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NUTRITION POINTERS FOR HEALTHY SHABBOS & HOLIDAY EATING

Make Shabbos and Holidays enjoyable for yourself and everyone!

Being happy does not mean everything's perfect It just means that you have decided to look beyond life's imperfections! 

       Shabbos and Holidays are not only about food!

 We deal with eating on Shabbos/Holidays every week and almost every two months. It should be an integral part of family celebrations and a happy time for families to gather. However, very often when there are dietary restrictions eating suddenly becomes quite an issue.

Sitting around and having an enjoyable time with family, is very often associated with food. Oneg Shabbos, joys of Sabbath, is a strong cornerstone in many jewish families. In Zemiros Sabbath Songs, we sing: Bassar, Vedagim, Vechol Matamim meat and fish and all kinds of special treats.

 Being prepared, educated, having a hefty dose of mindand a bit of self-control is what we need to enjoy these special times. We do not want to dread eating on Shabbos and Holidays. 

We have condensed some of the typical foods eaten on Shabbos/Holidays, with their carb content, to help one avoid getting in to trouble. Occasion eating e.g. Sabbath, holidays, weddings etc.. are atypical and can play havoc with blood sugars if we are not prepared.

For those with type 2 diabetes that check their blood sugars before and after meals, but are restricted from testing on the Sabbath and Holidays, due to Halachic findings Torah law, we suggest having a typical festive meal with all the trimmings during the week. One can then, realistically weigh measure, and record everything that one eats, and not have to rely on memory. Test before and after this meal in order to understand the actual results. Since it is not a particularly light meal, we suggest testing 1, 3 and even 5 hours which will likely coincide with the next meal after this meal. It may be a very good way of pinpointing whether or not there is some Gastroperiesis stomach slow down around.

Since we usually partake of a variety of different foods during occasional eating, it is important to determine how these foods affect us based on glycemic index and glycemic load. 

By the way doing this at a time when there are no guests around is probably a good idea for everyone not only for those that by Jewish law are restricted from testing.

JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF HIGH CARB FOODS and OUR SUGGESTIONS of LOWER CARB CHOICES:

Hold on to your hats you may be in for quite a surprise:

Grape Juice: 1 cup = 27- 33 gr. of carbs [1]

Dry wine: 1 cup = approximately 4 gr. of carbs both can be mixed with water, check with a Rav and see our Pesach Guide for more

Challah: 1 oz. = 15 gr. of carbs. This is not a particularly large portion the average slice of Challah is equal to 3-4 slices of bread

Matzah: 1 Board = approximately 24 gr. of carbs.

Whole wheat has 4gr. of dietary fiber = 18 gr

Many people do better with Matzah, since it is always the same measurement and lower on the glycemic index than Challah. If you are determined to stick with Challah, you can lower the GI by reducing the sugar and adding Whole Wheat, Rye and/or Spelt flours, or even a combination. Challah is hard to resist once you get started. Having pre-measured 1oz. rolls ready, will help you stick to your regimen totals.

Gefilte Fish: Jarred or from a roll, 1 slice = 6-7 gr. of carbs

Making your own carb free Gefilte Fish is easy.  I make my own loaves, freeze and cook them up as needed.  There is no reason to add any fillers or sugar only a small amount of sugar substitute will suffice, if you prefer your fish on the sweet side. This way a portion will then count only as a lean protein and carb free.

Chicken Soup: Used to be just that CHICKEN SOUP made primarily from chicken, meat and bones and had no carbs at all. If one adds a lot of high carb vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, etc.. Then 1 Cup of soup will end up having as many carbs as a slice of bread and most people have 2 cups. You are just drinking the carbs instead of eating them. It is best to use the green family vegetables such as celery, leeks, peppers, zucchini, etc. and lots of chicken. These will cut down a considerable amount of fats as well

Noodles: 1/2 cup has 15 gr. of carb. If you cannot do without, use a scant tablespoon or two and you will find that it is more than enough.  Try substituting the whole wheat or spelt version. See our Pesach recipes for almost 0 carb noodles.

Mini Mandels croutons: These vary greatly by manufacturer and type of croutons, but one of the very popular fried croutons come in at a whopping 61 gr. of carbs for approximately 3-3.5 tablespoons, and 26 gr. of fat of which 10.9 is saturated fats. There are other lower carb/lower fat versions. One needs to get used to reading and comparing food labels. See more about this in our nutrition section http://www.jewishdiabetes.org/article.asp?sivug_r=44&sivug_m=14.

Kneidlach matzah balls: The standard store bought come in at a whopping 10 gr. of carbs for one!

Farfel egg barely: 100 gr. cooked approximately 1/2 cup = 30 gr. of carbs. This is quite a staple in many families and many people find it hard to give up. Try cutting down the portion size and perhaps you will do better with quinoa which although has the same amount of carbs is quite low on the glycemic index and packed with protein. Whole-wheat couscous with far less carbs and a lot more fiber might be a better choice. Another great suggestion is mixing them with broccoli, cauliflower rice etc.. Eating the same 1/2-3/4 cup serving, one will get in more vegetables and fewer carbs.

Cholent Sabbath stew. The original way made with regular beans, meat and potatoes 1 cup = approximately 37gr. of carbs, and very high in fat If it is made with only barley, white and/ or sweet potato, and turkey neck bones, you can seriously cut down the fat, carbs and the glycemic index. For those that are not carb restricted feel free to partake of this wonderful dish but do keep the barley, which is now being heralded as extremely heart healthy.

Potato Kugel 1 slice weighing 100 gr. approximately 3.5 oz. with a Carb factor of .15 = 15 gr. of carbs! Try any of our low carb vegetable Kugels, they are great and worth the change.

Noodle Luckshin Kugel: 5 oz portion = approximately 20 gr. of carbs. Sweetened Yerushalmi is even higher.  Check out our low carb/low fat kugels and all the latkes/pancakes recipes can be made as kugels. http://www.jewishdiabetes.org/article.asp?sivug_r=44&sivug_m=244

Compote/ Dessert varies: 1/2 cup sweetened = approximately 20-25 gr. of carbs.

1/2 cup unsweetened Or using artificial sweeteners = 12- 15 gr. of carbs. Sweetening applesauce and other compotes with some diet jello saves on sugar and carbs.

These are just some of the foods and if you add up the carbs, calories and fats, you will be quite surprised.

With our plentiful resources and a good imagination, one CAN stay in control, even during the Sabbath and holidays. One of the main factors influencing good control is portion size. So be honest and realistic and keep an open mind and eye on things.  Our article on portion control can be very helpful, take a moment to check it out. http://www.jewishdiabetes.org/article.asp?sivug_r=44&sivug_m=204.

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