It’s the dreaded three day yom tov – one that I usually get to avoid as a Jerusalemite (yup, I’ve got no issue lording it over y ‘all in the Diaspora) but have no choice about this year. While I’m looking forward to the family time and the break from work and my cellphone, I’m not so thrilled about the idea of 6 heavy meals. Heck, I’m one of those chicks who doesn’t have to eat the food to pack on the pounds, all I need to do is smell it and poof! Hello next size up! Fine, it’s not that bad, but you know what I mean….
While we Hebrews do take our eating seriously, there is no need to pack on the equivalent of the freshman 15 during a three day period. Here are four questions you should be asking yourself before the holiday and a few tips on how to moderate. While Tzom Gedalia will provide a nice break from all that eating, trying to end the holiday without a massive case of heartburn and indigestion is a better way to start the New Year.
The 4 questions (yes, I know that Pesach isn’t for another 6.5 months)
1) Am I hungry? Sounds like a no-brainer, right? WRONG. The majority of us have been conditioned since an extremely young age to eat when we are told to, especially during holidays and family gatherings. Many times, we’ll sit down to a meal, and load up our plates, without really thinking about whether we’re actually hungry. So, before you take that massive hunk of brisket, ask yourself if you are actually hungry and then try to make food choices accordingly.
2) How hungry am I? Rosh Hashana is a holiday where many people go all out, making fancy dishes, family specialties which are only made once or twice a year, and it’s natural to want to enjoy that. However, there is a difference between half of your mother’s honey cake versus enjoying a piece or two. Moderation is key – if you want to have a little bit of everything, that’s ok, the question is how much you take. So feel free to enjoy the candied sweet potato pie, the oatmeal cranberry bake and the onion quiche – but take fairly small portions, that can be finished in a few bites. You still get to enjoy the flavors and textures that go with these dishes without taking a huge portion. You really, really want a huge piece of Aunt Rachel’s carrot kugel? Then think about something else that you would consider foregoing, to balance things out.
3) What do I want my main meal to be? In Israel, the main meal tends to be lunchtime, and people here will eat a heavy meal of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables. Dinner tends to be a lighter affair, usually something dairy with a light salad and some fruit. In most Western countries, the opposite tends to be true. So when you’re sitting down to lunch on the first day of Rosh Hashana, think about what you would be eating if it were a normal day. As we’ll be having 6 “main” meals, moderation is best but if you feel the need to go all out, pick one meal per day to really load up, and then practice moderation with the other meal. So if you really want to eat the chicken, pot roast, 4 side dishes and two desserts at lunch, bon apetite! But then take it easy at night, your body doesn’t need that sort of bombardment two times in a row. Splurging occasionally is fine, but this is a situation which calls for pacing yourself.
4) Do I really want that? Simple question, but not one that many of us ask when faced with a smorgasbord of food. We tend to load up and only avoid things we actively dislike. So before taking from each dish, simply ask yourself if you really want what you are about to take, or could you skip it and move on to something else. Better yet – imagine how you’ll feel 20-30 minutes after you finish eating (FYI, 20 minutes is the amount of time it takes for the stomach to let the brain know that it’s properly full) – do you want to go for comfortably full or stuffed to the point of bursting? We all know that feeling when we give into impulse and have that extra piece of something, and regret it half an hour later. So when you make your food choices, figure out what you really want to be eating, and then skip the things that you’re not really excited about.
Now that you have a few ways of mentally approaching chow time, here are a few more tips to incorporate:
- Exercise! I know that there will be a lot of shul and meal time, but there is no reason not to find the time to take a half hour walk each day, especially after one of the big meals. Get your tushy moving and trust me, you’ll be thanking me at the end.
- Don’t eat out of boredom!!! I know, I know, by the end of Rosh Hashana, you’re dying to check your email, catch up on the new TV show you’re hooked on and just get away from your family for a bit. DO NOT REACH FOR THE SNACK CABINET. Play a game, read a book, go for a walk, take a nap, but do not look to eating as a means of entertainment.
- Have healthy snack options available. Pack up all the junk you’ve put out, put it in the cabinet and walk away. I know that entertaining calls for providing food and drink, but there are plenty of great options out there. Pre-cut vegetables and have them easily accessible in the fridge, so if you feel the munchies, you don’t go for the easiest option. Peppers and carrots provide the crunch that chips do, and if you’re craving something sweet, dig into a juicy pear or peach, or pop some berries. If you want to create a truly sweet but healthy snack, bake some fruit. When fruit bakes, it’s sugars break down, creating a sinfully sweet syrup (say that 10 times fast) that makes it feel like a real indulgence. Another “indulgence” is pan popped popcorn. You control the amount of oil being used, and by leaving of the gobs of butter, you have a good, crunchy snack.
- As in above, ask yourself WHY you’re eating. So often we eat for reasons other than hunger and the three day holiday will be full of them – boredom, stress, anxiety (three days with your in laws can be testing…) and other emotions drive us to eat as a means of coping. So before you take that bite, take a second and think about what you’re doing, why you’re doing it and then ask yourself if this is what you really want. Sometimes, a chocolate chip cookie is just a chocolate chip cookie. But sometimes, it’s a sign to stop and think for a minute, about what you really want.
Have a shana tova u’metuka!!!!
Disclaimer: I am not a dietitian, but I am a therapist with experience in treating eating disorders, disordered eating and problematic eating behaviors.
