Healthy Eating at the High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Beyond
The High Holidays: It’s about family, reflection and sharing joy
The High Holidays has always conjured up memories of my grandmother, lovingly hand grinding the liver and fried onions, creating the most amazing chopped liver in the universe. She would intently and painstakingly assemble every single cabbage roll, slowly cooking them for hours until the whole house was filled the aroma of the most delicious stuffed cabbage ever made. My grandmother was an amazing woman. She cooked from the heart, never a recipe card. She never needed one! She cooked back in the day when you didn’t think about low-fat, or low carbohydrates. The conversation about fiber never came up. She ate to live and she lived to cook. From a very young age, the sensations of the High Holidays were carved into my psyche through the amazing smells, flavors and sounds of my grandmother’s kitchen…
High Holidays: It’s about looking forward
Memories of the High Holidays shape our perspectives as adults. Modern day challenges seem to make those of our grandmother’s time seem in some way alien and yet, the idea of bringing those smells, sounds and tastes to our family remains a central component to this wondrous and meaningful time. How can we share this rich history and tradition while at the same time maintain the healthful diet our family has always needed and enjoyed? Here are a few simple tips to help keep flavors rich and traditional, while you bring some of the fat, salt and carbohydrates down.
Some Simple Steps…
Some simple steps to start:
1. Substitute egg whites for whole eggs. Simply double the amount of egg whites for the amount of eggs used in the recipe. This adds protein, reduces fat and cholesterol and doesn’t compromise the flavor.
2. For noodle kugels, try using noodles made without eggs, or egg yolks. You reduce fat, carbohydrates and do not lose any of the flavor or richness of your foods.
3. Replace 1/2 the indicated oil quantity stated in the recipe with 1/2 water and you save 1/2 fat and calories from oil! Your guests will never notice the difference…but your waistline will thank you for it!
4. Sweeten your sweet potato pies with pineapple instead of margarine! Just mix in some crushed pineapple in it’s own juice! So yummy, so sweet and so great for you!
5. When you break the Yom Kippur fast, be sure to offer small plates instead of large ones. Not only will you take smaller portions, you will also give your digestive system an easier time of things, after a long and introspective day!
6. Looking for a vegetarian alternative? Try kasha! Add some sautéed veggies and caramelized onions to your cooked kasha and you have an amazing, high protein meal. In the last 5 minutes of cooking add some diced peaches. What a sweet and sensational addition for all your guests!
7. Offer chilled sparkling water with an assortment of diced fruits instead of sodas, for an elegant and refreshing beverage that is so good and so healthy!
8. How about open fresh fruit tarts instead of two crust pies. They are so easy to make and the sweet fresh fruit with the yummy crispness of the tart is a taste sensation! Plus, you save fat and carbs by omitting the second crust and making a serving size easy!
Just like old times…
The smells and tastes of the High Holidays, along with the rich traditions of our families, create our New Year experience. Now, these smells, and tastes can be just as rich as our traditions, and healthy, too!
Happy New Year!