By: Meira Waldman, MS, RD. 1. Cut back to one piece of challah per meal—or better yet, eat one piece of matzoh instead of challah at each seuda.
2. When making potato kugel, substitute some peeled zucchini (up to ¼ of the recipe) in place of potatoes to cut the calories and increase the fiber!
3. Take a ½ hour walk everyday to keep your metabolism revved up!
4. Just because you walk into a succah, it does not mean that you have to have a piece of cake or a cookie as your mezonos. You can also fulfill the mitzvah by having a bowl of cereal and milk (think bran flakes, kashi cereal etc) or a piece of matzoh or a slice of whole wheat bread.
5. If for some reason a seudah is running late, or you are hungry on Yom Tov or Shabbos morning before the meal, instead of having Kiddush on a high calorie mezonos, start your meal early! Wash and have one slice of challah or 1 piece of matzoh with fish and salad to curb your appetite and then continue the meal along with everyone else.
6. When you feel hungry but it is not necessarily mealtime, try to fill yourself up on fruits or vegetables. If that does not work, do not run to a bag of potato chips, cookies or crackers. Have a “mini” meal—like some chicken or fish with vegetables—to fill up on healthier and more satisfying calories.
7. Dessert: try to have fruit or sorbet as your dessert. If your sweet tooth can’t handle that, try having a half portion of dessert every other meal.
8. Skip a course once in a while—maybe an appetizer, maybe a dessert—try it.
9. Instead of sitting at the table throughout all of the courses, take an active role in the kitchen by serving and clearing—it will automatically cut down on your noshing time at the table.
Meira Waldman is a registered dietitian who lives in Lakewood, NJ. She received her education at NYU and trained at NYU Langone Medical Center. Meira has a private nutrition practice in Lakewood and can be contacted at [email protected].
#9 is my favorite! Listen up girls!!!
Um, she’s talking to men. She mentions the mitzva of Sukkah, so it cant be girls. Anyway, her ideas are all good. And they all ended in !