Thanksgiving Israeli Style

We're eating pizza for dinner tonight. No, it's not our new Thanksgiving tradition.

Some of us "old timers" are meeting with a group of English-speaking potential olim. We love sharing our enthusiasm about life in Beer Sheva. And isn't pizza the easiest when you have a last-minute crowd on a Thursday evening?

Meanwhile, I've been cooking for Shabbat. Not all of the kids could make it for dinner, so I turned the menu around to do the Thanksgiving-thing for lunch.

Erev Shabbat

Sourdough multi-grain challah

Glazed carrot soup

Broccoli mushroom quiche

Salad

Chocolate cupcakes

Shabbat Lunch

Whole-wheat challah

Turkey Breast with fresh herbs

Cornbread and challah stuffing

Brown and wild rice salad (with lemon vinaigrette and dried cranberries)

Israeli salad

Sweet potato pie

Canned cranberry sauce (procured by my son in Jerusalem)

Happy Thanksgiving and Shabbat Shalom!

Chocolate - The Next Valium?

Dark Chocolate Takes Bite Out of Stress

That's the headline that recently caught my eye.

Mention chocolate and you've got my attention. I'm always ready to find out why chocolate is good for me.

Research already points to potential health benefits of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate. This study suggests that chocolate might reduce stress. Wow! Get me another piece! I'll even start handing it out!

But before you get too excited, let's take a closer look.

Researchers at the Nestle Research Center studied 30 people for 14 days. Right there you should pause. The study was industry-sponsored – not always a bad thing, but worthy of caution. It was a very small study conducted over a very short time. Good reasons not to draw major conclusions.

Psychological questionnaires were used to classify the study participants into two groups – high anxiety and low anxiety. Everyone ate 40 grams (just over an ounce) of dark chocolate daily. By analyzing changes in their metabolism, the following was determined:

Dark chocolate reduced the level of stress hormones in those people who were already experiencing high anxiety.

So, does chocolate "take the bite out of stress"? Maybe. According to this study, chocolate only worked for people who were already feeling stressed. It didn't have an effect on people who felt calm to begin with.

If you enjoy dark chocolate, a small piece each day is a satisfying treat. Just don't add it to an already high calorie diet. Eat it instead of the cookie, candy or other sweet you'd normally have for a snack or dessert.

As for exciting-sounding news headlines, be sure to read the small print. Small, short-term research studies often point scientists in the right direction, but they're usually not reason enough to draw definitive conclusions.

Weighing In – Beyond the Scale

Take four women. They're all the same age, the same height and the same weight. But they each wear a different size dress – ranging from a four to a twelve.

Seems odd, right?

But it's not uncommon. That's because weight and height alone don't determine the size of your body. Fat and muscle also count when it comes to your size. And your health as well.

More body fat + less muscle = larger dress size

Less body fat + more muscle = smaller dress size

More fat, especially when it's around your waist, can also put you at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

How can you add more muscle to your body and eliminate extra fat?

If you just cut calories, you're likely to lose weight. But you'll mainly lose muscle, not fat.

Exercise is the only way to gain muscle and lose fat.

Is dress size the best measurement of body fat? Not really.

A simple bathroom scale measures the main components of your body – bones, muscle and fat. Since bones don't change much as adults, you're mainly getting a measurement of muscle and fat. But there's no way a scale can give you a break down of just how much of each one you're carrying around.

A special kind of scale, called a body fat analyzer, measures body fat. Some give your total weight and percentage of body fat. More expensive models measure the weight of your muscle as well as fat.

If you have access to a body fat analyzer (there may be one at your medical or sports center), it's good to know your percentage of body fat.

Women under the age of 45-50 should try to keep their body fat around 20-25%. As you get older, muscle mass decreases, so 28% fat is reasonable after age 50, and 32% after age 65.

Men, on the other hand, are healthiest with 18-25% body fat for most of their lives.

Weigh yourself periodically. But remember, there's more to healthy weight than the number on your scale.

How often should you weigh yourself?

Once-a-week weigh-ins are helpful if you're trying to lose weight or maintain your present weight.

On the other hand, if regularly scheduled weight checks leave you feeling anxious, gauge your weight by how you look and by the fit of your clothes. Just don't rely on elastic waistbands when you're evaluating your size!

Some of us like to keep an eye on small weight gains with more frequent weight checks. For me, that means a few times a week.

Whatever your strategy, keep in mind that your weight can fluctuate a little from day to day irregardless of what you eat. You may even weigh more in the evening than in the morning of the very same day.

Does a digital scale have any advantage over an old-fashioned dial scale? Not really. You're not looking for a down-to-the-gram exact measurement. What's important is to keep an eye on changes in weight and nip them in the bud with exercise and smart eating.

Breakfast Made Easy

It doesn't take much time to prepare a tasty and nutritious breakfast.

This formula makes it really easy:

Take one whole-grain carbohydrate.

Combine it with a low-fat protein.

Add a fruit or vegetable.

That's it!

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

Cheerios, low-fat milk and a banana

Toast, hard boiled egg and an orange

Whole wheat tortilla, low-fat cheese (melted or not) and sliced tomato

Half a whole-grain bagel with smoked salmon and cucumber slices

Whole-grain toaster waffle spread with peanut butter and topped with raisins

Whole-wheat pita half with humus and Israeli salad

Crackers, cheese cubes and apple slices

Whole-wheat muffin with ricotta cheese and dried apricots

Granola with low-fat yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit

The Gemara on Breakfast

You probably know all about the benefits of eating breakfast. (If not, find out now!)

It's the most important meal of the day.

Did you know that our Rabbis also believed in the importance of eating breakfast?

The Gemara (Bava Metzia 107a-b) states that you should eat something early in the day, to protect yourself from the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter.

Our rabbis also taught that a group of sixty men who didn't eat breakfast could not catch one man who did.

An explanation is given by Rabbah bar Mari based on the following passages in Shemot (Exodus) 23:25.

In the morning, first we pray: You shall worship Hashem, your God

Next we eat: and He shall bless your bread and your water

The end result is good health: and I shall remove illness from your midst

Thanks to the The Aleph Society's Steinsaltz Daf Yomi, August 10, 2009

Olive Oil Brownies (Parve or Dairy)

Chocolate and olive oil? I hadn't thought about it until I tasted the chocolate olive oil pralines made by Elie Tarrab, an amazing chocolatier in Tel Aviv.

These are adult brownies – dark and smooth, with a background taste of olive oil. For a sophisticated dessert, use a round pan and cut the brownies into wedges. A fruity but not-too-strong oil like Israeli Nabali or Picual is wonderful in this recipe.

4 ounces (100g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/3 cup fruity extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

¾ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup lightly toasted chopped walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line an 8-inch (20cm) square baking pan with parchment paper and spray the paper and sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate over low heat in a double boiler or on low power in the microwave. Whisk in the oil and the vanilla.

Beat together the eggs, sugar and salt with an electric mixer until pale and thick. (A hand-held mixer is fine, but don't skip this step.) Whisk in the chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour and optional nuts, stirring just until everything is combined. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. (A toothpick inserted in the center should still be a little sticky.) Cool completely and cut into squares.

16 squares

Olive Oil

Olive oil granola? Indian curries made with olive oil? Cookies and cake too?

Is this another food fad, or is there really something to it?

We know from the Tanach that olive oil has been around for a long time. Today it's still the best fat you can choose.

Extra-virgin olive oil is especially good for you. Minimal processing preserves its health-promoting antioxidants. And it's an excellent source of heart- protecective monounsaturated fats. Best of all, olive oil is amazingly versatile and delicious.

Olive oil makes a wonderful salad dressing. But don't just save it for vegetables. It's great with pasta, grain and bean salads too.

Use it to sauté chicken breasts, fish, eggs and vegetables. Just don't overheat it or it might burn.

Think outside of the box. I recently saw a cookbook devoted to using olive oil instead of ghee (clarified butter) in Indian cooking. There's a recipe for granola made with pistachios, cardamom and olive oil. The Italians have a rich tradition of using olive oil in cakes, cookies and bread.

If you're not familiar with the joys of olive oil or would just like an incredible culinary experience, visit these two gorgeous stores in Tel Aviv. (They both have websites just in case you can't get to Tel Aviv.)

Olia features nearly a dozen varieties of Israeli olive oil, olives, condiments (fig balsamic vinegar!) and beauty products. Get an appreciation of nuances by tasting their oils – ranging from mild Leccino to fruity Picual and peppery Coratina. They really know (and love!) their olives and will answer all of your questions. They also deliver throughout the world. Check out their informative website at http://olia.co.il/en_shop.html

LiveO sells olive oil made from olives grown in the Negev desert. (That's where we live!) They sell five varieties of oil, including the unusual and buttery tasting Frantoio – an amazingly good choice for Olive Oil Cake. They also sell tapenades, spreads, olives, vinegar (including raspberry, pear and mango) and soaps. http://liveo.co.il/