Rosh Chodesh Av

Years ago I wrote menus for Jewish summer camps in California and Oregon. As with any menu planning, there were many considerations: nutrition, budget, availability of kosher food, children’s tastes, the abilities of the kitchen staff, Shabbat meals. And of course, the period before Tisha B’Av, when we don’t eat meat or poultry, except on Shabbat.

Ashkenazim don’t eat meat from Rosh Chodesh Av until after the fast of Tisha B’Av. Sephardim refrain from eating meat during the week of Tisha B’Av.

We served a lot of pasta – macaroni and cheese, dairy spaghetti and lasagna. And I squeezed fish into the menu whenever I could.

At home, there’s a lot more flexibility. In the heat of summer, I like salads made with pasta or legumes and lots of fresh vegetables. Whole-grain pasta, garbanzo beans, black beans and lentils can be the basis of great main-dish salads.

Try this quick and easy salad during the days before Tisha B’Av:


GARBANZO BEAN AND TUNA SALAD

1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
¼ cup sliced green olives
½ cup minced parsley
4-6 green onions, sliced OR ¼ cup minced red onion
1 can tuna, preferably packed in olive oil
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (including any drained from tuna)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine chick peas, olives, parsley and onion in a bowl. Break up tuna and add to the beans. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and pepper and mix lightly.

Serves 4

Surprising Results from Israeli Diet Study

How exciting to see Beer Sheva’s own Ben Gurion University of the Negev getting top spot in the news. Among the researchers are several members of the nutrition faculty who consulted with me on my book.

For two years they studied the effects of three different weight-loss diets on over 300 employees at the nuclear research facility just south of here in Dimona.

In a nutshell:

The three diets were low-fat and low-calorie, Mediterranean low-calorie, and low-carbohydrate.

Everyone lost weight.

Men lost the most weight on the low-carbohydrate diet. Women lost the most on the Mediterranean diet.

HDL (good cholesterol) increased and triglycerides (fats in the bloodstream linked to atherosclerosis) decreased the most in the low-carbohydrate diet group. Reductions in LDL (bad cholesterol) were most pronounced in those who followed the Mediterranean diet.

In diabetics (about 10% of the total participants), the Mediterranean diet appeared to improve fasting glucose levels.

What can we learn from this study?

Weight loss is most successful when diet plans are tailored to individual preferences. A “one-size-fits-all” low-calorie diet may not be the best fit for everyone after all.


The complete study was published in the July 17, 2008 edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Fasting

Fasting in Judaism

Sunday was the 17th of Tammuz – a fast day commemorating the fall of Jerusalem and the beginning of the three weeks of mourning leading up to Tisha B’Av.

Five catastrophic events occurred on the 17th of Tammuz:

Moses broke the first tablets at Mount Sinai when he saw the golden calf.


The daily offering in the First Temple was suspended.


The walls of Jerusalem were breached in the time of the Second Temple.


The Roman general Apostamus burned a Torah scroll.


An idol was placed in the Sanctuary of the Holy Temple.

Judaism has always emphasized the physical as well as the spiritual aspects of life. Through our physical feelings of hunger, we can get closer to the spiritual feelings of loss and vulnerability. Fasting helps us relate to these devastating events and to their deeper meaning and ultimate purpose – self-examination, repentance and improvement of ourselves and the world.


Fasting for Health

Short-term fasting and juice fasts for weight loss seem to be fairly common. I would add them to the list of “quick-fix” diet methods including “fat burning” compounds (usually containing stimulants), appetite suppressants and restrictive detox diets.

If there is a benefit to short-term fasts (as well as juice fasts and other regimes), it’s that they just might help us realize how much junk we normally consume. By taking a break from refined sugars, starches and fats, we may be more likely to eliminate these from our every-day diets.

But here’s why I don’t recommend fasting for weight loss:

You can lose weight quickly – in the form of water loss, but you will most likely regain it when you start eating normally again. In a study of healthy adults drinking only water for three days the weight lost was mostly muscle, not fat.

Fasting slows your metabolic rate and can actually make it harder to lose weight after the fast.

If you are not healthy and not eating a nutritious diet to begin with, fasting is certainly not recommended. If you have liver or kidney problems, a compromised immune system or are taking medication, fasting can actually be dangerous.

My main problem with fasting is that it distracts us from the real message of sensible, long-term weight loss – lowering intake of fat, sugar, and highly processed foods, increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains, drinking plenty of water and exercising regularly.

Blueberries

I just baked a blueberry pie and a dozen blueberry muffins. For breakfast we are enjoying fresh blueberries in our granola. So far I’ve frozen 2 kilo (4.4 pounds).

My granddaughter had her very first taste of these sweet delights and gave them an enthusiastic “thumbs up”. (Funny, it doesn’t seem that long ago that I picked blueberries in Oregon, with her dad in a baby carrier on my back.)

Yesterday was blueberry heaven here – 42 kilo (over 90 pounds) delivered from a Golan farm to our home in Beer Sheva. I was inundated with orders when I posted a notice on our local English-language email site.

This was the second year that Aryeh, our friend the Golan blueberry grower, agreed to the arrangement. Fortunately, he’s always had a family event in the area, to make the three-hour drive more worthwhile. And lucky that I ordered early in the season. With this year’s drought, the season was shorter and his crop much smaller than usual.

I’ve always been a big fan of berries. Blueberries in particular. I remember eating them as a little kid in Michigan – a once-during-the-summer treat. In Oregon, a trip to the U-Pick blueberry farm was an annual event, complete with blue stained fingers and clothes.

That was before blueberries became fashionable. Before slick magazine ads announced that “We can’t live without them.” Before we knew that these tiny berries were a nutritional powerhouse.

The blue in blueberries does a lot more than leave stubborn stains. Compounds that make berries (as well as plums, red cabbage, eggplant and purple grapes) blue are called anthocyanins. These compounds (called phytochemicals – chemicals produced by plants) act as antioxidants in our bodies, mopping up free radicals and soothing inflammation.

Researchers believe that other antioxidants in blueberries may promote insulin production, benefit heart health and aid in reversing age-related memory loss and motor coordination.

All fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals as well as vitamins, minerals and fiber. Each has its own nutritional “profile” It takes a mix of these to provide our body with what it needs for good health. That’s why health professionals have always recommended eating a variety of foods. My preference is for locally grown and in season – for maximum taste and minimum cost to the environment.

Nutrient content aside, there’s one especially important reason to eat fresh blueberries now – they’re delicious!

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS (DAIRY)

This muffin recipe is flexible. I like the combination of cornmeal, blueberries and lemon zest. But you can use all whole-wheat pastry flour or half white, half whole-wheat flour, without the cornmeal. Just be sure that the total amount of flour is 2 ½ cups. You can use brown sugar instead of white and any other berry or cut-up fruit. If you’re using frozen blueberries, don’t defrost them before you add them to the batter.

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose white flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 ½ cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit (190 Centigrade).

Line 12 to 15 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and lemon zest.

Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and mix gently. Add the blueberries and mix just to combine. It’s all right if there are some lumps.

Spoon the mixture into muffin cups and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 to 15 muffins

Tuscanny Part II

“And wine ...gladdens the heart of man.” (Tehillim 104:15)

Tuscany is a land of vineyards and small wineries. It seems like every village is famous for a particular wine.

We were served locally produced kosher wines – two dry reds and a white. Don’t ask me for a review. I can’t tell you if they had “hints of berry”, or a “flinty mineral note”. One of the reds was called “Aleph”, with a large Hebrew aleph on the label. Not very sophisticated, but delicious none the less.

At home we enjoy a glass of good Israeli wine on Shabbat and holidays. Even though there’s always a bottle in the refrigerator, we don’t even think about drinking wine with weekday meals. Our tradition encourages a moderate intake of alcohol.

But maybe we should consider drinking wine more often. After all, it was very relaxing and truly added to the pleasure of our meals.

And what about health benefits?

Is there a connection between alcohol and heart health? Does wine explain the French paradox – the observation that the French (and perhaps Italians) eat a relatively high-fat diet, enjoy wine with their meals and have a low death rate from heart disease?

People who drink one to two alcoholic beverages a day have a lower risk of heart disease and stroke than non-drinkers. Their overall mortality rate is lower as well.

Wine and weight reduction?

Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes and red wine, is showing promise. In mice fed a high-caloric diet, resveratrol prevented diabetes and clogged arteries caused by obesity. Preliminary lab studies indicate that resveratrol slows the growth of fat cells. The mechanism is complex, and much more research is needed, but it’s a start in understanding the French paradox.

There’s more to consider before you increase your alcohol consumption.

Can you afford the extra calories (or are you willing to cut calories elsewhere)?
Are you taking medications that don’t mix well with alcohol?
Do you have a medical condition that precludes drinking?
Are you pregnant or breast feeding?
Will you be driving or operating machinery?

As there’s no simple “One Size Fits All” answer, its best discussed with your physician.

Tuscany Part I

Pitigliano, Italy - "Little Jerusalem"

“Cheerful, tasty, varied, inexpensive, and unworrying… all one has to do is enjoy the food…“ This is how food writer Alan Davidson describes the food of Italy in The Oxford Companion to Food.

After spending a week in Tuscany, I can add delicious, easy, informal and nutritious to his description.

Tuscany is the beautifully lush region north of Rome - rolling hills planted with olives and grapes, romantic hilltop villas and the cities of Florence, Sienna, Pisa and our base, Lucca.

Our tour centered around food and Italian Jewish history. A special treat to celebrate a special anniversary. We cooked with an accomplished Italian chef, enjoyed espresso, gelato and regional kosher wines. We walked a lot and bicycled along the wall around Lucca.

Breakfast at our hotel/villa was simple and healthy – cereal, fruit and low-fat yogurt (plus cappuccino, of course).

Lunch was a picnic “on the road” – vegetable and pasta or grain salad, bread and local kosher cheese. Water to drink and fruit for dessert.

And dinner was the highlight – a relaxing, unhurried three-course affair lasting a good two hours. We enjoyed chicken, beef, veal and fish entries preceded by a pasta, rice or polenta dish, and always accompanied by vegetables. Dessert was simple and usually included fruit. And of course there was wine.

We learned tomato sauce two ways – canned tomatoes and fresh. We mixed and kneaded bread, pasta and focaccia dough. With plain grilled and boiled vegetables we created gorgeous antipasto platters. We chopped lots of onions, carrots and celery. These, together with garlic, fresh rosemary and sage, dried oregano, salt and pepper were the only seasonings we used.

Olive oil flowed liberally as we cooked. No sign of margarine in this kitchen.

Such delicious food. We didn’t feel stuffed and neither of us gained weight. We returned home feeling rejuvenated, refreshed and inspired.

Fresh produce and grains, minimal preparation and the relaxed Italian attitude towards eating – yes we could easily bring these culinary concepts into our own home.

I'll Take Water

I’ve always recommended water as the every-day beverage of choice. Jazz it up if you like, with slices of lemon or fresh herbs. Or choose unsweetened sparkling water.

But stay clear of drinks laden with sugar, fat, artificial sweeteners and colors.

Fruit-flavored beverages are mainly sugared water. Some contain a small amount of fruit juice. Bottled flavored waters (yes, even the clear ones that look like plain water) may contain sugar too. Check the ingredient list carefully.

Pure fruit juice is yummy, and it’s pure, right? But all of the fruit that goes into making a cup of juice adds up to a drink higher in calories than most of us need (and minus the fiber we’d get if we ate the whole fruit).

For instance:

1 medium orange = 69 calories
1 cup orange juice = 110 calories

1 medium apple = 72 calories
1 cup apple juice = 117 calories

Soft drinks are loaded with sugar – A 12 ounce can contains, on average, 8 teaspoons of sugar. Some of them (not just cola) contain caffeine as well.

Substitute a can of soda or juice with a bottle of water every day
and you may lose up to 15 pounds in a year!

Are diet sodas any better? Most contain about 10 calories per can, compared to 135 calories in regular soda. But artificial sweeteners, flavors and colors don’t exactly add up to a healthy beverage.

This summer is the perfect time to try this healthier alternative to soda:

Pour a quarter to a third of a cup of pure fruit juice into a tall glass. Fill it to the top with cold sparkling water and enjoy!

What about those icy cool summer coffee drinks? Stay away from large, super-sweet, whipped-cream topped concoctions that are high in fat and calories. Opt for a small-sized "simple" drink like iced coffee or latte made with skim or low-fat milk. And why not try iced tea during the hot summer months? Just go easy on the sugar or skip it altogether.

Getting back to water – with no calories or additives, it’s the healthiest drink around. And if it comes from your tap, it is the most inexpensive choice as well.

Cheesecake

I just received the June nutrition e-newsletter from Tnuva, the largest dairy manufacturer in Israel. Their survey of women over the age of 18 reveals that:

94% of Israeli families plan to eat cheesecake on Shavuot

Of these:

67% of the women will make their own cheesecake from scratch

7% will prepare their cheesecake from a mix

20% plan to purchase a ready-made cheesecake

I’m always happy to hear that people are cooking and baking from scratch. Most of us eat way too much highly sweetened, salty and fat-ladened processed food. And how many of us have forgotten the creative and satisfying pleasures of cooking?

So even though it’s the middle of a hot Israeli summer, a majority of us are getting ready to make cheesecake.

The Tnuva survey continues with more positive news about Shavuot baking:

73% of the respondents will use dairy products containing 5% fat or less

21% will use dairy products containing 9% fat or more

One of my favorite low-fat dairy products is ricotta cheese. Its delicate taste and smooth texture work well in sweet as well as savory cooking. Try ricotta in blintzes, quiche, lasagna and cheesecake.

Here is one of my favorite ricotta cheese desserts. It’s light, delicate and less sweet than most cheesecakes.

ITALIAN-STYLE RICOTTA CHEESECAKE (DAIRY)

Crust

½ cup walnuts
¼ cup low-sugar cereal, such as bran flakes, Grape-Nuts or Cheerios
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Filling

½ cup golden raisins or diced dried apricots
¼ cup orange juice

1 ¾ cup (16 ounces) low-fat ricotta cheese
6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) low-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
¼ cup low-fat or non-fat plain yogurt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat an 8” spring-form pan lightly with oil or cooking spray.

Combine walnuts, cereal and cinnamon in a food processor and process until finely ground. While the processor is running, slowly add the oil through the feed-tube until the crumb mixture holds together. Pat the mixture evenly into the bottom of the baking pan and set aside.

In a small, heat-proof bowl, combine the raisins and orange juice. Warm in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, mix together and set aside to plump the raisins. (You can do this in a small saucepan as well.)

Rinse the bowl and blade of the food processor. Process the ricotta cheese, cream cheese and yogurt together until very smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until the mixture is completely smooth.

Drain the raisins and stir them into the cheese mixture. Pour the batter over the crust in the baking pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the edges are puffy but the middle is slightly soft. Turn off the heat and leave the cake in the oven, with the door closed, for 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and cool it completely on a wire rack.

Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Serves 8-10

Eating “En route” Part II

Between flights

Our plane from Tel Aviv arrived late at night in Toronto, our overnight stop-over en route to Milwaukee. With an early connecting flight, we needed to be up by 5 a.m. the next morning.

After picking at the far-from-nourishing airline meals during the flight, we were hungry for dinner. And I was already thinking about tomorrow’s breakfast.

We had researched kosher restaurants in Toronto, but after the flight from Tel Aviv, we were too tired to travel from the airport hotel into town. For less than round-trip taxi fare, my husband had the brilliant idea of ordering out. Le Bistro Grande, a lovely kosher dairy restaurant, was most cooperative and within half an hour they delivered a tasty meal of pasta with vegetables, salad and bottled water.

As for breakfast - I had my single-pack cereal boxes, paper plates, bowls and plastic utensils. We added a banana, milk and orange juice purchased from a Starbucks at the airport.

But what if you find yourself far from the convenience of a kosher restaurant? And you forgot those cereal boxes?

In most airports you can find something healthy and kosher to eat. Check the coffee houses for whole fresh fruit and pure fruit or vegetable juice. I found small baby carrots and cherry tomatoes in an airport store.

Look carefully among the candy bars and you’re likely to find at least one fairly nutritious “snack” or “health” bar. In Canada I like the “Break-a-Way Snacks” Organic Nature Bar. It’s a mix of seeds, nuts, dried fruit and sweetener. Although high in fat (11 grams per bar) and rather sweet (12 grams of sugar), it is a good source of fiber (3 grams) and quick energy. I also like “Kashi” bars and “Larabar”, a dried fruit and nut bar with 5 grams of fiber.

Kosher packaged nuts are usually available at airports. Look for plain nuts or mixtures of dried fruits and nuts.

Our recent dinner menu at O’Hare airport while waiting between flights was tuna salad on crackers (carried with us), fresh carrots, cherry tomatoes, sparkling water and fresh fruit.

Once you’ve reached your destination, don’t forget to keep drinking. It’s especially important to re-hydrate, and water is the beverage of choice.

While I don’t recommend drinking coffee (or alcohol) while flying (both will increase dehydration), here is a suggestion that helped us once we were on the ground: A cup of coffee followed by a short nap (15-20 minutes) helped us deal with jet lag, especially in the afternoons when we felt especially sluggish. By the time you are finished resting, the effect of the caffeine will give you an extra “push” until bedtime.

Safe, healthy traveling to all of you – N’siyah Tovah!

Eating “En route”

Part I

My husband and I just returned from a trip to the U.S. We travel fairly often for family, business and pleasure.

It’s challenging enough for us to find kosher food away from home. But healthy kosher food is even more difficult.

On the Plane

Most airlines have eliminated hot meals on all but overseas flights. And those meals leave something to be desired.

Here’s what Air Canada served us last week:

Dinner: Garbanzo bean salad, two rolls, mini-hot dogs, beans, rice, green beans and a chocolate-filled hamentashen (no kidding – this was in May!)

Breakfast: Three white-flour pastries (muffin, cookie, roll), canned fruit cocktail, a spongy baked egg dish with a teaspoon of tomato sauce and fried potatoes.

Add in margarine, non-dairy creamer and water – all kosher, of course.

It’s easy to see what’s going on here – low cost food high in carbohydrates, fat and sugar. O.K., I’ll give them credit for serving low-fat, high-protein legumes. But three types of beans in one meal?

So what did I eat? Garbanzo bean salad and green beans for dinner, supplemented with almonds and dried cherries brought from home. And for breakfast, a granola bar and fresh fruit, packed away in my carry-on bag.

To reduce jet lag, long-distance travelers should eat lightly and drink lots of water. So let’s not complain too much about poor airline food. After all, you shouldn’t be eating so much anyway. And all of that water should have you feeling rather full. But most of us get just a little hungry on these long flights. And what are you supposed to do on flights when no food is available?

Carry food from home with you!

I’m a firm believer in traveling with food. Whenever I spot small sample boxes of cereal, I grab a few for the next trip. Throw in a few paper bowls and plastic spoons, buy a small carton of milk and fruit at the airport and you’re set for breakfast.

When in the U.S., I buy single-serve peanut butter. And I always travel with whole-grain grain crackers and a plastic knife.

Dry-packed tuna and salmon in flat foil pouches are perfect for traveling. My local fast-food restaurant is more than happy to give me a few packets of mayonnaise or Thousand Island dressing to mix in with it. Packed in a zip lock bag with a few forks and napkins, they take up very little space in your carry-on bag.

Nuts are also a good source of protein that travel easily. Choose almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts or peanuts and look for unsalted or low-salt varieties.

And don’t forget fruits and vegetables. Bring along already washed cherry tomatoes, carrot and celery sticks and cucumbers to eat on the plane. Firm summer fruit like plums and cherries travel well in the summer. Choose easily peeled citrus, grapes and apples in cooler months.

Traveling to a country that doesn’t allow in fresh produce? Eat your fresh fruit and vegetables on the plane and take along dried fruit for later. Dried apricots, pears, cherries, peaches and prunes all travel well.

I travel with fruits and nuts that I mix at home in a zip-lock bag. My current favorite is walnuts and dried cherries. In the winter, chocolate chips might find their way into the mix too.

After a long flight, our plane landed and we looked forward to an overnight rest in Toronto before heading to Milwaukee and then California.

More eating challenges ahead!