Strategies for a Healthier Passover

Springtime is a difficult time for many Jewish people when it comes to eating properly. In the late winter/early spring we celebrate the holiday of Purim with its traditional Hamantaschen pastries; there is also a tradition of sending food packages to friends and family–which can add up to a lot of packages delivered to your home, with the requisite Hamantaschen inside. It is hard to resist all the sweets when they are right there at home.

Passover presents its own unique issues. Foods containing grains that can ferment or contain leavening agents are mostly forbidden to remind us of the bread that was taken out of Egypt; the Hebrews left so quickly that there was no time for the bread to rise and we ended up with Matzoh instead–a flat, unleavened bread pictured above. In addition to this dietary restriction, many people also swap out all their regular dishes, pots, pans, and utensils for special ones used only during Passover that have never been in touch with leavened products. And yet, this is my favorite holiday!

The planning of menus for the Passover Seder feasts often starts weeks (if not months) in advance. Since breads, cookies, cakes, pastas, and pastries in their normal iteration are not allowed on the eight days of the holiday, all kinds of creative substitutes have made their way into the menu for the week. Many of these contain Matzoh or some form of ground Matzoh. There are also special cookies and cakes that can be made Kosher for Passover–or purchased.

Interestingly, many people who fear not having enough to eat during the week given all the restrictions, double-down on these carb-heavy alternatives. In fact, many people eat more starchy foods during Passover than they would during a typical week. If we were to break down a “normal” week’s menu there might be some “carby” dishes, but those who try to eat healthier usually limit their intake. On Passover, though, that all seems to go out the window. Sponge cakes, tortes, biscottis (all altered to follow the dietary rules) fill kitchens in homes where this would not normally be the case for one day–let alone eight days!

How to counteract this? My wife and I put together a menu well in advance. We make sure that the meals are balanced and make use of healthy proteins as well as lots of fruits and vegetables. There is no reason not to make use of lean meats, poultry, and fish. In other words, in putting together a plan for the holiday, to avoid going off the carbohydrate deep-end, try to keep the menu close to what is typically a part of the diet. Do not feel compelled to make dishes that are filled with Matzoh or its derivatives.

Of course, one need not deprive one’s self unneccesarily, but as always moderation is key. This year we did not buy any pre-packaged cookies or cakes. We will prepare some special desserts for the Seder meals, but aside from that there will be lots of fruits and vegetables and healthy proteins.

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy Passover.

PS. Similar strategies exist for Easter and Ramadan for those who celebrate those holidays.

Over 200 Followers

When I began this blog just under two years ago (in fact, 2/24/21 will be the 2 Year Anniversary of my first post), I had very little idea how this whole thing worked. Luckily, my son Rami Ungar the Writer (you can read his blog too) gave me some tips and helped me along the way.

My goal with this blog originally had been to synthesize Judaism and Fitness; this grew out of my shared experiences of being a rabbi for nearly 29 years and being a personal trainer for the last 3 years. Over time, the emphasis of my posts has shifted some. A year after being certified as a personal trainer, I got a specialization in Functional Aging; this certification transformed my fitness career as I focus more on training older adults. In August of 2020, I officially started At Home Senior Fitness, LLC–my own personal training business for older adults in the Cleveland area–and globally on the web. As a result of this professional move, my blog posts have begun to address more frequently the concerns of older adults. I also have brought posts that discuss nutrition, COVID-19, and the many factors that influence our health and fitness.

While I do every now and then reference Jewish ideas, Jewish texts, and Jewish values, is is not quite as prevalent as it was in the early days. Does that mean that I need to rename my blog? Not so fast…. The Hebrew word for “exercise” is kosher pronounced as we would in English; the word used to describe the Jewish dietary laws is pronounced kasher (with the “a” sounding like “ah”). In Hebrew the words are spelled identically–mostly because written Hebrew uses only consonants; the vowels for each word, however, are different. Even so, kosher and kasher come from the same root. A food which is kosher is one that has been determined to be “fit” for consumption–as in, it is appropriate or OK. And, of course, exercise makes us “fit” as well.

I have taught several classes, given lectures, and been interviewed on the Jewish/Fitness connection. While it is not a major concept in Judaism, there is much in Jewish literature and thought that emphasizes the importance of maintaining healthy bodies; the reason being that we cannot serve God and others if we are too sick, frail, or weak. So it is that the connection between Judaism and Fitness is always there–even if not explicitly.

It will be interesting to see what the next year of my blog–and my business–brings. In the meantime, I am thrilled to have over 200 followers. It means a lot that people from all over the world find meaning, information, and maybe even inspiration in my words. Here’s to the next 200 and beyond!

Thanks for reading.

We Are What We Eat

I just returned from a “trying” trip to the supermarket. I haven’t been to a grocery store in about 10 days–attempting to avoid it by buying online and having it delivered–but this trip was unavoidable the day after Passover. I stood for 15 minutes in line in the snow (yes, it’s snowing here) to get in the store as they only let a certain number in at a time.

Food shopping used to be a relatively carefree activity that didn’t require a whole lot of thinking. Now, however, it means planning in advance, sanitizing, getting in and out as quickly as possible…or avoiding it altogether and having it all delivered.

I’ve been pretty thoughtful about my food consumption and shopping for quite a while. I have been a pescatarian for about 13 years and before that kept kosher; that means I’ve always had to consider what I was eating, where and when. When I was a single father co-parenting (one week on/one week off) I had to plan meals that were balanced, healthy and that the kids would eat. Since becoming a personal trainer, I’ve had to focus on food issues even more as I counsel clients about how to meet their fitness and health goals. But most of us don’t think about it that much…ergo the proliferation of drive-thrus.

The Torah portion for this week, Shemini, introduces us to the Jewish dietary laws–Kashrut (or kosher)–for the first time. The system in the Torah is not nearly as complicated as it is today; there has been a lot of development and clarification over the years. What Shemini does is cover the animals that are permissible to be eaten and which are not. The Torah gives no rationale. It is not health-related; the vast majority of people in the world do not follow these laws and they are no less or more healthy than those who do.

The dietary laws are aimed at making us more holy–or at least helping us to make more holy decisions about what we put in our bodies. Many years ago I taught a young man (13 years old) who had been diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes just before his Bar Mitzvah. It turned out that this was also his Torah portion. The parallels were clear. Before his diagnosis, he ate what he wanted when he wanted. After his diagnosis that was no longer possible. He had to consider what he ate and when he ate it. It made him much more aware of the role of food in his life.

Kashrut does the same thing. Hopefully, it also leads us to appreciate that we do have food on our plates…and to ensure that those who don’t get what they need. The trip to the grocery store was trying, but I don’t dare really complain; I know that there are many who are way worse off than I am. This was a mere inconvenience that led me to consider what food and the lack thereof truly means.

How is Quarantining Helping You Grow?

Weight Gurus black bathroom scale on wood floor

OK. So this was not really the kind of growth I was looking forward to. I will admit that I have learned a lot about myself and those around me during the current COVID-19 unpleasantness. It has come at some cost to my fitness for sure as my waistline is growing too.

A few posts back I mentioned that I was going to give Intermittent Fasting a shot…and I did. I tried it for one week, but found it untenable. Most folks doing this choose to eat only from 11 am – 7 pm, while the rest of the time they only drink liquids. I teach a daily workout online (search Facebook for Kosher-Fitness) at 10 am and I’ve got to fuel up before that. We also usually sit down to dinner between 6:30 and 7:00 pm which doesn’t fit the schedule either. The real proof was (you should pardon the expression) in the pudding; I was continuing to put on weight.

This is totally to be expected since most of us are way less active now than we usually are. Typically at work as a personal trainer I am doing a lot of walking around with clients, demonstrating exercises, and sometimes even doing certain things right along with the person. Ironically, the workouts that I teach online are more strenuous than my typical exercise regimen. Even so, I’m still at a deficit when it comes to burning calories.

I’ve decided to follow the advice I give to my own clients. I am counting calories now. It’s not as bad as it seems; I’m using the My Fitness Pal app–which I have used on and off over the last year. I find that it benefits me in two ways at least. First, it makes me aware of just how many calories I am consuming–which is usually more than my ballpark guesstimates. Second, I’m too lazy to keep going to the app, so I simply decide not to have that little snack so that I don’t have to go through the trouble. It’s like keeping kosher–observing the Jewish dietary laws; I make myself much more aware of what I am consuming.

I will keep you posted on my progress. How are you all doing? Are you finding that you are growing in unexpected ways too? No one knows how long this will go on, but if we put on a pound a week for a couple of months, it will be a challenge to get back to where we were.

Finally, remember that weight is only one aspect of health and fitness. Don’t forget about maintaining strength and cardio-vascular health. Remember to be kind to yourself and care for your emotional self too. Staying healthy is a multi-level endeavor; don’t ignore any of those parts and pieces.

Why Kosher Fitness?

I am a Rabbi at a small congregation in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I am also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer.

The old joke says that a Jew believes the only thing his body is for is holding up his/her head. While our tradition does emphasize learning, we are ultimately judged for what we do and how we act.

If we are not able to do because we have not maintained our bodies (which are gifts from God), we cannot hope to fulfill what it is that God wants us to do on earth.

Follow this blog for tips on fitness, nutrition, wellness as well Kosher recipes and words of Torah. Bruchim Haba’im to Kosher Fitness!