting in metal being exposed and thereby weakening the crowns. The patient filed a Peer Review complaint. The committee found that the original treatment plan involving a second set of crowns should have been followed.

It is not okay to do improper dental treatment even with a patient’s consent, even when the patient insists.

Every dentist should do the correct treatment the first time and avoid more extensive damage. And patients should understand that their dentist wants only what’s best for their teeth.

Dr. Jacques Doueck has been practicing family dentistry in Brooklyn, New York since 1977, and is a Diplomate of the Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines. He speaks nationally and trains other dentists in oral appliance therapy and state-of-the-art dentistry. Dr. Doueck is a member of the American Dental Association and serves on the District Claims Committee for the state society.

Well Informed

Updates in the News By Esther Retek

EXERCISE MAY AFFECT YOUR FOOD CHOICES Subjects who started an exercise program no longer found high-calorie, fatty foods quite so irresistible.

Taking up exercise could alter our feelings about food in surprising and beneficial ways, according to a compelling new study of exercise and eating. The study found that novice exercisers start to experience less desire for fattening foods, a change that could have longterm implications for weight control.

The study also shows, though, that different people respond quite differently to the same exercise routine and the same foods, underscoring the complexities of the relationship between exercise, eating and fat loss.

For the study, which was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers at the University of Leeds in England and other institutions asked a group of sedentary men and women about how they felt about food and to begin working out.

The researchers wound up recruiting 61 volunteers, most of them middle-aged and inactive; all were overweight or obese. The study participants completed detailed questionnaires and online tests of their food preferences and behaviors, picking, for instance, between rapid-fire, on-screen pictures of different foods and also answering questions about bingeing on food and whether they found it hard to not overeat.

Fifteen of the volunteers then were asked to continue with their normal lives as a control group, while the other 46 began exercising,

FOR YOUR SKIN’S SAKE It’s common knowledge that eating too much sugar can cause weight gain, but did you know it can also affect the elasticity of your skin? Overconsumption of sugar causes glycation — a process in which the sugar in your bloodstream binds to proteins, forming molecules that make the collagen in your skin more brittle — which, in turn, causes wrinkles.

working out on exercise machines at a university facility five times a week for about 45 to 60 minutes or until they had burned about 500 calories per session. They continued this training for 12 weeks, eating as they liked at home.

Then everyone returned to the lab for weigh-ins and to repeat the original tests. Most, but not all, of the exercisers had shed a few pounds, while some of those in the control group had gained weight.

The men and women in the control group also showed little alteration in their feelings about food. But the exercisers’ reactions to pictures of and questions about high-calorie, fatty foods were new.

They no longer found them quite so irresistible. In psychological terms, they showed less “wanting” for the most fattening foods.

Interestingly, their scores on measures of “liking,” or how much they expected to enjoy those same foods, remained unchanged and strong. They still felt that they would enjoy a cookie but did not feel quite the same drive to seek one out. They also reported fewer instances of recent binge eating.

Taken as a whole, these results suggest that, in addition to making us healthier, “exercise might improve food reward and eating behavior traits linked to the susceptibility to overconsume,” says Kristine Beaulieu, a research fellow and dietitian at the University of Leeds, who led the study.

WELL-SPENT

How to lead a healthy lifestyle on a budget, one tip at a time

Budget-Conscious School Snack Instead of purchasing individually-packaged snacks for your family, buy them in bulk and repackage them on your own. This works for chips, as well as more nutritious snacks like baby carrots. Packaging these foods on your own not only gives you more for your buck, but it also allows you to provide each child with the amount they usually end up eating, cutting down on waste from leftovers.

To save on time, package all foods on a designated day of the week (as opposed to every morning) and dispense them as needed.

26 Wellspring | September 2020

AT

R AT E

PR

W

NE

Did

844.672.4430 MONSEY 419 ROUTE 59 UNIT 15 | AIRMONT, NY 10952

whiteorchidmedispa.com

GE KA C

A

FU

LL LASER

So you can stay permanently satisfied with smoother results.

BORO PARK 4911 13TH AVE. | BROOKLYN, NY 11219

G

U

R

Take care of unwanted hair, with less discomfort. White Orchid’s Diode Laser treatments are faster, more effective, and less painful than other treatments.

Coming Soo!

IN

O

A strand of hair is stronger than a copper wire of the same size.

JUST

1,999

$

FOR

o n w? k u o y

I C

!

FL

Sun 12-9 Mon, Wed 12-8 Tue, Th 11-7 Fri 9-1

P

Well Informed

Insider By Roizy Baum

THE

NOSE

Olfaction Factory The average human nose is quite sensitive: it boasts about 12 million olfactory receptor cells. Four molecules of an odorous substance are enough to stimulate an olfactory sensor. But human sniffing ability does not compare with that of other animals. Rabbits have 100 million cells, and bloodhounds’ sniffers have even more, with an average of four billion. But if we’d be distributing top olfactory medals, bears would win. It is said that their sense of smell is seven times greater than that of a bloodhound.

She Smells What He Doesn’t Women, here’s some validation for all the times your sharp nose discerned an odor while your husband shook his head in wonderment. (What smell? What are you talking about?) The female’s brain region for processing smell is up to 50 percent larger than the male’s.

Smelly Feely Smell is the only one of the five senses directly connected to the area of the brain where memories are formed and emotions are processed. Here’s how your sniffer works when you’re visiting your Bubby who adores Chanel No. 5: the perfume molecules enter your nose and waft over a patch of olfactory sensors on the ceiling of your nasal cavity, where they activate finger-like receptors that transmit chemical signals up to a central processor in your brain called the olfactory bulb, which registers the scent.

Memories are accentuated when they have a strong emotional component, and smells regularly become closely linked to certain events that engender the emotion contained in the memory. Thanks to our olfactory ability, we experience the world with increased dimension.

Facial Centerpiece How many nose shapes can you count? A recent survey in the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery identified 14 human nose shapes. After surveying images of 1,793 noses, an Israeli professor, Abraham Tamir, PhD, determined that they all fell into these basic profiles. Some shapes include the Greek nose (straight), the hawk nose (sharp and “downward hooking”), and most commonly seen, the fleshy nose. Experts, though, view this as an impossibility.

How can 14 nose shapes cover all the variations? Spencer Payne, MD, an assistant professor of otolaryngology with the University of Virginia Health System, explains that the nose shape is determined by the positions of nasal bones, upper lateral cartilages, and lower lateral cartilages. “Any combination of differences in these three areas can create a truly unique appearance, which can change even more depending on whether the nose is seen in profile, from the front, or on an oblique angle.” Additionally, nose shape is also highly dependent on ethnicity.

Droop noses are not reserved solely for airplanes. By age 10, nasal shapes are formed. Noses continue to grow gradually until about age 15 to 17 in females and about age 17 to 19 in males. A telltale sign of aging is that over time, the nose lengthens and droops. This is due to the endless tug of gravity and the gradual breakdown of proteins collagen and elastin in your skin, especially in the nasal tip.

28 Wellspring | September 2020

In Through the Nose Ever noticed how your throat gets dry if you breathe through your mouth for a long time? That’s because the nose humidifies the air we inhale. Because the lungs and throat do not take well to dry air, the nose processes the air for them. As inhaled air passes through the nose, it’s humidified and moisturized. Not only do the throat and lungs have an aversion to dry air, they also dislike air that is too hot or cold. Therefore, the nose is hard at work to regulate temperature.

Humans spend much more of their time in environments below body temperature — 98.6°F — than above it. And that’s why warming cool air is more common than cooling warm air. One clear indicator of the warming and humidifying effect is the runny nose we get in cold weather, which is related to condensation of the moisture in the nose when exposed to cold air.

The Voice Connection His beautiful voice may be attributed to his nose shape! The voice is largely related to the resonating structures of the nose and the throat. The larynx produces the voice but that sound is really a buzzing sound. What determines the richness of the sound?

According to how the sound is processed above the larynx, that will determine the richness of the sound.

To understand this, think about the variances between a grand piano and a toy piano.

On the same note, allergy and cold sufferers’ nasal voices are due to the loss of nasal resonation. A clogged nose does not allow air to pass through.

The Science Behind the Ah-Choo Some honk, some shout, some just can’t seem to stop — even a simple sneeze involves carefully choreographed responses from muscles all over your body. And your sneezing style is one of the many things that personify you. How does sternutation — the basic process of sneezing — start? When pollen, black pepper, or any other irritant is detected by the trigeminal nerve (it branches throughout the face and head to provide motor control and sensory information), the annoyance prompts a sequence of reflexes to expel the intruder: a deep breath followed by the shutting of the glottis in the throat and a buildup of pressure in the lungs (“ah”), then the sudden opening of the glottis as the diaphragm forces air up through the mouth and nose, ejecting the irritant (“choo”). Never underestimate the power of that expulsion — particles in an average sneeze travel 100 miles per hour.

The particular style with which you achieve this basic process is genetically determined. It’s fascinating that members of a given family maintain similar sneezing styles. It may be because sneezes are a neurologic reflex we’re all born with, and since tissues are very alike within families, muscle actions, including grinning and laughing, will be comparable also.

Nosy Business If you’re blessed with an acute sense of smell, joining the ranks of people who earn a living through their noses may be something worth considering. Perfume testing and winemaking are two popular nose-usage livelihoods. And remarkably, people even insure their noses — some for a reported $8 million! Lloyd’s of London, an insurance market based in London, lists occupations that attract insurance plans for noses.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 29

Well Informed

Tips From the Expert Dr. Michael Friedman, MD Otolaryngologist ENT Chairman at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center

I Miss The Smell!

One of the most common causes of smell loss is a viral infection, such as the common cold, sinus, or other upper respiratory tract infections. Many afflicted with COVID-19 exhibited this unpleasant symptom, among others. Not being able to smell not only deprives one of the ability of inhaling delightful aromas, but also inhibits their ability to sniff out possible danger, such as of fire.

More Nose Facts Olfactory receptor cells decrease with age. So that’s why Zeidy hits the car air freshener so hard! Your nose is home to a whole slew of fascinating parts and processes. The inside of your nose reveals a lot about your health. Pink indicates a healthy nasal membrane, red signifies infection, and muted pink and gray appear during nasal allergy season. Almost one liter of mucus is produced by the nose and sinuses daily. Most of it is swallowed. Humans don’t sneeze during slumber, as the nerves that triggers sneezing rest then too.

30 Wellspring | September 2020

People are always complaining about post-nasal drip, the constant clearing of throats and thick secretions. Sinus irrigation is a healthy, safe, and copacetic procedure, and one of the simplest methods to maintain overall health.

It thins mucus and helps flush it out of the nasal passages. You can make your own saltwater solution. Bear in mind that the right amount of saline is effective in keeping the sinuses healthy.

An effective item people use is a neti pot. Put your head over the sink and put the solution through one side of the nose and let it drain through the other.

Nose health is now more important than ever as the most common route of coronavirusentry is via the nose. Now in the COVID-19 era, including a tiny drop of shampoo ( Johnson’s baby shampoo is great as it’s perfume-free and pure) in the solution has proven to be very helpful. Besides for being anti-bacterial, shampoo liquefies the secretions as well.

It’s risk-free, and although it may not be the most comfortable procedure, it’s key to furthering a healthy nose.

Living Well

In Good Shape By Tova Jeremias, PFC

thrown Off Balance Moves to Help Improve Your Balance September always calls for a shift in focus. From the lax, unstructured summer days we quickly need to transition into discipline and routine as school and Yom Tov come around.

Especially now, after a few “unbalanced” months, I think all of us are ready to get back in shape and back in balance.

To get a better idea about how strong your standing balance is, lift one foot and see how long you can hold it there. To test your balance as you move, try walking as if you’re on a tightrope for 10 steps and see how you fare.

Balance exercises should improve both of these measurements over time.

32 Wellspring | September 2020

1 One-Legged Stand Start by placing your hands on the back of a chair or another sturdy handhold to hold yourself steady. Lift one foot to about calf level and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 10–15 times and then switch to the other leg. Over time, as your balance gets better, you may be able to hold this position with your hands free.

2 Weight Shifts Standing with your feet hip-width apart, lean slowly toward one leg until it’s bearing all your weight while lifting your other leg off the ground. Hold for up to 30 seconds, then move to the other side.

3 Heel-to-Toe Walk Walk slowly in a straight line, so your heel touches the opposite foot’s toe as you go. Go about 20 steps, using a wall for support if you feel unsteady.

4 Back-Leg Raises To build up your lower back, try lifting your back leg while standing straight.

Hold a chair and raise one leg backward without bending your knee or pointing your toe. Keep your anchor leg slightly bent. Hold your position for 1 second. Do this 10–15 times with the first leg before moving on to the other one.

6 Toe Stand Also called calf raises or heel raises, this exercise can help make your calf and ankle muscles stronger, so you get a balance boost. Hold a chair or wall to keep you from falling, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise up to your tiptoes and hold for 1 second before lowering. Repeat 10–15 times. Rest, then do another set.

7 Side Steps Slide sideways using small steps that move your legs apart and then together. Go across a room and back to target both sides of your body. This movement builds up your hip and thigh muscles.

8 Back Extension Lie on your stomach with your forehead facing the floor and your arms at your sides, palms up. Continue to look down (looking up will strain your neck) as you slowly lift your head and arms 1–2 inches off the floor. Hold for several seconds and then lower gently. Do sets of 10 to strengthen your back and spine.

9 Squats 5 Knee Curl Once again, holding the back of a chair with a slightly bent anchor leg, lift the other leg straight back, then raise your heel toward your lower back. Keep your hips still. Hold for 1 second before slowly lowering your foot to the floor. Repeat 10– 15 times and then switch to your other leg.

To help strengthen your leg and pelvis muscles, practice squats. Stand with your feet apart slightly wider than your hips with your toes pointed forward. Bend your knees and send your bottom backwards, as if you’re sitting down.

Hold your weight in your heels and keep your arms either out in front of you or on your thighs. Raise back up and repeat 10 times.

If that proves too hard, you can try to slowly sit in a chair from a standing position without using your hands.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 33

Living Well

Ask By Shani Taub, CDC

At a Standstill How Can I Move Forward?

Question: Your column is a breath of fresh air. Every month, you provide such pertinent information and fabulous tips. Your answers encourage me to keep up a healthy lifestyle.

I’ve been trying to lose the weight I’ve gained during my last pregnancy for the last four months, by eating three healthy balanced meals daily, cutting down on carb intake and not consuming cakes and sweets. In the beginning, the pounds slid off easily. Now, however, I'm finding myself at a plateau with the numbers remaining the same for the past six weeks. Why am I stuck and can you share some ideas on how to jumpstart the weight loss again?

Shani's response: Thank you for your beautiful and generous praise. It’s my pleasure to provide the information and I’m happy that it helps you. First, let me share that I receive this question from my clients on a daily basis. Most people begin eating healthfully, shed pounds nicely, and reach a standstill at some point.

Before I outline some ideas to getting past a plateau, it’s important to understand why we can find ourselves in this spot.

Why is it that you can lose weight for three months and then get stuck? The most common reason I see in my practice is adaptability. As you start a new food plan, such as one that advises a reduction in carb consumption, you will most likely consume fewer calories in the beginning since you’ve eliminated an array of foods. As time goes on, you learn to adapt to your restrictions, discover foods to replace those that are off-limits, and thereby end up consuming as many calories as you did initially. Keep in mind that weight loss is generally a result of a reduction of caloric intake. Once the body adjusts to the new range of calories it is provided, it is normal for weight loss to 34 Wellspring | September 2020

stall or slow down significantly. This is part of the process. Realizing that this is a natural sequence—first more pronounced weight loss, then smaller and smaller changes— helps decrease frustration, which may lead to ditching the lifestyle.

Still, there are many ways you can get past a plateau and proceed to lose weight. First, try applying the four-ingredient rule below to your food choices, change your food plan with a dietitian, or stick to the foods you started initially. (See sidebar for more suggestions.)

As you may have noticed, the excitement you felt in the beginning has gradually ebbed away. At this point, you need to constantly revise and change course to maintain your enthusiasm towards your new healthy lifestyle. Losing interest will inevitably result in stalled or lesser weight loss. Give yourself a boost by sharing your food logs with a friend at night, treat yourself to a new healthy food once a day, or try some new recipes. It’s also important to weigh in consistently and mark your progress. Additionally, oftentimes a new or revised plan with a certified nutritionist is needed to jumpstart the weight loss.

Most importantly, bear in mind that your ultimate goal is

maintenance and nourishing your body. A healthy diet provides a lot more than just weight loss. It energizes, nourishes, and allows for clearer thinking and more optimal functioning. Even

if you may not be seeing the numbers you’ve envisioned, know that as long as you’re eating the foods that are right for your body, you’re doing what is good for you.

Tips to Jumpstart Weight Loss The 4 ingredient rule The fewer ingredients in your food, the better. I encourage my clients to try to limit their recipes to four ingredients (excluding pure spices and seasoning, which can make healthy eating more fun and pleasurable). If you're incredulous, try it yourself. You’ll be surprised to see how many healthy concoctions you can come up with and how many unhealthy foods subsequently fall away.

Up your water intake Often, you could be very conscious about the foods you consume, but fail to take note of the amount of water you are drinking. If you’re not yet drinking the necessary amount — either the general eight cups or as instructed by a professional — upping your fluid intake may lead to a difference in your weight.

Modify your exercise (assuming you exercise already!)

Different moves and exercises have different effects on the body. Try to change your exercise workouts, and work on accommodating a variety of moves which may help you lose fat in particular places. For example, if walking is what you do as your daily exercise, change up your route to one with more elevation. Increasing the intensity of

any workout may result in more weight loss.

Night limits Are you eating later than eight in the evening? Eating at night often results in overeating or mindless munching, especially if you’re tired. You’re best off having dinner earlier and calling it a day after that. Closing the kitchen lights and leaving the area may be helpful toward refraining from grabbing a bite instead of heading to bed.

Lunch like a king As I have mentioned previously in this column, I'm a big fan of having lunch as the biggest meal. It’s the time most of us need the most energy, and the activity we engage in after lunch hour helps shed the calories we acquired. Work out your eating plan to accommodate a big meal at lunchtime, with smaller ones in the morning and afternoon.

Swap carbs for protein Carbs absorb significantly more body water than protein. Therefore, when you consume more carbs, less of your body water — which is 70 percent of your weight — will be eliminated. Switching over to more protein will result in a greater elimination of body water.

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, pre-measured foods and delicacies sold at supermarkets and restaurants.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 35

Living Well

Cover Feature

36 Wellspring | September 2020

A Girl Without a

Pancreas I lost four organs, but I gained resilience, courage, and grit.

BY AIDEL R. Elul 5780 | Wellspring 37

Living Well

Cover Feature

D

“Do you drink alcohol?” My parents and I shook our heads.

“Do you smoke?” Again, no.

The doctors’ questions wouldn’t have been out of line considering that the emergency room tests showed acute pancreatitis — once known as the result of excessive alcohol use — except for the fact that I was just 10 years old.

My visit to the ER was the result of six weeks of unrelenting upper abdominal pain that radiated to my back. This was combined with inability to keep any food or liquid down coupled with high fever.

In truth, these symptoms have plagued me from the age of six, but each episode would pass after a week and was labeled a virus.

However, this time was different. The intensity and longevity of the episode had led to severe dehydration and hallucinations.

Blood labs showed seriously high lipase and amylase counts.

Elevated pancreatic enzymes in conjunctions with my symptoms led to a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis.

The pancreas is an oblong organ that is situated in the upper abdomen. In the average adult, it’s typically two inches wide and between six to ten inches long, and is located behind the stomach and next to the duodenum. It’s divided into four parts: the head, body, and tail and uncinate. The pancreas has a complex drainage system with a main pancreatic duct that empties into the duodenum, as well as many smaller ducts that branch off the main duct. The two main functions of the pancreas are endocrine production of insulin to regulate blood sugar and exocrine production of digestive enzymes to break down most foods.

38 Wellspring | September 2020

So when I landed in the ER after suffering from symptoms of acute pancreatitis, doctors were puzzled. Until the 1950s, the cause for acute pancreatitis was primarily caused by cystic fibrosis or it was alcohol-induced. Since alcohol-induced pancreatitis clearly wasn’t the cause at the tender age of 10, CF seemed to be the most likely cause. In the early 2000s, CF was tested through a sweat test. This test was repeated multiple times as each time it came back negative. The doctors were stumped and my cause for acute recurrent pancreatitis was labeled “unknown.”

Acute pancreatitis is when the exocrine enzymes produced in the pancreas prematurely lose their protective coating. Instead of being activated in the stomach, they start working in the pancreas.

Basically, the pancreas starts to auto digest itself, which causes inflammation, dilated and strictured pancreatic ducts, and stone obstructions. Hereditary pancreatitis, which we would soon learn that I had, is progressive and unrelenting. The pancreatitis gets worse, the attacks become more frequent, and the status jumps from “acute” to “chronic.”

The only treatments are short-term solutions like placing a stent to keep the duct open, allowing the enzymes to flow, together with managing symptoms with fluids and pain management. Therefore,

immediate treatment for patients with acute pancreatitis involves pain control, and NPO (acronym for nil per os—nothing by mouth) with intravenous fluids to allow the pancreas to “rest” and help the inflammation to reduce. When scans support a diagnosis of dilation, stones, or strictures in the duct, then endoscopic intervention with stenting is introduced.

School Days In my case, life became a terrifying pattern of episodes of acute attacks.

I would vomit violently, unable to keep any food down. The pain was intense, with burning pain and cramps radiating around my back. It felt like there was a scalding band wrapped around my abdomen. Dehydrated and malnourished, I went to the ER where lab results confirmed another flare. I would be admitted for fluids and pain control. A CT scan would usually show my main pancreatic duct dilated and obstructed with stones and bloodwork would show elevated enzymes. I would be admitted as inpatient, and my GI would perform an ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) to take out the newly-formed stones and replace my stent with a new one.

Then I would go back home and count down the days until the pain started again. These days, ERCPS are used more cautiously, as they pose a moderate risk for a subsequent acute attacks. An endoscopic ultrasound — or EUS — is another type of endoscopic intervention that poses less risk and is now a common tool for a definitive diagnosis of AP.

system today and seeing the plethora of child life specialists, support awareness, and unbelievable organizations that tackle the burden of children with chronic illness, my heart aches. In the early 2000s, there wasn’t much support for children dealing with chronic illnesses and my school didn’t really understand how to kick in — or rather have the awareness that we needed them to. If I barely understood the mechanics of my own disease, how could I explain what was happening to friends and school staff ? Naturally, this had a strong impact academically and socially, hence, my being out of school so often simply became a fact of life.

If I barely understood the mechanics of my own disease, how could I explain what was happening to friends and school staff?

That was my life for six years.

Chronic illness is devastating to a child’s social, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. For me, recurrent acute flares became repetitive and unpredictable. Constantly having to transition from being a student to being inpatient to recovering at home to being a student again takes a heavy toll. Looking at the school

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, and continuous episodes of vomiting and pain also had a profound physical impact. I was small for my age, and undernourished as well, because if food is not being broken down by an adequate amount of lipase, amylase, and protease, then malabsorption will occur. To me, food was associated with pain and the fear of another attack.

In Surgery

Hereditary pancreatitis, the cause in my case, which only came to light years later, is progressive and unrelenting.

Acute pancreatitis turns into chronic pancreatitis. Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by unyielding inflammation leading to irreversible damage of pancreatic tissue. When I turned 16, treatment for my symptoms ceased to help prevent acute episodes. After three consecutive attacks and stent placements, surgical intervention was introduced as a last resort.

The year I celebrated my 16th birthday, the attacks were coming more and more frequently. Instead of a break of a few months, I would have a few days after which the now-familiar pattern of being admitted, going NPO, and switching out the ductal stents was repeated. “We’ve reached the end of what we can do through endoscopic treatment,” I was told. “Your only other option at this point is surgical intervention.”

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 39

Living Well

Cover Feature

The procedure, a pancreaticjejunostomy, otherwise known as “Puestow Procedure” is highly invasive. Since it appeared that my macro problem was a reoccurring strictured pancreatic duct, the surgery permanently opens the pancreas from the head to the tail, thus removing the problematic duct (similar to when a whole fish is split to be stuffed it with aromatics). The pancreatic duct is then halved opened and sewn to a loop of the jejunum part of the intestine. This was the only option presented to us, and for lack of other information and long-term prognosis, we went for it.

November. Obviously, I was lagging behind academically, but on the school’s part, there was total silence — a silence that I now vow to break.

The surgery was deemed successful. My pancreas was doing well, and by default I was doing better too. I no longer suffered from recurring pancreas attacks and so I thought that I was cured.

No one told me otherwise — and with less pain that I’d ever dealt with before, it was easy to convince myself that I was cured.

The recovery is rough barring no complications. It was especially difficult as pain management post-op is not like we have today. While still in recovery post-op, my lungs collapsed due to poorly-managed pain control. I was definitely not prepared to wake up again intubated on a respirator. It was a profound setback to an already difficult recovery. Those moments when I was unable to breathe, those moments when I felt so helpless, those moments where I brushed the coattails of death have stayed with me forever. Youngsters are remarkably resilient, though. I am continually amazed at myself, how after a two-week hospital recovery, my battered body was headed for home.

I continued to struggle with maldigestion episodes that lasted a few days, but there was no way that it was because of my pancreas, I told myself each time. I so badly wanted to have it behind me.

Looking back, it’s quite shocking that some of the treatment that is now protocol was largely absent then. A major player in the management of chronic pancreatitis is pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy or PERT. PERT is used to combat the nutritional malabsorption and painful maldigestion that results from EPI. The preferred test to determine the level of insufficient enzymes is a fecal elastase test. Symptoms of food that is not being properly broken down due to a lack of enzymes is bloating, gas, cramps, and abnormal amounts of fat in the stool, medically known as steatorrhea. PERT are capsules made from the ground-up pancreases of hogs. (Essentially nonkosher, but permissible because it’s a medication) They are taken in conjunction with meals and dosage depends on the weight and of fat, protein content in meal.

Even with PERT, fats and fiber are still difficult to digest. I would have really benefited from PERT back then, but alas, it was not meant to be.

The road to full recovery was arduous. Since the surgery was performed at the end of the summer, I started school only in

In hindsight, I know that the story wasn’t over then. And today I know that this disease is one I will deal with my entire life. But

There was a tremendous lack of information, surgical options, and support. The long-term treatment options and prognosis for this disease were quite paltry too. Since we didn’t know anyone else with this diagnosis, we took the information and prognosis at face value. It seemed like the only option we had. And so, during the summer between 10th and 11th grade, I went under the knife for an eight-hour pancreaticojejunostomy surgery.

40 Wellspring | September 2020

back then, I wanted to just finally be living a typical life, and I ignored anything that could hint otherwise.

A Matter of Genetics Over the past few years, reported cases of pancreatitis in adults and in pediatrics have increased significantly. While the gene mutations responsible for hereditary pancreatitis were isolated back in the 1950’s, they remained largely unknown until Dr. David Whitcomb isolated and identified them as definite causes.

Dr. Whitcomb has been from the top leading researchers on pancreatic disease. He founded his own biochemical lab named Ariel Precision medicine, where he streamlined the testing for these mutations. Thanks to him, hospitals treating pancreatic diseases began testing their patients for the mutations that are factors of familial pancreatitis, the main mutations being SPINK1, SPINK2, CFTR, and PRSS1.

With all of this additional knowledge, my medical team ran the genetic panel, and I received an official diagnosis of PRSS1 autosomal dominant mutation. This mutation has an early age onset, which means that majority of patients with this mutation become symptomatic at a very young age. It is a mutation that is progressive and its damage is irreversible.

The pieces of the puzzle started to make sense for me. My condition had a name, it had a cause, and the medical community started making more advances in terms of intervention and education.

Downward Decline Since hereditary pancreatitis is a chronic and progressive condition, my decline was subtle and gradual. I began to struggle with worsening mal-digestion and unintended weight loss. I tested positive for EPI and started on a PERT regimen. Because of the heightened risk of pancreatic cancer, I was receiving the surveillance of MRCP imaging every six months. An MRCP is an MRI using contrast that is now the first tool used to diagnose and monitor the progression of chronic pancreatitis. My MRCP results were discouraging. My pancreas was shriveled and shrunken and hard as a rock, with multiple lesions. The Puestow was failing and my ducts once again became strictured and obstructed with stones and sludge.

In February of 2018, I had my first episode of acute pain that reminded me eerily of the past. It was then that I began to face a reality that I thought would never be mine. I viciously attacked the research, trying to understand what my options were. When everything seems out of my control, sometimes information helps me feel empowered. Over the next two years, my team brought up the idea of a surgical intervention called TPAIT — a total pancreatectomy auto islet transplant. At first I thought it is too “radical.” However, my exhaustive search for an alternative

solution did not lead me to any viable alternatives. I traveled for various opinions, to John Hopkins and University Pittsburgh Medical Center for second and third opinions. At UPMC I was privileged to meet with the legendary David Whitcomb. His opinion and those from John Hopkins were sobering. PRSS1 chronic pancreatitis is progressive and debilitating. The only exit strategy is a TPAIT. In 2018, 10 years after my initial surgery, the reality of “what’s next?” dawned on me. I was pushing the no-surgery option for as long as I could, but it wasn’t working anymore. I was having attacks every few weeks and as a working mother I couldn’t afford to spend that much time in bed. The attacks were becoming increasingly unpredictable. In August of 2018, I quit my job. I loved what I did, but it was too physically demanding. Even just breathing was too much work and incredibly painful.

Fatty foods is a major pancreas pain trigger. So I began avoiding them. I was eating less than five grams of fat a day, subsisting on Ensure and rice cakes. But fat is brain food and without it I was withering.

As far as treating the pain, there were a few short-term options. Most of them didn’t work for me and I didn’t want to go anywhere near opioids since it’s notorious for its addictive traits.

Stent placement was not recommended. A third option was the celiac plexus block, a procedure where they endoscopically numb the nerves around the pancreas — but it only helps minimally for up to three months. Some people rely on this as their main form of treatment, while for others it has the potential to cause a subsequent flare. I wanted a long-term solution.

A Treatment or a Cure Through exhaustive research, I discovered that Columbia Presbyterian in Manhattan is one of the few National Pancreas Foundations-approved pancreas centers. They presented my case at their weekly round table meeting. Their opinion? A TPAIT was my only hope for an exit strategy. There was no other cure or medication that they could offer.

A TPAIT is a complete removal of the pancreas and surrounding organs including the gallbladder, spleen, duodenum, and part of the stomach. The AIT works as follows: When the pancreas is surgically removed, it’s taken to a lab while the patient remains on the operating table. The insulin-producing cells are then isolated and harvested and transplanted back into the liver. In a successful transplant, the islets can begin to function in the liver and produce insulin. It is estimated that about 40 percent of patients receiving the transplant become insulin independent within the first year.

TPAIT was first pioneered in the University of Minnesota in 1977, however it remained a largely uncommon treatment for chronic pancreatitis until the early 2000s. While the University of Minnesota remains the largest center for this surgery, there are approximately 10 centers around the country performing it.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 41

Living Well

Cover Feature

By removing my pancreas, I was essentially choosing to trade diseases. “Hey, I don’t want pancreatitis anymore so I’ll take diabetes instead!”

Ironically, I had three surgeons from three different centers vying to take on my case. I was young, otherwise healthy, with a stable A1C (glucose level). Since surgeons look for patients for whom they predict a good outcome, I found myself on the “most wanted” list. After much deliberation, I chose Columbia Presbyterian with Dr. Beth Schrope as my surgeon. Dr. Schrope and the entire team at the Pancreas Center of Columbia gave me extraordinary care and compassion. They have become like family to me.

After the surgery, my EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency), a side effect of pancreatitis that means my body doesn’t produce enough enzymes to break down my food, would go from partial to complete. For years, my pancreas had been too burned out to produce enough enzymes and I’d relied on PERT. But post TPAIT, I would have no pancreas at all, which entails a lifelong commitment to PERT with every bite of food.

Diabetes type 3C (a more brittle form of type 1 called pancreatogenic diabetes) is an immediate irreversible outcome.

By removing my pancreas, I was essentially choosing to trade diseases. “Hey, I don’t want pancreatitis anymore so I’ll take diabetes instead!” A TPAIT involves making serious sacrifices and life-altering choices. Unfortunately, due to my previous pancreas surgery and years of damage and disease, it was predicted that I likely will not have a large enough islet yield, and it was doubtful that they would be of good quality. Many patients who have not had a successful graft and live with Diabetes type 3C feel that diabetes is manageable and follows a protocol. While it is a frustrating disease and a heavy price to pay, it doesn’t

42 Wellspring | September 2020

come with daily pain and frequent hospitalizations that chronic pancreatitis demands. The teams I consulted with shared the same sentiments.

Post-Op Unfortunately, the predictions of an unhealthy islet yield came to be true. Only 23,000 of a minimum of 200,000 islet cells I would need for a chance of success were harvested. They scored three out of ten in terms of quality. Currently, I am fully insulindependent and treated as a type 1 diabetic, although diabetes type 3c is a different disease then type 1, it’s mostly treated the same.

The recovery for such a major 14-hour surgery was brutal, painful, and slow. Surgeons like to say “it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” The average recovery time is one year. Immediately postop I spent one week in the ICU and one week on the surgical floor.

Transitioning from hospital to home was overwhelming. There were a lot of medications, and a drain out of my liver due to a small bile leak. I was dependent on a home-visiting nurse for the first few weeks. An interesting complication that I was not prepared for was a slight paralysis of my vocal chords because of the amount of hours I was intubated during surgery. I had no voice for the first six weeks, which made communicating my needs difficult.

The positive effects of the surgery are not immediate at all.

Constant pain, unrelenting nausea, and extreme lack of energy is par for course. I had zero appetite but needed nutrition to recover.

At two-and-a-half months post-op, my team was not happy with how I was recovering. I was unable to maintain my weight, let alone gain anything. I was readmitted for a feeding tube placement.

I felt discouraged and had strong feelings of regret. “Did I make the right choice?” This surgery comes with a heavy adjustment period. With a forever-altered digestive system, immune system, and endocrine system, I essentially felt reborn. This surgery is not a treatment nor is it a cure. There simply is no way to accurately portray the sacrifices it entails. To get through it, you need grit and perseverance, you need drive and a very strong sense of fight.

However, most patients who finally get to the other side feel the payoff and share that “they wished they had done it sooner.”

Today I am currently one year and seven months post op, my peptide activity is zero and I remain fully insulin-dependent. Realistically, I do not expect my islets to graft. I wear an insulin pump and a CGM

this way. But when the course of my disease seemed illogical, it made no sense. I could forge forward only through believing that since it’s so against nature, there must be a very big reason why.

I love this very relatable analogy: When zooming into a picture on a phone, the picture loses its definition. All we see is blurred chaos. It’s important to remember that only as we zoom out do we see the larger picture. When our challenges seem all-consuming, unclear, and staggering in their magnitude, perhaps we can “zoom out,” take a step back, and believe that there is a larger picture, one that we quite possibly might never understand.

(continuous glucose monitor) to manage my blood sugars. (Any Medtronic 670G users out there? Sending you love!) I’m building up my stamina and I have more and more energy. It takes lots of experimenting with medications and PERT dosage, but I have a good appetite and I’m able to eat without pain. Having to account for every bite of food with insulin and PERT can at times be quite frustrating and at times discouraging. However, I’m finally maintaining my weight. I feel human again. Most important to me is that — more than ever before — I can be there for my kids. I no longer have severe daily pain, frequent emergency room visits, the inability to eat, and a diminished quality of life. I’m doing well!

Some patients can still struggle with phantom pain after a total pancreatectomy, as it can take a while for the nerves to regenerate and for the gut brain pathways become healthy again. With the right palliative care, this can be managed and usually diminishes over time.

Moving Forward Going through this journey had me standing at the crosswalks of my emunah. Having to make such difficult decisions with lifealtering consequences definitely shook the foundations of my faith. We pray, we ask, we cry out for a solution, for our challenges to be resolved. And many times, the solutions Hashem sends us are not our plan A. Hameichin mitzadei gaver, Hashem supports our footsteps. There were oh, so many days when I certainly did not feel that the path I am on was for my benefit.

When the ways of the world follow teva, nature, we don’t look for a reason why. “Why not?” It makes so much sense, it comes

My mission and goal in sharing my story is to de-stigmatize hereditary chronic diseases. I am proud to admit that I have an extensive understanding of chronic pancreatitis, the disease, treatment options, and medical professionals and researchers who devote their career to chronic pancreatitis. Today there is a plethora of education, of research and support out there. I know that there are people and families struggling with this disease. I want to share, support, and build a community of warriors within the Jewish community. If you or a loved one has a diagnosis of chronic or acute pancreatitis, please reach out. It would mean so much to me if you do.

Chronic pancreatitis is considered an “orphan” disease. I am determined to tackle the silence, the pain, the loneliness, and helplessness that is this disease. Since the National Pancreas Foundation New York State chapter has not been active, I volunteered to become its chapter chair and try to resurrect the New York chapter. Currently, Columbia Presbyterian runs a phenomenal support group that meets once a month. My goal is to build up the support group and help and guide patients who live with this diagnosis. I have been working on a monthly email newsletter, The Pillar, that has the backing and guidance of my team from the pancreas center of Columbia. The newsletter includes the input of three pancreas specialists, including a TPAIT surgeon, nutritionist, and gastroenterologist. It provides hope, knowledge and a strong sense of community. Because of my close connection with my team in Columbia, I have already successfully connected many patients with my team, and they all are very pleased with their care.

Genetic illnesses are often shoved under the rug, so I know that there must be more families like mine out there. If you or anyone you know is struggling with pancreatitis, please reach out.

Get support. Look for answers. Know that there are solutions. I promise you, as someone who has been there and back — it gets better.

Aidel can be contacted through Wellspring.

To share your medical saga in this column, please write to info@ wellspringmagazine.com.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 43

Living Well

At the Dietitian By Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

Your Breakfast with a Dose of Roundup?

Protect Yourself and

Your Family from the

Dangers of Glyphosate Weed Killer

Last year, news reports emerged about the contamination of Cheerios with the toxic chemical glyphosate (also known as Roundup weed killer). When you heard about it, you may have figuratively thrown your hands up in the air, resigning yourself to the fact that living in the world today entails exposure to thousands of chemicals regardless of your efforts, and you may as well continue purchasing the same food items you have for years.

While all of this is true, research indicates that glyphosate is not a chemical to take lightly. In fact, if you are to make only one change in your lifestyle to minimize exposure to pesticides, I would focus just on this one, as it has severe potential health implications and is unfortunately quite widespread.

Glyphosate has been linked to an elevated risk of cancer

by California state scientists and the World Health Organization. It was tested as being present in almost all of 45 samples of food products made with conventionally-grown oats, including Cheerios and Nature Valley granola bars. Almost three-quarters of those samples had glyphosate levels higher than what the Environmental Working Group (EWG) scientists consider protective of children’s health. Even one-third of organically-grown oats had small amounts of contamination with glyphosate, but it was at levels well below EWG’s health benchmark.

Glyphosate is an herbicide that kills plants by inhibiting an enzyme that is needed to make amino acids. Unfortunately, many

44 Wellspring | September 2020

strains of friendly bacteria living in the human gut use the same enzymes, and it has been proven that the presence of glyphosate in the human intestine significantly alters the composition of protective bacteria in the gut. Glyphosate also damages the “glue” that holds the gut together, creating a “leaky gut.” It is no surprise that the incidence of IBD in the US has a concurrent increase with the usage of glyphosate in US farming.

Many individuals who believe they are gluten sensitive may in fact be glyphosate sensitive and cannot tolerate grains once they are sprayed with this damaging weed killer. Researchers who noticed a four-fold increase in celiac disease from the time period of 1948–1954 as compared to 2009 noted that celiac disease is associated with imbalances in gut bacteria that can be fully explained by the known effects of glyphosate on gut bacteria. Additionally, they commented, “Deficiencies in iron, cobalt, molybdenum, copper and other rare metals associated with celiac disease can be attributed to glyphosate’s strong ability to chelate these elements.”

dangerous weed killer. Each year, large amounts of it are sprayed on “Roundup-ready” corn and soybeans genetically engineered to withstand the herbicide. It is also applied just before harvest on wheat, barley, oats, and beans that are not genetically engineered.

Glyphosate kills the crop, drying it out so that it can be harvested sooner than if the plant were allowed to die naturally.

Food manufacturers may want you to believe that because the amounts of glyphosate EWG found in their products are within the limits allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there’s nothing for parents to worry about.

Many concerned health professionals, including me, disagree.

Government standards are often outdated and not based on the best and most current science, and can fall short in protecting vulnerable populations such as fetuses and children. It is likely that lobbying from the politically powerful industries that the EPA is supposed to regulate can play a role in establishing standard.

Very suspiciously, the EPA’s current legal limit for glyphosate in oats and many other grains is 30 parts per million, or ppm. About 25 years ago, it was 300 times lower, only 0.1 ppm. The EPA raised the legal limit after farmers began using glyphosate as a desiccant, which was certainly not a coincidence.

If your alarm bells aren’t yet ringing, there is some solid scientific evidence, including a 2015 study published in Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, that glyphosate (as well as flame retardants and plastics) are very strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of PCOS and other female hormonal imbalances.

Lest you think oats are the only issue, almost the entire conventional food product market in the US is contaminated with this

The take-home message? Do your absolute best to minimize or avoid intake of this dangerous chemical in your diet. Look out for the newer certifications for glyphosate-free foods now on some food products. Choose mostly or only organic certified products for foods made of wheat, oats, rice, legumes, almonds, and corn. Minimizing your exposure to glyphosate may be the most profound step you take to significantly alter your health and the health of your family.

For a copy of Tamar’s resource on glyphosate-free food products, contact Tamar via her website: www.thegutdietitian.com.

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE, is a highly acclaimed and experienced registered dietitian/nutritionist and certified diabetes educator. She maintains a busy nutrition practice with offices in Lakewood and Edison, and via phone/Skype to numerous international clients. She specializes in balanced and sustainable weight loss and nutrition therapy for autoimmune, hormonal, and gastrointestinal issues. She can be reached at 732-364-0064 or through her website www.thegutdietitian.com.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 45

Living Well

Growth Log By Gila Glassberg, MS, RD, CDN

chapter 3 24-HOUR DIET RECALL

EE DOM R F

BYE, DIET. HELLO, LIFE. 46 Wellspring | September 2020

recap: In this part of our first session together, I ask Adina for a 24-hour diet recall to see what she usually eats throughout a standard day.

I do this because I want her to notice what, when, and how she’s eating, and why she’s choosing those foods.

ADINA: I usually skip breakfast. I have no time for breakfast with six children to get off to school. I also love that ache in my stomach when I skip a meal; it makes me feel like I’m doing a good job. I probably don’t eat until around 11:00, at which point I’m ravenous. Then I usually eat whatever I see, such as a sleeve of cookies and some leftovers from the night before. I feel disgusted with myself. What is wrong with me?

My first group of children arrive home at 3:00 p.m., and they’re always starving. I set up a snack for them — crackers, cheese, some cut-up fruits and vegetables. I usually have snack together with them unless there isn’t enough for me.

For dinner, I only allow myself a lean protein, like fish or chicken, along with some steamed vegetables — which I hate so much and I’m so sick of them, but I know it’s what my body needs. Carbohydrates are bad — especially at night!

Then I’m done for the night. Or at least I hope I am.

What really usually happens is that around 9:00 p.m., when the house is so quiet and I can finally be alone with my thoughts, I usually get this intense craving. I go downstairs to the kitchen to find something “healthy and filling to eat” and all of sudden, I’m stuffing my face with chocolate, cake, and who-knows-what. I don’t know how it happens again every time. I feel horrible afterwards. I go to sleep vowing I’ll never do it again. I might even call a friend and tell her how awful I am.

GILA: I notice how Adina keeps berating herself. This voice is drilling in her head all the time, and it’s taking up so much of her headspace. If she didn’t have to think about food and how much she hated herself all day, can you image the difference in her life?

From her 24-hour recall, I notice many different important factors about Adina’s life and where she may be stuck.

First, her self-care is lacking. This is common amongst most of my clients — they don’t notice that they have any needs.

Even if they do, it’s as if their needs don’t matter.

Since Adina is not paying attention to her own needs, she’s engaging in disordered eating. Skipping meals, for example, is a behavior of disordered eating. Ironically, disordered eat-

GILA: ing has the opposite effect of what Adina actually wants. She has deprived herself of breakfast, thus leading to an intense feeling of hunger which we call primal hunger. This primal hunger will make it nearly impossible for her to sensibly decide what to eat. We also tend to crave simple carbohydrates when we get hungry because this is the body’s easiest source of energy.

Adina is also hard on herself. She sees herself as a failure for eating the way she does. She also may be associating the feeling of being overstuffed with the emotion of guilt because every time she overeats, she also feels guilt. This can mean that every time she has the physical discomfort of overeating, she has cued herself to feel guilty as well, or vice versa, as she describes the good feeling of skipping a meal.

GILA: Adina, what you describe is very normal.

The many years of “dieting” have turned off your hunger/ fullness cues because you’re used to being told what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. But I want you to have autonomy, to be the expert of your own body. With that being said, there are some general concepts to keep in mind, of course allowing for some variability.

Biologically, during waking hours, most people start to feel hunger emerge two to three hours after eating. I want you to set an alarm and start checking in with yourself after such a time interval. Notice when you start to feel physically hungry and honor that hunger by eating a nourishing meal or snack. Many times, we think we’re engaging in emotional eating when we’re really physically hungry. By eating when we’re physically hungry, we start to reawaken the hunger/ fullness cues that dieting has shut off.

Write down what you ate, how hungry you felt (using a rating between 0 to 10; 0 being ravenous and 10 being uncomfortably stuffed), how full you felt afterwards, and if anything comes up for you emotionally.

We will review your log at our session next week.

to be continued...

Gila Glassberg is a master’s level registered dietitian and a certified intuitive eating counselor located in Woodmere, New York. She uses a non-diet, weight-neutral approach to help growth-oriented women break out of chronic dieting patterns, and regain clarity into what is really important to them. She can be contacted through her website: www.gilaglassberg.com, via email at gilaglassberg18@gmail.com, or via telephone at 570-878-3642. The name of her podcast is Get INTUIT with Gila. Gila accepts some insurances.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 47

it Please inquire about our new Medical Grade facials

Pop in for expert skin care and make an appointment with

YEHUDAH (JAY) WINZELBERG, RPA-C

Perfect for teenagers (boys or girls) Male and female providers available

D E R M AT O L O G I S T

WILLIAMSBURG

445 Park Avenue

B ro o k l y n, N Y 1120 5

718.963.0800

BENSONHURST

6010 Bay Parkway

B ro o k l y n, N Y 1120 4

BORO PARK

4714 16th Avenue B ro o k l y n, N Y 1120 4

KIRYAS YOEL

ParCare Rambam

Forest Corner Strelisk

Living Well

Home Lab By Miriam Schweid

DIY

recipes for natural living

Sinus Infection and Headache Relief Lately, I’ve been getting an increased amount of calls regarding sinus infections and headaches. Perhaps it’s just an observation, but as some research has proven, there may be a correlation to the amount of dairy products in the free meals and boxes of food that many schools have been sending. Among other fare, these generous packages often contain plenty of whole milk, yogurts, and cheeses. While many families are really enjoying these products and putting them to good use, limit dairy intake in children and adults who are showing these symptoms.

If you’re suffering, here’s a recipe for an oil blend that helps treat sinus infections and headaches.

1 oz carrier oil, such as olive or coconut oil 20 drops peppermint oil 20 drops eucalyptus oil

Apply oil around eyes and forehead and behind neck. Be very cautious to avoid contact with eyes.

Coming Next Month in Wellspring

Healthy-Ish Brokerage is my job.

Learning is my passion.

And I lead a healthy lifestyle too.

Here’s how I do it (with some help from my wife)

By Aryeh Leib

THIS WAY UP SUPPORTING YOUR CHILD'S SPIRITUAL HEALTH

One Size Does Not Fit All Back to school mid-COVID-19

Immune Booster It's not only about the vitamins

Wellbeing

Feature

This Way Up

How to support our children toward spiritual health

By Shiffy Friedman

Elul is a time of deepened connection, of more intent focus on the spiritual component of Yiddishkeit. As parents, we want for our children to not only observe the halachos and minhagim; we want them to feel pride and joy in doing so.

How can we support them toward leading a spiritually fulfilling life?

T

Wellbeing

Feature

The original subtitle for this article was “How to guide our children toward spiritual health.� But the more thought I put into this subject, and the more I drew from the wisdom of the contributors, I came away with the understanding that, as parents and as mortals, it is not only beyond our ability to determine the outcome of our efforts, but also less about doing and more about letting be. Our role in this sacred journey called parenting is to hold our child’s hand as they explore their own spirituality, to encourage and provide the fertile ground for a blossoming connection. Of course, tefillah is a most powerful and effective medium for enabling this to unfold. What else should we keep in mind in our quest to raise spiritually healthy children?

54 Wellspring | September 2020

only one part of the picture By parenting coach Mrs. Perl Abramowitz What I did when my kids were little gave me the feeling that I’m doing my part. I spoke to them a lot about Hashem and Torah, did fun projects, etc. As they — and I — grew older, I came to realize that a huge part in helping our children along their spiritual journey is understanding that they each have a path of their own. Of course, we should be doing our part, but then there’s Hashem’s plan, the one we have to allow to play out.

After my husband passed away several months ago, this became clearer to me than ever before. The way he was talking the whole last year was like he was dropping hints that he would be leaving us soon. He ate healthy, always lots of fruits and vegetables, and he had an exercise machine in his study. But he wasn’t supposed to live a day more than 43 years. His neshamah’s time had expired.

Fifty percent of parenting is letting go, realizing that we are simply part of a bigger picture. Hashem is orchestrating the show; we’re just the spectators. Right now, my children are recovering from a horrific trauma.

The cement in their hearts and brains is wet. Perhaps I can prevent years of pain and issues if I deal with their situation properly. But on the other hand, how can we humans know what the right way is? We can try our best — to shower our children with lots and lots of love — but mostly we have to daven for siyatta diShmaya. I remember that when something would be going on at home, my husband and I would be looking at each other, “What do we do now?” How could we know? If anyone tells you that they have a recipe for success, it’s avodah zarah. Yes, a confident mother gives a child so much security, but only Hashem determines the outcome.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 55

Wellbeing

Feature

never too young

Based on Mrs. Tammy Karmel’s Advice

From Mrs. Tammy Karmel, who continues to inspire women worldwide despite living with the debilitating disease of ALS, I’ve learned that children understand spiritual concepts from a very young age — younger than we may think. Tammy encourages mothers to speak to their young children about not only concrete aspects of Yiddishkeit, such as technical preparations for an upcoming Yom Tov, but also about more abstract concepts like the purpose of challenges and Hashem’s Presence.

Even from a young age, children can grasp the meaning inherent in a Yom Tov or special time. For example, during Elul, even a young child will understand, “Just like Mommy loves to spend time with you, Hashem is so excited to be closer to you during this time.” Or, when entering the sukkah, we can tell a young child, “You see these walls? It’s like a hug from Hashem.” The concepts also become more relatable through age-appropriate parables.

Hanging posters around the house is another suggestion for inculcating the home with spirituality. In her own kitchen, Tammy would share, she would always hang posters with inspirational messages to inject her children with spirituality — to share the joy and connection she was feeling inside.

Inspired by this, before Shavuos, I hung a large colored banner on our kitchen wall titled “We Are So Excited!” Underneath was the verse “Ki haTorah kolleles kol hatovos sheba’olam,” which I explained according to my children’s understanding. In the flowers on the hand-drawn Har Sinai, I invited the kids to write what it is about Torah that they love so much. The list kept growing in the days leading up to Yom Tov.

role model

By Perl Abramowitz

Children who grow up seeing a mother who’s working on her middos, who’s learning Torah, are getting something incredible for life. My husband would teach me Torah all the time and I don’t have that now. I plan to get a learning partner because I see how much I need the learning in my life.

I do talk to my children about my growth in Yiddishkeit. Some kids love it, some feel threatened by it. It’s fascinating how each nefesh is so different.

We all went through the same loss and each of us experienced it in a completely different way.

56 Wellspring | September 2020

Make It Pleasant Based on Rebbetzin Sima Spetner’s Approach

The approach that parenting coach Rebbetzin Sima Spetner teaches is to refrain, as much as possible, from using ruchniyus in negative interactions with a child. According to Rebbetzin Spetner, a parent should work on maintaining a 4:1 ratio in their interactions with each child, with 4 representing positive interactions and 1 representing negative. Positive interactions include bonding time, encouragement, and compliments, as well as simple quiet time in the home during which the child feels safe, secure, and calm. A negative interaction, of course, does not refer to communication that should never occur, such as violence, unkind words, or empty threats. Rather, these are interactions that are vital to parenting but unpleasant for the child, such as setting boundaries, saying “no,” or giving a consequence. The idea is that we should strive to maintain a ratio of 4:1 of pleasant to unpleasant (for the child) communication.

As much as the “1” part of the parenting ratio is crucial to a child’s healthy development, posits Rebbetzin Spetner, ruchniyus should be left out of it. Rather, Yiddishkeit should constitute positive interactions as much as possible. So, for example, if a child is not obeying the rule, don’t make it about kibbud av v’eim. Keep it to “following the rules of this house.” Inappropriate clothes, as another example, should not become about tzniyus, but rather about “Do you think this looks good on you? Is it classy? How can we make this look more appropriate?” Speak of ruchniyus and Torah when a child is enjoying performing a particular mitzvah.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 57

Wellbeing

Feature

Don't mess it up

By Perl Abramowitz Over these past few months, I’ve been watching each one of my children process their grief in a completely different way. That’s because the nefesh of each individual is unique to them. Each child knows intuitively what he needs to do to process his pain. As a parent, I can support it. I can work on not messing it up, on not judging it — but the kids for themselves will figure it out if I give them their space, if I let them be. Each of our children has their own journey in this world. I try to focus mostly on my own journey.

When we focus on our own inner work, on our own relationship with Hashem, we can give to our children from a better place. We can realize that each of our children needs something else from us.

Part of guiding our children toward spiritual health is realizing that we determine nothing. As a parent, I can only determine that I am doing my best. We want to be accepting, but at the same time we want to say the truth. This is assur, this is muttar. What will put them on or off is Hashem’s story. Nachas is the extra credit.

As much as we want to guide our children on the path that we see as right, so much is about what Hashem will give them. Each one of our children has their own unique tafkid.

58 Wellspring | September 2020

home is not school Based on Rebbetzin Sima Spetner’s Approach “But don’t they bentsh the whole thing in school?” “In cheder, they daven for way longer.” That’s a concern many mothers have when they watch their young sons and daughters “slack off ” at home. In reality, however, Rebbetzin Spetner notes that what children are expected to do at school is not necessarily a reflection of what they are capable of doing on their own. In a school environment, there is the group element and the need for structured systems. At home, parents should ascertain their own child’s threshold and ability to carry out particular obligations. Just because they do more at school does not mean they need to do so at home.

Good Spirits By parenting coach Mrs. Miriam Meiselman Another important facet in raising a spiritually healthy child is the spirit in the home. If parents are constantly in conflict with each other, trying to impose happiness on the children is a futile effort. They have to feel the “es iz gut tzu zein a Yid.” Spiritual health is not much different from emotional health. They work hand in hand. If a child is nurtured in a healthy way, he will b’ezras Hashem be receptive to spiritual messages.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 59

Wellbeing

Feature

A Breach like Any Other

By Miriam Meiselman I often get questions like “Do I have to encourage my son to daven?” “Should I force my child to bentsh?”

I believe that matters in Yiddishkeit should not be differentiated with regular obligations that are age-appropriate. If you determine that a certain practice, such as going to shul on Shabbos, is age-appropriate for your child (such as by consulting with various others whose sons are his age), have him follow through on your instruction just as you would with any other directive. Deal with it as a discipline situation, separate from Yiddishkeit.

Many parents have a fear that their child will feel choked or overburdened by Yiddishkeit as a whole if rules are set in this area. But if the child’s obligations are treated just like any other age-appropriate behavior, with warmth and guidance but also firmness when necessary, Yiddishkeit is a natural part of life.

If the child chooses to breach the rule, he realizes that it’s not Yiddishkeit he’s breaching, only the rules you set up in your home.

If you find that your child is struggling with a particular age-appropriate obligation, ease him into it. For example, allow him to go to shul with Totty for just half an hour and then come home. Treat it the same way that you would any other issue he’s struggling with.

Mirroring the Relationship

By Perl Abramowitz

In my early years as a parent, I made sure to show my children and myself how real my Yiddishkeit is. The message I gave them was that the more connected to Torah you are, the happier you will be. He didn’t write the Torah for Him, He wrote it for us — for our good. I showed them a very happy, very active Yiddishkeit.

As Yidden, we serve Hashem with both yirah and ahavah. These are the feelings a healthy child-parent relationship engenders as well. As a parent, my relationship with my children shows them what Hashem is all about. Therefore, I also kept in mind that as loving as I am, I can hope that my children will perceive Hashem in a similar way, and sense the ahavah He has for us.

60 Wellspring | September 2020

It’s All There

By Rabbi Ezra Friedman

Spirituality — a need for connection and subservience to a Higher Power — is inherent in every human being, especially every Yid. Each of us is born with a longing for something deeper, the desire to be good and obedient.

Unlike skills that need to be taught, this is something that only needs to be channeled in the right direction as we are naturally drawn to more than just the animalistic pleasures in life. The chiyus we seek emanates from doing good deeds and following the Torah. And real tranquility, which is so critical to us, will only be attained from relying on Hashem. (When negative associations toward Hashem have formed, G-d forbid, this need for trust may be channeled toward a fierce loyalty to other beliefs, such as veganism, other religions, human rights, etc.)

Of course, the concept of chinuch plays an important role in our lives. This means that, as parents, we have an obligation to guide our children toward the right path.

But it’s less about teaching it and more about not ruining what is already inherent in the child since birth. It’s less about doing and more about being a role model — exhibiting trust in Hashem, reaping joy from the connection, having pleasure from Yiddishkeit, and so forth — which will consciously and subconsciously give the child the message that everything that he feels inherently is accurate. Then, with the help of Hashem, he will naturally stay on this path. For the most part, a child instinctively has mercy on others; he wants to please. He craves security and will thus trust easily. Our role as parents is to leave their potential for spirituality intact.

If we need to teach our children to be spiritual, to believe and feel connected, and we find it to be a struggle, that’s an indication that something may have gone wrong in the natural process. Their natural state of being, to be trusting and faithful, has been disrupted.

In the same vein, a child naturally wants to be compliant (at most times, of course). The obedience he exhibits to his parents, and his trust in them, will eventually translate into his compliance with Torah and belief in Hashem. When a child conducts himself differently, this

natural desire may have become disrupted along the way.

What can we do if we realize that this is the case?

Since the issue is not in how to instill spirituality (which is already there) but rather to teach them how to tap into it by being role models for them, we as parents, must examine the connection with our own spirituality within, to explore the way we relate to our own essence.

Are we connected to the place in us that wants to be good, that relies on Hashem, that trusts in others, that doesn’t speak negatively and sees the world with a positive perspective? When we are, the child’s pure feelings and perspectives automatically remain in place, with the help of Hashem. The issues crop up when he receives indirect messages that his untainted feelings are inaccurate. When he perceives that the adults in his life are suspicious of others, that they’re anxious, that giving to others means losing out, etc., he subconsciously uproots his natural feelings toward his spiritual connection.

When we notice a child’s apparent lack of spiritual connection, as a result of him not living in his natural state of being, the way to help the situation is only by helping ourselves first. How can I deal with my blockage in spirituality that the child needs to see in me, as his role model? Where do I stand in the aspect of avodas Hashem that I expect from my child? If we want a child to have more emunah, to rely more on Hashem, to have cheishek in davening or learning, we must ask ourselves, where do I stand with this? Improving in that area will automatically lead to major improvement in the child, with the help of Hashem.

While this understanding indicates the great responsibility we carry, it is also reassuring. If a child is not exhibiting an affinity to spirituality, that does not mean it isn’t there. He may have received the wrong messages in how to deal with them, and his yearning for spiritual connection is thus obscured. By looking into ourselves and connecting to our own spiritual essence — just being who we are at our core — we can enable our children to become in touch with theirs.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 61

Wellbeing

Feature

miniworld

By Miriam Meiselman

A child’s grasp of spirituality — his connection with HaKadosh Baruch Hu — is very much in tandem with the way he feels with regard to his relationship with his parents. A toddler, and even a baby, lives in a mini-world. However he’s being nurtured in this microcosm becomes his basic outlook to the world at large, and particularly to spiritual connections.

If you constantly tell your child, and exhibit it through your actions, that “Mommy loves you, Mommy’s watching you…” eventually, this is the perspective he will have of Hashem (under normal circumstances). It’s a mother’s obligation to nurture her child in a way that he feels secure all the time.

In addition to being a nurturing, secure presence for your child, you can also speak to him about Hashem and His protection. “Hashem is watching you.” If a child is afraid to go to sleep at night, you can say to her, “I’m here for you. And Hashem watches over you all the time. Lo sirah mipachad laylah…” This will become the outlook the child will have in her relationship with Hashem.

To this end, when we set limits for our children, they should come from a centered place. We don’t want a child to see regulations as being punished. If we’re setting boundaries from a place of anger, the child may look at Hashem’s world from this perspective. “He setting limits because He’s angry at me.” “I’m suffering because I’m bad.”

Through our own approach to consequences, the child should learn that it’s not the person who’s deserving of punishment, but rather the breach that must be addressed.

62 Wellspring | September 2020

What Is Yiddishkeit for You? Based on Rebbetzin Sima Spetner’s Approach As parents, we can’t expect our children to feel positively toward Yiddishkeit or its particulars if we don’t feel that way first. When a parent who feels positively about the mitzvos, the enthusiasm will, in most cases, be absorbed by the child by osmosis.

For example, says Rebbetzin Spetner, if you pity your son that he has to wake up at the crack of dawn to go to yeshivah, you can’t expect him to be happy about it. On the contrary, if you appreciate the beauty and privilege in what he’s doing, he will, with the help of Hashem, feel it too.

If you notice that your approach toward a particular mitzvah, such as tzniyus or Torah learning, is not entirely positive, it is wise to examine your relationship and associations with it so you — and thus your child — can develop an appreciation for it.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 63

Wellbeing

Emotional Eating By Shira Savit

Bolstering Immunity How Weight-Related Stress Impacts Health With COVID-19 in the spotlight, many want to know how they can boost their immune system so they can, with the help of Hashem, emerge victorious over the virus—and all viruses. In order to achieve that, it is important to focus on two factors: avoiding potential invaders and strengthening the body’s defense systems.

By now, we’ve been given a number of guidelines so we can help “protect” ourselves from COVID-19: wearing a mask, washing your hands often with soap and water, using alcohol-based sanitizer, avoiding contact with people who are sick, and maintaining social distancing. Additionally, many methods to strengthen the immune system are well-known, such as taking vitamin C and D 64 Wellspring | September 2020

supplements, getting enough sleep, and eating a balanced diet. Of course, these interventions are essential, but there’s more to the story — the mind-body component to immunity.

What is another method to protect ourselves (sur mei’rah) and strengthen (asei tov) our immune system? To answer this question we must consider the role of immune depleters and immune enhancers.

One significant immune diminisher is fear. Any type of fear or anxiety is considered a form of stress. Stress puts our body into a fight-or-flight mode, triggering the release of chemicals and hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These substances not only

impact weight and metabolism, as has been explained in previous articles, but also compromise the body’s ability to fight off foreign invaders.

There are many areas in which we can feel consumed with fear, certainly when it comes to COVID-19 and the unknown. During the current pandemic, fear is a very prominent stressor in the lives of many of my clients. In addition to many other concerns and worries, women who have “succeeded” in losing weight or maintaining their weight in the past are now facing new challenges: “Will I ever lose the weight I keep gaining?” “When this is all over, what will I look like?” “I just wish I could eat perfectly.” “Why was it once so much easier for me to have self-control?”

Regardless of the specific reason, when there is fear about food and weight filling our mind, we can be depleting our immune system.

When Shani recognized that she was feeling fearful about anything related to her food, weight, and body image, she would take out a piece of paper and draw two columns.

However, we can actually strengthen our bodies by changing our thoughts — from fear to trust. With trust, our mind-body system averts the fight-or-flight response and is able to regulate and relax. This puts us in an optimal physiologic state to combat potential viruses (and other ailments), and it’s a potent immune-enhancer.

For example, Shani is a client who experienced success with weight loss when we worked together last year. She reached out to me recently, distressed about her COVID-19-related eating challenges. I asked Shani if she remembered the fear framework tool (FFT) we had implemented in the past, and suggested it might help her in the present. Shani had learned to recognize when she felt a sense of panic or fear related to her weight and/ or body image and what to do about it in the moment. Not only did Shani remember, she was quite relieved and optimistic that using the FFT would help her in her current situation.

Here’s how it worked: When Shani recognized that she was

feeling fearful about anything related to her food, weight, and body image, she would take out a piece of paper and draw two columns. One column was titled Fear-Based Thoughts, and the other was Fear-Less Thoughts.

Shani’s task was to challenge the fear-based thought with its opposite: a calming message rooted in trust and faith.

Here are some examples Shani later shared with me. “I am overwhelmed, I just want to give up!” became “I am overwhelmed, and I know I am trying my best. I will give this all I’ve got.” Similarly, “I will never lose all this weight” transformed into “It might take some time, but I trust that soon enough I will see changes.” Or, “I wish I could have a week straight of good eating” versus “I am going to take it one day at a time and focus on the small victories.” Even, “I overate and binged on cake and cookies, so what’s the point of trying anymore?” was reframed into “Just because I ate things I didn’t want to doesn’t mean I can’t continue my day eating in a healthy way. I believe in myself.

I can do it.”

Shani’s efforts in transforming her immune-depleting thoughts into immune-enhancing ones helped her stay grounded and calm.

Making use of the fear framework tool can help us with our emotional health, just as avoiding touching the face and frequent hand washing can help protect our physical health. Ultimately, we are responsible for the effort, but Hashem is responsible for the outcome. Remembering that Hashem is in charge can help our fears subside and leave us emotionally, spiritually, and physically better equipped to fight off foreign invaders.

When you walk outside, in addition to your mask, remember to take your trust with you. And don’t forget social distancing: keep fear at least six feet away.

Shira Savit, MA, CHC, MHC is a mental health counselor with multiple certifications in nutrition and health. She specializes in helping her clients with weight loss, emotional eating, and binge eating. Her unique approach incorporates both nutritional and emotional factors to help her clients reach their goals. Shira has a private practice in Yerushalayim and also works with women in any location via phone or Skype. She can be reached at 516-978-7800 or Shirasavit@gmail.com.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 65

Wellbeing

Child Development By Friedy Singer & Roizy Guttman, OTR/L

SHORT STOP

Self-regulation helps us and our children deal with those issues we’ve been shoving under the rug for too long

T

he COVID-19 era has rewritten history for mankind on many levels: politically, socially, medically, and financially. It has brought issues to the fore that would otherwise have remained buried, perhaps forever.

As humans, and especially as spouses and parents, the past half-year has brought our own “stuff ” to the forefront, including personal issues we never thought we would need to examine. We may have been able to drown our anxiety in our cup of coffee after our kids got on the school bus every day before heading to work, where we were productive and energetic. No anxiety, right? We may have expertly avoided discussion about our mismanaged monies for years, covering holes in the budget with money from the other pocket… No financial issues, right?

Our marriage may have bumbled by just fine, with the spouse leaving to work early in the morning and returning home too exhausted to argue. We may have had guests over for the weekends, and thus adroitly navigated a non-marriage situation.

No marital problems, right? The child that wasn’t keeping up with his class’s reading level — we hoped his tutor was making headway… No academic challenges, right?

Nowhere to Hide

It’s too easy to get lost in oblivion, when life just races on with

its schedules and demands. It’s the easiest route, actually.

The coronavirus era has awakened most of our deepest insecurities as humans. Overnight, we were thrown into a stress response; we had to reconfigure workplaces, childcare, and education. Consequently, we were forced to hold the mirror to our faces. Some of the music we had to face wasn’t pretty at all.

You may have known all along that you secretly were struggling with “stuff,” or you had not a shred of a clue, but whatever was lurking below got exacerbated until you were no longer able to ignore it. Your child’s teachers have been telling you about his unruly behavior for quite some time. Quarantine forced you to acknowledge that you cannot deal with this on your own. Your child needs help. You have struggled with anxious thoughts for years, but have successfully ignored it by surrounding yourself with your own measures of safety. Recently, you were inundated with horror stories in the news (am I dying, too?), rules regarding masks and hand-washing (are we getting sick?), inconsistency in school schedules (are we having school today or not?). These thoughts loop through your mind all day leaving you incapable of thinking of anything else. Your OCD could have been chalked up to super-conscientious hygiene practices, but recently you’ve been double-masking and spending hours washing your and your kids’ hands. You and your spouse suddenly have had to spend many inElul 5780 | Wellspring 67

Wellbeing

Child Development

terminable hours together. There was no choice but to confront your inability to hold a civil conversation, or to keep a flowing discussion.

While talking to ourselves definitely helps us by shifting our short-term behaviors, it makes little or no difference physiologically. We are not calm inside yet.

As parents, your negative emotions and thought processes cause negative energy, and your children will inevitably feed off that energy. This may have put even the most well-adjusted child into a tailspin. How much more so for children with sensory integration issues! Over the past few months, we have seen dozens of children who have regressed socially, are bedwetting, can’t sit still, and can’t learn well. These are all direct results of the dysregulation they have been experiencing at home.

Our neshamah, our soul, is intrinsically bound with our neshimah, breath. A human being’s potential can only be unleashed once he’s taken that first breath of life as a newborn baby. The end of his potential as a human is similarly marked by breath, as he takes his final breath.

In a more subtle but equally complex way, the children got affected, as well.

Bear in mind that although we adults can keep a handle on our anxious feelings through our thought processes that tell us that most morbid things won’t happen, children pick up on these emotions anyway.

Then summer happened. Many of us welcomed the summer reprieve like an escape. We zoned out of the stress that had been our constant companion for the past many months. It was good to breathe once again. We went to our bungalow colonies, shipped our crews off to camp and day camp, and once again felt a sense of equilibrium.

What now?

School’s starting, and with it all the uncertainty is resurfacing once again. Is the governor going to reopen educational institutions? How will the workplaces look? Will social distancing and mask regulation be enforced? And whatever mess we may have left behind in our personal life will still be there when we return to routine.

How can we make sure that we start the new school year in a calm frame of mind, both for ourselves and our children? We can do so by learning how to regulate ourselves emotionally. In this article, we outline how you can regulate yourself. Learning these skills is especially crucial for parents, because, in most cases, a regulated parent equals a regulated child.

If your child has become oppositional, emotionally over-reactive, or behaviorally challenged in the past months, you can help him by managing with your own emotions. Automatically, with the help of Hashem, your child will be better regulated. A shift in you will impact him by osmosis.

How do we regulate ourselves?

Think of an issue you are currently experiencing, and try the following exercise. Choose something easy for the first few tries.

1. Shift your physiological response.

We talk to ourselves all the time. We tell ourselves to man up and march forward. Calm down and go to sleep, none of the craziness is really happening. My anxiety is unfounded. This too shall pass.

68 Wellspring | September 2020

How can you physically impact your body to deal with any given crisis better? Through breathing.

Our existence is intertwined with our breathing.

We don’t see our essence, our neshamah, all the time. This fact sometimes makes it challenging to remain focused on the goal; hence the emotional dysregulation.

What does this really mean in practical terms?

When you breathe, an actual physiological change occurs in your body. It interrupts and shifts the response from your nervous system and makes it calm down. When you are faced with a tense situation, stop and take several deep breaths. Relax your posture by opening your legs and arms as you breathe.

It’s the fastest, easiest thing you can do to change yourself, to ground yourself before tackling the problem at hand.

2. Shift your cognitive response.

The next step after you’ve taken that deep calming breath is to disconnect yourself emotionally from the matter at hand. View the matter objectively so you are not emotionally involved.

Say, your son is having a meltdown in the toy store. Look at the little boy kicking and screaming on the floor and think, “Oh, that’s my neighbor’s son Yitzi having a tantrum.”

By disconnecting yourself emotionally from the situation, you can problem-solve more effectively. This is especially crucial when the person in question is a spouse or child, to whom we feel responsible for. “I’m not related to him. I just happen to be taking care of him right now.”

3. Use the acronym STOP to help you sort through the actual problem.

S: Stop and take a moment to question the reality of the issue.

Is it true that there is no money in the bank?

Yes, honey, we really do not have any money in our bank account.

T: Analyze the truth, and reflect back to yourself or person you are talking to.

Are we really going to go hungry?

Of course not. We have resources to tap into like our emergency fund. I can get another job. I can check if we are eligible for low-in-

Helping Your Child Regulate Himself in the COVID-19 Back-to-School Period Our schools have multiple plans on reopening this year. There’s much uncertainty in the air regarding every facet: public transportation, school lunchroom, and classroom safety. Even if the situation is relatively stable, there’s a new normal which will be here for a while.

You can expect your child to be apprehensive about returning to school after having missed months of peer interaction and formal learning.

“When is the bus coming, Mommy?”

“What if the bus doesn’t come, Mommy?”

“What if I lose my mask on the bus, Mommy?”

It’s easy for us to fall into the loop and feed into what the child is anxious about by answering all of these questions. But this serves to heighten our own anxieties.

Let’s use the regulation technique to help regulate little Yitzi, who’s worrying about the social scene at school.

“Mommy, I don’t have any friends.

When I go back to school tomorrow, I’m afraid I’ll sit all alone on the side.”

Your automatic response may be, “Don’t be silly, Yitzi. Of course you have friends!” — which would further feed his (and henceforth your) anxiety. Instead, try this: 1. Take a deep breath.

2. Disconnect from the situation. For right now, Yitzi is not your son; he is your neighbor’s child. Remember him from the toy store? You are now able to validate your son from an objective place. Acknowledge his concern.

3. STOP

A. Take a second to question the reality of the issue. Is there validity here?

Does he indeed have social issues and cannot make friends?

B. “Is that true, Yitzi? Do you think your classmates will let you sit on the side by yourself ?”

Draw attention to the reality. “Do you remember how you went to a new day camp and you made new friends? The same way you managed to make friends in day camp, you will make friends in school.”

C. Help Yitzi organize and reframe his mindset. “You are going back to school after a long break, and it may take time to make friends at first. But I have faith in you.”

D. Proceed to take action.

“Perhaps we can arrange a playdate with a boy in your class so you will know another boy on the first day of school?”

If your child is anxious about returning to school, in general, especially if they have sensory integration issues, think of how you can help your child transition into the school year more smoothly. Visit the school building. Point out the restrooms, lunchroom, offices, and classrooms. Validate your child’s apprehension.

Call your child’s teacher with them on the line so they can hear the teacher’s voice. Arrange playdates with classmates.

Walk your child through various scenarios he will experience on a first day of school. Discuss what needs to be done in each case. Involve your child in preparing for school, whether it’s purchasing new school supplies or a uniform shirt.

come family benefits.

O: Organize your thoughts.

Reframe your mindset regarding the issue from a place of denial to a place of accepting it and dealing with it.

Surrender to the new reality.

So, we won’t afford new clothing this season. Most people don’t live on the street or starve.

P: Proceed to take an action.

Apply for benefits, look for another job, contact welfare organizations if the situation warrants it.

4. Internalize the process.

Doing this step will make it easier for you to do this regulation exercise the next time an issue arises. Reflect on your experience managing a problem. What are some things you have learned that you can tap into next time something comes up?

When your child needs to be regulated, it is impossible to start checking your mental indexes for coping mechanisms in the moment. Make these regulatory practices second nature for yourself so they smoothly come up in times of need.

By implementing these practices, you will, with the help of Hashem, emerge from this tension-fraught period as a more resilient, emotionally-healthier spouse, teacher, and/or parent.

Friedy Singer and Roizy Guttmann are neurodevelopmental therapists and the directors of Hands on OT Rehab Services, Hands on Approaches, and the H.O.P.E. (Hands on Parent Empowerment) Foundation. They are focused on educating and empowering the community to help children with anxiety, processing and learning issues. They can be reached at info@handsonapproaches.com

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 69

Only

15+ calories No artificial flavors

available IN 5 Unique flavors Lemon Lime & Nana Mint - Marvelous Mango Chocolate Cherry - Watermelon Lemon Basil Tropical Coconut Pineapple

Only

15+ calories No artificial flavors

ISSUE 56

SEPTEMBER ‘20 ELUL 5780

New Series!

Chat with Rorie Weisberg of Full 'N Free Dairy for Dinner Nutritious recipes for that hectic Wednesday

My Table What I serve the kids when they walk through the door

The Search is Over We've got the perfect sugar-free breakfast muffin for you

Index Page

For the Kids, By the Kids

75

HEALTHY SCHOOL TREATS

Page

SWAP

80

BERRY YOGURT LUNCHBOX MUFFINS

Page

Day by Day

83

WEDNESDAY

MY TABLE

CONFERENCE

BACK HOME AND FAMISHED

SERIES WITH RORIE WEISBERG

P. 88

P. 90

TIDBITS NEW COLUMN

10 FOODS FOR IMPROVED EYESIGHT

P. 95

Dear Cooks, Right before I sat down to write these words, my sister called to tell me that she just received the most exciting piece of mail: details about the start of the academic year at her kids’ school. While parents around the world have always welcomed the start of routine after a summer of fun and quality time — but also lack of structure and its attending chaos — this year’s September is especially unique.

So can we celebrate already? With all the ups and downs we’ve dealt with over the last few months, especially for those of us who have been hit hard, we may feel apprehensive about seeing an end to all of this chaos. But come what may, whether school will take off as we wish it will, or (should I say it?) distance learning will become necessary, one thing is certain: if we start our day right, it looks different all along.

To me, starting the day right includes waking up just a little bit earlier than the kids and getting dressed before they rise. This way, I’m already in “awake” mode when they come on to the scene. An even better morning for me is davening at my first opportunity. And if I can also sit down for a few quiet minutes and enjoy a muffin — now that’s a win of a morning. I wish it for you too.

In this issue, we bring you one fabulous yogurt muffin recipe that is bound to become your favorite breakfast choice. Even if you’re on a gluten-free diet, you can still enjoy delightful treats like these, thanks to innovative work by health coach Rorie Weisberg. In this issue, we debut an interview series with this indefatigable founder of Full ’N Free, the gluten-free flour mix company she runs with wisdom and heart, so you can get a better understanding of healthy food prep, as well as some terrific recipes directly from the expert.

If you appreciate something more savory as your first food of the day, check out Charnie’s delicious Tomato-Basil Egg Muffins that will give you the energy and protein to get you through the morning routine with a smile. These are also the perfect grab-and-go breakfast for the kids.

Even more, you can enjoy stocking their school bags with delightful, natural treats featured in this issue. We’ve got you covered!

Off to a great start,

Est her Elul 5780 | Wellspring 73

A

Y:

MINI SANDWICH FIT’N FREE

ROVED B PP

80

CA LO PER RIES BA R

WITH REE I LT- F U G EE, Y T- F R ENJO ICE E ! FA E R F ' ILLA VA N FIT'N D E D - FAT R-AD LOW UGA MINI NO-S H T .

I FERS M W E WA CREA T A L CO CHO

Product of USA

for the kids, by healthy theschool kids treats As much as we try to teach our young ones about healthy food choices, we’ve yet to find a young child who doesn’t pester the adults in his life for a sweet treat every so often. Unfortunately, as we all know, consuming an excess of refined sugar can be detrimental for your child’s health and may result in diabetes and/or weight issues. Of course, it is detrimental to concentration and focus too. That’s not to say there’s no room for an occasional treat. How about making that treat something you can offer more than just occasionally? Something that’s actually delicious, nutritious, and will satisfy their sweet tooth craving?

Sounds too good to be true? It is!

Besides being delicious, these recipes can become a fun family activity too.

So the next time your kids nudge for a piece of candy, offer them some of these delightful treats instead.

And they’re the perfect pick-me-ups that they’ll be delighted to find in their backpacks at snack time.

Recipes, styling, and photography

by Yossi & Malky Levine

homemade fruit snack The perk of homemade fare is that you know exactly what goes inside.

These healthy fruit snacks have the same texture as the store-bought version, but are made with fruit that you’ve pureed in your own kitchen.

Whether you’re trying the strawberry or mango flavor (I say both!), let your kids have fun with shaping or cutting them.

Use a knife to cut the scraps into little pieces and add it to the mix.

Note: For these recipes, we paired apple juice with strawberries and orange juice with mango.

76 Wellspring | September 2020

½ cup apple or orange juice 2 Tbsp lemon juice ¼ cup agave syrup, or to taste 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries or mango 4 Tbsp unflavored gelatin powder Place orange or apple juice, lemon juice, agave syrup, and strawberries in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

In a medium pot, combine the fruit mixture and gelatin powder then let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Heat mixture over low heat until fully dissolved, about 3–4 minutes.

Pour into a parchment-lined 8-inch square baking pan and refrigerate to set for a minimum of six hours or overnight. Use little pie crust or cookie cutters to form shapes. Enjoy snacking on the leftover scraps!

Keep fruit snacks in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

homemade strawberry licorice sticks Love licorice but want to skip the corn syrup and red #40? Make your own with whole food ingredients! You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to make these, and for all you sneaky moms out there, you can even add some protein powder to the mix!

12 oz Medjool dates, pitted and checked

¼ cup water

30 grams freeze-dried strawberries

¼ cup beet juice

Preheat oven to 170°F. Soak dates in water for half an hour, up to 4 hours.

Blend freeze-dried strawberries for 30–60 seconds, until a powder forms.

Add drained dates, water, and beet juice and blend for 10 minutes until a thick paste forms.

Place mixture in a piping bag with a large star piping tip (approximately ½-inch diameter) and pipe long strips onto a lined baking sheet.

Place in oven for about 8–10 hours to dehydrate. Place a dish towel to keep oven door slightly ajar so that moisture can escape.

Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 79

Eat Well

SWAP By Yossi & Malky Levine

SWA P In the past two SWAP installments, we’ve discussed the variety of sugar substitutes, focusing on the nutritive options. Due to popular request, in this issue, we bring you a fabulous recipe using stevia.

A natural sweetener derived from the plant stevia rebaudiana, native to Brazil, stevia is sold in powdered and liquid form. Unrefined stevia (not the one combined with other sugars) is one of the healthier sweetener options.

Here’s a guide to using stevia in recipes.

Sugar amount 1 cup 1 Tbsp 1 tsp

Stevia (powder) 1 tsp ¼ tsp a pinch

Stevia (liquid) 1 tsp 7–8 drops 3–4 drops

In the mood of a freshly-baked muffin that won't derail your healthy eating goals for the year? No better way to start a jam-packed schedule than with a goodfor-you baked good that takes a few minutes and no mixer to put together. These moist berry muffins are made with Greek yogurt and are sugar-free, making them the perfect addition to your snack rotation without spiking your sugars.

80 Wellspring | September 2020

Berry Yogurt Lunchbox Muff ins 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt ½ cup stevia granules 1 cup plain Greek yogurt ¼ cup olive oil, preferably extra light 2 eggs 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, sliced 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and stevia. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix yogurt and olive oil. Whisk in eggs until well combined and add to dry ingredients. Mix until well combined, then stir in strawberries and blueberries.

Spoon mixture into prepared liners.

Bake for 20–25 minutes until muffins are lightly golden.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Yield: 12–15 muffins

J O SHUA G O OD MA N , C EL L A R MA S T ER

Carefully selected clusters from Clarksburg Fermented and aged in small oak barrels Notes of citrus, tropical fruit and vanilla

C H A R D O N N AY

|

CL ARKSBURG

From Our Cellar to Yours DISTRIBUTED BY ROYAL WINE CORP., BAYONNE, NJ. PLEASE ENJOY WEINSTOCK CELLAR SELECT RESPONSIBLY.

by day y a d With Charnie Kohn

What’s on the menu for‌

wednesday?

Wednesday is one of my favorite days of the week.

I find it to be my most productive one of all. The weekend is finally in sight, and I feel the rush to wrap up my to-do list for the week. My family and many families I know eat dairy dinners on Wednesday.

While there is a reason for this custom (zecher lechurban based on a kabbalah of the Shelah Hakadosh), it also helps to get a break from eating meat and chicken during the week, and it gives us cooks a welcome break. Also, it makes menu planning easier too. A happy Wednesday to you!

Happy Cooking, Charnie

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 83

Tomato-Basil Egg Muffins These appetizing and delicious egg muffins are slated to become your favorite go-to breakfast or lunch. They’re loaded with protein, fiber, and healthy fat, which makes them the perfect option to get you energized in the morning, especially on rushed school days. Of course, they also work well as a quick and easy dairy dinner.

 Total Cook Time: 30 minutes  Yields: 24 full-size muffins

12 eggs ½ cup milk ½ cup low-fat mozzarella cheese 15 oz cherry tomatoes, quartered 4 cubes frozen basil 2 cubes frozen sautéed onions 2 tsp kosher salt ¼ tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk eggs well. Add remaining ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated.

Grease muffin pans with cooking spray. Spray generously because this will determine whether the muffins will stick to the pan or slide out easily.

Fill each muffin cavity three-quarters full with the egg mixture.

Bake for 18–25 minutes, depending on the size of the muffin pan.

These muffins last in the refrigerator for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to six months.

84 Wellspring | September 2020

Mushroom Quinoa Risotto Risotto is a fabulous dish frequently found on the menu at high-end restaurants. I’ve always wanted to recreate it at home but never found the courage to try to master such an intricate-tasting dish. I recently made an attempt using quinoa because quinoa tends to be more forgiving than rice. I was surprised by how fast it all came together, and by how delicious it was!

 Total Cook Time: 45 minutes  Yields: 3 servings

1 onion, sliced oil, for sautéeing 15 oz mushrooms, sliced 2 Tbsp butter 1 cup quinoa 1 tsp liquid aminos (or soy sauce) 2 cups vegetarian chicken stock, divided ⅛ tsp Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onions with a bit of oil until golden. Add mushrooms, sauté until soft, and set aside.

In a medium pot, melt butter over medium heat and add raw quinoa. Toast quinoa for a few minutes, until golden. Mix constantly because it burns quickly.

Add liquid aminos, Parmesan cheese, and one cup vegetarian chicken stock.

Keep stirring until most of water is absorbed.

Pour in the second cup and repeat the process. Once the liquid is mostly absorbed and quinoa is fully cooked, add in mushrooms and onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and top with more Parmesan cheese Note: If the quinoa is not fully cooked after the second cup of liquid has evaporated, add an additional ¼ cup stock. Once it’s mostly absorbed, proceed with the next steps.

86 Wellspring | September 2020

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

This Month:

and

Back Home Famished What do you usually serve your kids as soon as they come home from school?

Do you do dinner right away or serve something else first?

Compiled by Shiffy Friedman

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE: I generally do dinner right away to capitalize on my kids’ appetites. The hungrier they are, the more appealing a wholesome meal looks. That means less work for me, particularly with trying to feed my little ones. If they’re hungry later, they can always take a fruit or a small snack.

Chaya Shifra Sadoff, motherhood coach: My kids are all still on the littler side. To last them until supper, I like to have a snack ready, like a not-as-bad-for-you baked good, or a fruit or vegetable.

My fave baked goods are Rorie’s muffins, Wellness Mama’s coconut muffins, homemade granola or, for special occasions, Dr. Handler’s Double Chocolate Cupcakes. But most days, it ends up being homemade almond butter (soaked 12 hours with filtered water + Real Salt, dehydrated overnight, then run through my food processor) spread on something, or foods like mini cukes, peppers, cut-up apples, oranges, or grapefruit.

88 Wellspring | September 2020

Tanya Rosen, nutritionist: Usually, when my kids come home from school, they first like to nosh on cut-up veggies such as peppers, cucumbers, and baby carrots.

Then, there are a variety of dinners they eat. At times, it’s chicken and potatoes, but if we’re doing milchig, sometimes we’ll have mozzarella sticks, salad, and pizza.

Occasionally, we even order in sushi. It’s great to always try new dinner ideas for kids so they get to enjoy their food and experiment with different flavors. I believe it’s very important to let kids eat non-healthy foods too, in moderation.

Here is a delicious baked mozzarella sticks recipe that my kids love.

4 reduced-fat mozzarella string cheese sticks, halved 1 egg ¾ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning Preheat oven to broil setting. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray.

Insert a toothpick vertically just halfway into each cheese stick, reaching the middle.

Beat egg in a small bowl. Place breadcrumbs in a separate small bowl and toss with seasoning.

Dip each stick into the egg, then press into breadcrumbs. Repeat dipping in egg and breadcrumbs for a double-thick coating.

Place cheese sticks on prepared baking sheet and spray with additional cooking spray for uniform browning.

Broil in preheated oven until golden brown, for 4–5 minutes. Allow cheese sticks to set about 1 minute before serving.

Shani Taub, CDC: First I put out some cut-up fruit on the table, and then I serve dinner.

Shira Savit, MA, MHC, CHC: My children all come home at different times, so the afternoon is typically staggered with snacks until we have supper in the evening.

The snacks I serve are usually some sort of fruit and nut combo.

Some of our staples are: date balls (dates and nuts processed in a food processor, then coated in shredded coconut — made in advance), sliced banana drizzled with peanut butter, almondstuffed dates, melon and grapes with pistachio nuts, and smoothie pops (leftover smoothies frozen into popsicle sticks). The natural sugar from fruit plus the protein and healthy fat does a great job at satisfying hunger and gives us (myself included) an extra burst of energy for the afternoon.

Gila Glassberg, RDN, Intuitive Eating Coach: The way I feed my children is with the model of “division of responsibility,” developed by registered dietitian and social worker Ellyn Satter. In this eating framework, the parent decides the what, the when and the where of eating. The child decides how much and if any.

This takes the pressure off the feeding dynamic and we actually raise intuitive eaters with this feeding model.

There are other guidelines to this framework, including that food must be served every 2 two 3 hours because otherwise, kids feel unsafe and they may overeat at a meal for fear of not getting fed enough. They may also overeat because they come to a meal or snack over-hungry.

When my children come home, I don’t have a set menu of what I serve them, but I serve them something. If dinner is ready, I will serve dinner.

If not, I’ll usually offer two types of snacks, a play food as well as a more nutritious snack. For example, I’ll serve nuts and chips, pretzels and apples, string cheese and rice cakes.

This takes a lot of conflict out of eating and gives children the ability to practice autonomy over their own bodies.

Dr. Rachael Schindler: My kids love to eat right when they get home. I usually have baked carrot, parsnip, potato, and sweet potato “fries.” They have the side dish early when they get home and then eat the main with a lot of salad later on together with the family. They love pan-fried chicken breast pieces with salad or oven-broiled steak. On Thursday, we make homemade pizza with an easy 10-minute pizza crust, and the kids like helping prepare the salad or pizza.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 89

Eat Well

Conference By Sarah Sacks

SERIES WITH HEALTH COACH RORIE WEISBERG OF FULL ’N FREE Back to school is the season of pressed uniforms, crisp collars, sharpened pencils, and — school lunches?

With coronavirus still a threat, lots of schools are cancelling their school lunch programs. Sandwiches are the go-to solution for busy moms and picky eaters. But what if your child doesn’t feel well after eating bread?

For people who can’t tolerate certain ingredients, it’s always a struggle to find healthful, filling foods that don’t aggravate their system — kids and adults included! It’s the perfect time to learn more about good-foryou bread options. And who better to ask than Rorie Weisberg, queen of the good-for-you kosher dough mix market and a certified integrative health coach to boot?

In this new interview series, Rorie will share with us the story behind her mixes, how to use them, and whom each one was crafted for.

She’ll also share recipes and insider’s tips so that we can turn our kitchens into bread-making havens for every member of our families, no matter what they can or can’t eat.

Hi Rorie! Thanks for joining us. First, please tell us about yourself.

Thanks for having me! I’m a wife, mom of four, and a health coach certified in functional medicine and integrative nutrition. I have seen in my own life, and in the lives of the hundreds of women I’ve worked with, that taking care of yourself makes such a huge difference. I educate people on different platforms online, in print, and in person, where I share my recipes and real-life tips that make a healthy lifestyle doable and delicious. I’ve also developed a product line of better-foryou bread mixes and baking essentials. I want women to know that you can enjoy all the foods you love with ingredients that love you back — and have fun while you’re at it.

It sounds like those mixes came with a journey.

What was the process that brought you there?

They did. I grew up on your standard American diet, eating lots of refined sugars and processed foods. After yoyo dieting for years, I developed health issues that pushed me out of my comfort zone: away from the foods I had always eaten and toward a quest for health. As I explored the new collection of limited foods that I was now able to tolerate, which did not include gluten, soy, corn, dairy, or refined sugars and oils, I kept finding myself missing real, good, homemade bread. Gluten-free bread and even bread mixes existed, but at the time I couldn’t find even one that was not full of refined sugars, fillers, and stabilizers that I couldn’t pronounce. I badly wanted to find a bread that I could enjoy without side effects, especially because I am so passionate about the mitzvah of washing and bentshing on Shabbos and Yom Tov. But there was none.

This quest for bread pushed me to get creative. I rolled up my sleeves and got to work in my kitchen, which quickly became my laboratory.

After many, many failed batches, I finally developed a recipe for gluten-free oat challah that was really good. I loved it and my family loved it, and once my clients and friends started trying it, they also loved it.

The problem was that the recipe calls for seven individual dry ingredients that had to be sifted and blended before you add the wet ones, and not all of them are easy to find in small packages. Everyone

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 91

Eat Well

Conference

I offered the recipe to was hesitant to make it. So I started to do some makeshift “packaging” for people who wanted to make my challah recipe at home. I blended the right amounts of these dry ingredients in bags with written instructions, and people started buying them.

I was soon making ten, then fifteen, and then, within a few months, over 100 bags each week. It became too hard to manage on my own. Ultimately, baruch Hashem, I teamed up with the right manufacturer, worked through the glitches involved in mass production, and began selling my gluten-free oat dough mix to stores. With much siyatta diShmaya, it became a real hit.

If I’m not mistaken, you produce a lot more than just one mix now. If your first mix was so well received, why the need for more?

Because I know how hard it can be, I have a real passion for helping people wash and bentsh according to halachah, no matter which dietary restrictions they have. My first mix, gluten-free oat dough mix, is perfect for people who want a completely wholesome gluten-free bread without fillers and sugars, and it’s still my best seller.

At the time, I was still practicing one-on-one health coaching on a much larger scale than I do now, and my practice was mainly geared toward people with metabolic and hormonal imbalances and insulin-related issues. A prominent endocrinologist I consult with in these cases challenged me to come up with a more diabetic-friendly mix, one that would contain less than 15 grams of net carbs per serving.

My next step was to call my Rav for input on how to retain the hamotzi status of the bread while cutting down the carb content.

The bottom line: oat flour needs to constitute 35 percent of the flour ingredients. Then I went to work in my kitchen lab. Unbelievably, I hit it on the first try — I kept tweaking, but that first batch remained the winner.

Finally, I tested the new bread. Women with PCOS felt great eating it, so I dared try it out on type 2 and then even type 1 diabetics. They ate it, then tested their blood sugar — which remained totally in range. It was groundbreaking! That’s how my low-carb gluten free mix was born.

Once it was on the market, I wondered what would happen if I took out the oats completely and offered an even lower-carb option for a midweek shehakol bread-like meal. I developed a combination of high-quality, low-carb ingredients, including almond, arrowroot, and coconut flours, and my grain-free dough mix soon joined the Full ‘N Free family.

Sounds like that would be Pesachdig!

That’s exactly what I realized once it hit the shelves! There was a real need on the Pesach market for a truly good-for-you grainfree flour blend. So many people rely on potato starch all Yom Tov. Why not offer a product that gives you even better baking results without overloading your blood sugar?

My Pesach flour blend was an offshoot of my grain-free dough mix, but it’s not exactly the same. I had to remove certain ingredients and tweak the ratio before getting it just right. But the feed92 Wellspring | September 2020

back from the community on this product was outstanding. I also worked with @Naomi_tgis to develop refined sugar- and refined oil-free recipes for Pesach favorites. The collection of over 50 delicious and nutritious grain- and refined sugar-free recipes are all on my website, which is an incredibly helpful resource for people.

When you eat a gluten-free, low-carb bread, do you need to eat more of it than regular bread in order to bentsh?

My primary goal is to bring the mitzvah of washing and bentshing to as many people as possible, so I had to really learn the halachos involved. Gluten-free and low-carb baked goods will not rise as much as wheat or spelt does, so you’ll need more dough to produce a k’zayis-size portion once it’s baked — that’s the visual size of two eggs. Every package has recipe instructions and hafrashas challah information, and my website offers free video demos on how to make each mix plus detailed information about k’zayis portions.

Are your mixes only for people who need to avoid regular bread?

That was how they started, but as I grew more aware of the market, I realized that lots of bakers who don’t need to be gluten-free still want a healthier, gut-friendly alternative to wheat in their baking. For 12 years, I had been baking spelt challah for my own family, and I had developed a no-fail recipe that combines white spelt and coconut flour which exactly imitated wheat challah. It also happened to be egg-free. I decided to package the mix for people who have to or want to be on an egg- or wheat-free diet.

Eventually, that mix is what catapulted me onto my spelt sourdough journey, which has been tremendously exciting and gratifying — and which led me to my latest product, non-irradiated organic spelt flour, which you need for building and maintaining a strong spelt sourdough starter.

With a season of heavy Yom Tov dining coming up soon, what advice would you like to share with us?

You can probably guess what I’ll say. Washing has gotten a really bad reputation thanks to all the low-carb and carb-free diets out there. And for people who struggle with gluten intolerance or metabolic issues, finding a bread that goes down without causing problems can feel like a hopeless cause. But for us Yidden, washing, eating, and bentshing after a bread meal is a significant mitzvah. Don’t let your dietary intolerances get in the way. My mixes were created exactly for this purpose. Everyone should be able to wash and enjoy their bread, too.

In upcoming interviews, we will explore each of Rorie’s delicious mixes. You’ll learn more about the mix that’s right for you, how to make it, and the endless variations and recipes you can enjoy. In the meantime, stock up at your local kosher grocery or on Amazon so that you can get your done baking in time for Yom Tov. Once you do, your kids’ school lunches may very well get a real upgrade, too.

Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News By Malka Sharman

Squinting for the Whiteboard?

Ten Foods That Promote Eye Health While eyesight decline may be an inevitable result of aging or eye strain, a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the risk of eye health problems. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), published in 2001, found that certain nutrients such as zinc, copper, vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta carotene may significantly reduce the risk of age-related decline in eye health by a whopping 25%. Further studies agree that omega-3 fatty acids (including DHA) also play an important role in eye health. So it’s not just carrots! Below is a list of ten top foods to maintain and enhance your eye health.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 95

Eat Well

Nutrition Tidbits in the News

Fish Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and therefore a good source for eye health nutrition. Fish that have oil in their gut and body tissue offer higher levels of omega-3-rich fish oil.

These include tuna, salmon, trout, and sardines.

Interestingly, some studies have found that fish oil can reverse dry eye, including dry eye caused by spending too much time at a screen.

Seeds Like nuts, seeds — such as flaxseeds and chia seeds — are a great source of both omega-3 and vitamin E. Try incorporating these seeds into salads and drinks for a subtle flavor and burst of nutrients.

Nuts Nuts, especially walnuts and Brazil nuts, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts also contain a high level of vitamin E, which can protect the eye from agerelated damage.

Citrus Fruits Citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are rich in vitamin C. Just like vitamin E, vitamin C is an antioxidant that is recommended by the AOA (American Optometric Association) to prevent eye damage. Cash in on those fruits now, before their season is over.

Eggs Eggs are another excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which can reduce the risk of age-related sight loss. They’re also a good source of vitamins C and E, and zinc, making them a great food for overall eye health.

96 Wellspring | September 2020

Carrots So Mom was right! Of all the vision superfoods, carrots probably top the chart for eye health as they are rich in both vitamin A and beta carotene (which gives carrots their orange color). Vitamin A plays an essential role in vision because of a component of a protein called rhodopsin, which helps the retina absorb light.

Green Leafy Vegetables Green leafy vegetables are rich in both lutein and zeaxanthin — nutrients that promote eye health — and are also a good source of eye-friendly vitamin C.

Beef Interestingly, beef is rich in zinc, which has been linked to better long-term eye health. Zinc can help delay age-related sight loss and macular degeneration. The eyes require high levels of zinc, particularly in the retina and in the vascular tissue surrounding the retina. Other meats also contain levels of zinc, but beef in particular has higher levels per serving.

Whole Grains A diet containing foods with a low glycemic index (GI) can help reduce your risk for age-related macular degeneration. Swap refined carbohydrates for quinoa, brown rice, whole oats, and whole-wheat breads and pasta. The vitamin E, zinc and niacin found in whole grains help promote overall eye health.

Yes to Fish Can This Food Reverse Pollution Effects?

If you’re an avid reader of Tidbits, you know that fish usually snags a spot on the superfood list. Among the many benefits this protein-packed food offers, researchers have now found an additional, astounding bonus.

In a study done by Columbia University in New York, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers found that among older women who lived in areas with high levels of air pollution, those who had the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood were least affected by the air pollution.

The study involved 1,315 women with an average age of 70 who did not have dementia at the start of the study. The women completed questionnaires about diet, physical activity, and medical history.

Researchers used the diet questionnaire

to calculate the average amount of fish each woman consumed each week, including broiled or baked fish, canned tuna, tuna salad, and tuna casserole. Fried fish was not included because research has shown that deep frying damages omega-3 fatty acids. Participants were given blood tests. Researchers measured the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in their red blood cells and then divided the women into four groups based on the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood.

After adjusting for age, education, smoking, and other factors that could affect brain shrinkage, researchers found that women who had the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood had greater volumes of white matter (less brain shrinkage usually caused by air pollution) than those with the lowest levels.

“Our findings suggest that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood from

Water Drinking plenty of water can prevent dehydration, which in turn may reduce the symptoms of dry eyes.

fish consumption may preserve brain volume as women age, and possibly protect against the potential toxic effects of air pollution,” says study author Dr. Ka He. Another reason to look forward to those Yom Tov meals.

Elul 5780 | Wellspring 97

for t aking

OU

GH FOR EV E

CA

C

80

H

T

SE

JUS

RVIN

G

E

SW E E

T

N

ON RY

E

SECONDS.

LO R I E S

IN

EA

ROVED BY : PP A

No Sugar Added Product of USA

Gluten Free

0g Trans Fat

Farewell

Dictionary

glyphosate Definition: noun

a widely used herbicide that controls broadleaf weeds and grasses

“ �

Almost the entire conventional

food product market in the US is contaminated with glyphosate, a dangerous weed killer.

Tamar Feldman, RDN, CDE

THE RAYIM CHEDER IS NOW ACCEPTING NEW APPLICATIONS.

Class 1 & 2 for

high functioning boys ages 9-16.

3rd class for high functioning boys ages six through eight.

4th class for boys ages eleven through fifteen who are on the autistic spectrum.

Please inquire about our new developing class for high functioning non verbal boys with medical needs.

Your child will now be able to participate in a cheder setting in the afternoon; program includes:

50 Melnick Dr. Monsey, NY 10952

,‫ ימים טובים‬,‫ פרשה‬,‫דאווענען‬ ...‫ און נאך‬,‫ ברכות‬,‫מצוות‬

For more information contact:

Limited slots still available

845-782-7700 ext. 208.

845-352-7700 #208 to join our second half summer program starting Aug. 18.