Its that time of year! For a whole month straight its eat, eat, eat. And on those long three day yom tov days, there isn't always much more to do then sit around and eat!
Even though yomim tovim are joyous days and its a mitzvah to eat, it doesn't mean we have to over eat, or be eating constantly. We are all likely to be eating bigger portions, more often, but still try and make sure to somewhat stick with "portion control". Just like on any other day, fill up your plate with lots of cooked or raw vegetables and stay low on the carbs.The reason I say stay low on carbs is because most of our holiday meals are filled with them! From challah, to crackers in the salad, rice, potatoes, the crust under our pies and quiches, the cookies and cakes for dessert...you can find these unhelpful carbs wherever you look. Especially if they are white, refined carbohydrates like white flour, white rice and potatoes, etc., by filling up on them, you are filling up your body and stomach with food that seems to make you full. In reality, this type of food is running through your blood and body as quickly as it goes in, and soon enough you are left hungry and feeling empty. This usually results in grabbing more carbs! But wait! Before you do, if you find yourself in this situation, don't go for more. Instead, take a big glass of water and some carrots, or an apple, or any other fruit or vegetable you love. It will fill you up properly and take away that empty, yet overly full, bloated feeling in your stomach. So again, if you minimize the carbs, you won't get stuck on that overly full, empty, craving carbohydrates roller coaster. And try to use whole grains. Although having too many carbs from whole grains can also have the same effect on your blood sugar and how you feel, if you use portion control, they will be sure to fill you up properly and keep you satiated the way real food should!
Challah is a major stumbling block for most of us. Be it whole wheat, spelt or regular white challah, having too much is not good. Again, try limiting yourself to one or two pieces at each meal.
Desserts...Shall I say more? I mean, how can we not have a piece of the chocolate mousse pie or the home made rugelach?! Well, guess what? You can! It's yom tov, so let yourself enjoy the taste of sweets. Just make sure to use good judgment and not have more than one piece at each meal. And keep in mind a few things:
1. Try very hard to stick with home made baked goods. Avoid store bought products. Even if the home baked desserts aren't made from whole grains and olive oil, they are still better than bakery products.
2. Stay away from candy! No matter if its yom tov or not, candy is just never good for you to have! The sugars, corn starches, food dyes and other un-spellable ingredients in candies are not what we should be eating, and especially feeding our children! (This can also keep down the hyperactivity that effects most children on yom tov. They're wired from all the starches (sugar), desserts and candies that are so easily accessible to them!)
And remember, drink a lot of water throughout the day to keep full, to keep cravings down and to minimize what you eat at each meal.
Wishing everyone a Gmar Chasima Tovah!
If anyone has any ideas for beating the yom tov eating send in a message and we can post it up!
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