Chicken soup has a lot of sodium, and matzah balls are made with shmaltz. Better stop having them for Shabbat and Passover.
Hamantaschen are high in carbs. Cross them off your Purim menu.
Cheesecake for Shavout? You know — carbs and cholesterol. Fuggedaboutit!
Sounds depressing, no?
Well, that’s what Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is saying about the perennial Chanukah favorite, sufganiot, the jelly-filled doughnuts people love to consume at Chanukah parties. He’s urging the Israeli public to refrain from enjoying those greasy, sugary, delicious — and unhealthy — Chanukah treats.
What’s next? Latkes?
This is where nannyism meets Judaism. And who’s going to win?
Can you image a Jewish holiday without our traditional foods? None of them are particularly healthy, but it’s hard to picture the family sitting down to a nice big green salad for Rosh Hashanah dinner or celebrating Chanukah with carrot and celery sticks.
Talk about a buzz kill.
Talk about a way to discourage Jewish continuity! The Jewish people have survived for 3,000 years despite — maybe even because of — our diet. Prayers and rituals notwithstanding, for many Jews, it’s bubbe’s tender brisket, her crispy oil-fried latkes and fluffy, floating matzah balls that keep them coming back year after year for holiday celebrations.
You’ve heard it before: It’s all about moderation. Should you eat a jelly doughnut every day for the eight days of Chanukah? OK, probably not. But if you attend a couple of Chanukah parties, yeah, go ahead, enjoy a couple of sufganiot! (Then hot foot it to the gym along with everyone else).
Copyright © 2016 by the Intermountain Jewish News
