Passover is here. As we prepare food we ask ourselves: How can we go through the holiday week without gaining weight? Shaare Zedek's dietary experts offer reassuring advice, as well as some ideas and tips that will help us feel truly free:
1. When baking cakes and pies, replace some eggs with egg whites.
2. The recommended ways to cook are: oven baking, microwave cooking and steaming. Avoid frying in oil.
3. When frying, use a Teflon pan which can fry without oil or with less oil.
4. Fry in oil rather than margarine.
5. It is recommended to eat a lot of raw and cooked vegetables. Cook in water or steam them.
6. It’s best to use white cheeses up to 5% and jam to be spread on matzo. Avoid using chocolate spread, butter and margarine.
Keep in mind:
45 calories = 1 teaspoon butter or 1 teaspoon of chocolate spread or 1.5 tablespoons cheese 5% or 3 tablespoons ½ % cheese.
7. For desert prepare a fruit salad, fruit cocktail or baked fruit instead of pastries.
8. From a dietary perspective it is preferable to drink grape juice instead of wine and preferably dry wine over sweet wine for the 4 cups on Seder night. Halchically speaking red wine is preferable.
Keep in mind:
½ cup sweet wine (100 cc) contains 167 calories
½ cup dry wine (100 cc) contains 100 calories
½ cup grape juice (100 cc) contains 73 calories.
9. People with high cholesterol should avoid eating cakes and cookies that contain coconut which is a saturated fat.
10. Remember: 1/2 matzah = slice of bread = 80 calories
It is possible to eat light matza instead of regular matzot, and legume eaters can eat rice cakes.
In general, take advantage of the Passover intermediary days to leave the kitchen and hike outdoors.