Sukkos the Easy and Healthy Way by Cindy Weinberger, MS, RD, CDN

Health & F tness

Sukkos the Easy and Healthy Weigh

By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

September is a busy month. It’s back to school, back to work for some of us, Labor Day, and back to back yomim tovim. After Rosh Hashana, when we daven over two days for a healthy, sweet new year, comes Yom Kippur, a day of atonement when we fast and daven an entire day. Luckily for us, then comes Sukkos, a joyous yom tov when davening is not terribly long and we can eat lunch at a decent time. We sit in our beautifully decorated sukkahs and enjoy quality time with our friends and families. On chol hamoed, we go on trips and fun adventures. Then comes Simchas Torah and Shmini Atzeres, another two days of yom tov to celebrate the Torah and our relationship with Hashem. Yes, September is an extremely busy month. Now, throw cooking for all of these yomim tovim into the mix, and it becomes even busier!

It doesn’t have to be so busy. For yom tov, we prepare elaborate meals with festive delicacies, which take up a lot of time and not to mention energy. Yet these delicacies tend to be a dieter’s challenge. The simpler the foods, generally, the less calories they contain. For example, think of the time and effort it takes to make a broccoli kugel vs. the time and effort it takes to make roasted broccoli. And which one is healthier?! My point exactly. Instead of working so hard and gaining ten pounds in a matter of weeks, let’s try cooking lighter, simpler, and healthier meals over this holiday season. 1. Menu planning: Preparing a yom tov menu that is elegant, yet low in calories can be a hard balance. • The first step is to nix any fried foods. Standing over a frying pan and flipping food is a lot more tedious than throwing the food into the oven. Fried food is irresistible – there is no denying that. However, consuming fried foods is linked to obesity, heart disease, and stroke. Fried foods are more calorically dense, and the oil from frying raises your cholesterol levels. The easier and healthier way would be to bake your food instead of frying. Most fried foods can be baked instead and still be just as delicious. • Second, the more fresh and simple your foods are, the less calories they contain. Sauces tend to be high in calories and sugar. Try moving away from using sauces and reach for a spice rub instead. A spice rub over fish, chicken, or meat tastes delicious and is a healthier option than heavy sauces. Even when recipes call for making your own sauce, chances are the sauce contains ketchup, brown sugar, honey, duck sauce, or sweet chili sauce. Each of these condiments have a high sugar content. Many sauces also call for melting sugar and sauce together and continuously stirring over a flame which is time-consuming. The easier and healthier way would be to throw some spices together instead to flavor your food. Some olive oil and a spice rub over meat or chicken is easy, light, and delicious. Lemon juice and herbs over fish is fresh and lovely as well. • Staying away from kugels is the next big tackle. Kugels often call for margarine, a lot of oil, eggs, flour, and even mayonnaise. They also involve multiple steps and peeling vegetables too. The easier and healthier way is to roast vegetables. Roasted vegetables or fresh salad is the healthiest and most ideal side dish option. There are so many light and delicious ways to make whole grains as well, such as brown rice, quinoa, or buckwheat.

2. Concentrate on quality not

quantity: It is not necessary to have multiple main dishes at each meal. It is definitely more work to prepare more food, and nobody needs to eat three different main dishes! The easier and healthier way would be to prepare one main dish and eat that as your protein source for the meal. If you do have multiple main dishes, don’t eat too much of one food item. Try sampling small amounts of the foods you want instead of taking a full portion. For

example, do not eat a slice of brisket, plus a chicken leg, already after you had a whole portion of salmon (yes, even though these are great sources of protein, it is still too much protein for one meal and already an abundance of calories). This does not even include the challah and the side dishes – not to mention dessert. Therefore, my suggestion is to have the full portion of only one protein source. The healthiest options are fish and poultry. Or, have a half a piece of each of your mains. If you want a piece of fish and a piece of chicken or meat, take a half portion of each so that together you are still only eating one portion of protein. Then have only a small piece of the side dishes that are rich in calories. Feel free to load up on the vegetables being served. 3. Eat slowly: Before you reach for seconds, wait twenty minutes to see if you are still hungry. It takes time for your brain and stomach to communicate and decide if you are satisfied. Once you finished eating your allotted portions, instead of focusing on the food that your stomach is craving more of, focus on socializing and/or serving and clearing the table. 4. Portion control: Make sure your protein portions are not larger than the size of your palm. 5. Don’t skip meals: On yom tov, people tend to skip breakfast and come to lunch with a big appetite. Starting a meal when starving will promote overeating. Instead, eat a healthy breakfast and then a balanced lunch. A small breakfast such as a yogurt, cottage cheese or a banana will help balance your blood glucose and satisfy your appetite until lunch. 6. Smart snacking: Snacking leads to unaccounted for excess calories. Instead of going for the cookies and cake in the afternoon, trying to have an excuse to make an extra bracha of “lesheiv b’sukkah,” choose fruits and fresh vegetables to snack on in between meals. Having a fruit or vegetable platter prepared in advanced and left on the table is a great way to ensure appropriate snacking. Cutting up a fruit or vegetable platter may not be so easy, but it is definitely the healthier way. 7. Drink water: Alcohol and sugary drinks add much more calories than you think. Yom tov is about the good food; you don’t need to consume more calories through a drink. Drinking water will also help fill you up during meals and limit your food intake.

8. Plan physical activity into

your day: The typical yom tov day involves davening, meals, and a good snooze. More often than not, physical activity gets ignored. However, including physical activity into your day will make you feel more energized and will burn off some calories from your feasts. You can take a walk after the meals or briskly walk to and from shul. Of course, intense exercise is forbidden on yom tov, yet light physical activity is always advised.

9. Planning Chol Hamoed

trips: Packing meals for chol hamoed trips can be tricky, especially when trying to avoid hamotzie or mezonos food if lacking a sukkah. Eating onthe-go “shehakol foods” the easy and healthy way include: • salad with tuna • salad with egg salad • salmon with vegetables • grilled chicken cutlets with vegetables • corn cakes as opposed to rice cakes with peanut butter, cheese or chumus • all fruits – fresh and dried

I wish all of my readers a gut g’bentsched yuhr, a chag kasher v’sameach and a delicious and nutritious Sukkos!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certi-

fied Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated

CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nu-

trition and Food Sciences. She is currently a private nutritionist. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com or at 917-623-6237.

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