{"id":24327,"date":"2012-03-06T04:05:32","date_gmt":"2012-03-06T04:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=24327"},"modified":"2017-04-27T08:02:14","modified_gmt":"2017-04-27T13:02:14","slug":"vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Vinahafochu&#8221;\u2014But Not Your Health. A Guide to Getting Through Purim."},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Purim just seems to be fraught with opportunities for overindulgence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-post-24327 wp-image-24337\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food-550x366.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food.jpg 849w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Beginning already with <em>Ta\u2019anit Esther<\/em>, the fast of Esther \u2013 we imagine it\u2019ll be a good way to bank some calories for the coming day. But all too often, we overcompensate pre-fast and binge come break-fast.<br \/>\nIf the goodies alone weren\u2019t reason enough, we now have the \u201cwell, I already grossly overate anyway\u201d in us to go all out on Purim day.<\/p>\n<p>To increase our joy and do some preemptive damage control, we need to do some serious planning before Purim begins. \u00a0We will enjoy the Chag, the food and the drink more if we savor every bite and sip and avoid excess. \u00a0Let\u2019s explore some of the potential problems and devise strategies to avoid the food pitfalls of Purim.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0*****<\/p>\n<p>Prepping for <em>Ta\u2019anit Esther<\/em> and breaking it properly go a long way toward keeping things under control.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Twenty-four hours before the fast begins<\/span>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Cut caffeine.\u00a0<\/strong>Stop all caffeinated beverages and increase your water intake.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eat more fruits and vegetables.<\/strong>\u00a0You can pack in some extra hydration here, too.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Choose your proteins wisely.\u00a0<\/strong>Stay off the heavy proteins (red meat) and stick with lean proteins (breast of chicken, fish). In all cases, eat minimum amounts.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fill up on whole grains.<\/strong>\u00a0They keep you feeling fuller longer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>To break your fast with moderation<\/strong><\/span><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Drink first.\u00a0<\/strong>When you reach the end of the <em>Megillah<\/em>, you will be very hungry. \u00a0Drink 4-5 glasses of water before you eat anything.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t break your fast on high sugar, high fat foods.\u00a0<\/strong>Even though your shul may offer cakes and soda at the end of <em>Megillah<\/em> reading, bring your own healthy snack (try a fruit or two).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Eat a normal-sized meal.\u00a0<\/strong>When you get home\u2014sit down and eat a regular meal. \u00a0Don\u2019t over eat! \u00a0Soup is always a good idea for a low-calorie, healthful and filling choice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****<\/p>\n<p>Ah, the gustatory challenges of Purim day. Must I even elaborate?<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Tactics for Purim day:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t ditch\u00a0breakfast.\u00a0<\/strong>When you come home from shul in the morning, sit down and eat breakfast. \u00a0By doing so, you are less likely to start grazing and picking during the day as <em>Mishloach Manot<\/em> come in. (Even those of you celebrating Purim on Friday this year in Yerushalayim should still eat breakfast, despite of the short day.)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Plan your treats.<\/strong> \u00a0You can have treats\u2014it is Purim\u2014but they must be limited. \u00a0If you really like chocolate, then choose that; if it\u2019s a piece of cake that calls your name, choose that. \u00a0But when you have it, sit down, eat slowly and enjoy every bite. \u00a0And when you are done, you are done.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">What about alcohol?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alcohol is high in calories. \u00a0For instance, each 5 ounce glass of red wine is 122 calories. \u00a0Whiskey is 105 calories per 1.5 ounces (a shot glass). Add these numbers to the extra food intake and realize that today won\u2019t be a \u201cperfect\u201d eating day. But that\u2019s okay. More on that at the end.<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Seudah<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As far as your <em>Seudah<\/em> (festive meal) goes, it is a mitzvah to eat, but it is never a mitzvah to overeat or gorge yourself. \u00a0As a matter of fact, it is assur.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Drink first.\u00a0<\/strong>Start your meal with several glasses of water.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Think portion control.\u00a0<\/strong>If you are making your own <em>seudah<\/em>, think about giving everyone a small, whole grain roll to wash on so you don\u2019t take more than that.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make healthy options available.\u00a0<\/strong>While you may well serve choices that aren\u2019t particularly healthy, make sure healthy choices are also present. \u00a0Salads and vegetable sticks are good. \u00a0You may serve meat, but also have grilled chicken breast available. \u00a0For desert, (especially considering all the junk you received throughout the day), try a fresh fruit salad or possibly a sorbet.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sing a lot and have a wonderful time. \u00a0<\/strong>The more you sing, the less you might eat!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most important advice though is when you wake up the day after Purim, get right back on track\u2014exercise, eat well, drink a lot of water and stay focused. If you resume normal eating habits ASAP, the weight will fall right off.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in another month when Pesach is upon us, you won\u2019t be worried about additional weight gain. \u00a0You\u2019ll be back on track and armed with the confidence that you can get through unscathed. (And when the time comes, we\u2019ll help you plan for Pesach too.)<\/p>\n<p>With a sensible and realistic plan, you can experience true <em>Simchat <\/em>Purim, happiness of the holiday.<\/p>\n<p><em>Special thanks to <\/em>Lose it!<em> Nutritionist Elisheva Rosenberg and Dietician Jennifer Raicz for their input\u00a0into this article.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/ou-images\/content\/alans_fitness.JPG\" alt=\"image\" width=\"126\" height=\"126\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. He can be reached at\u00a0<a href=\"tel:02-651-8502\">02-651-8502<\/a> or <a href=\"tel:050-555-7175\">050-555-7175<\/a>, or by email at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:alan@alanfitness.com\">alan@alanfitness.com<\/a> Check out the his web site \u2013<a href=\"http:\/\/www.alanfitness.com\/\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=http:\/\/www.alanfitness.com&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1493381969635000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE-D7k1ng56nGzC7bQDJ55nvE1vOA\">www.alanfitness.com<\/a> US Line: 516-568-5027.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A step-by-step plan to help you avoid one long eating spree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":24337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-purim-4-parshiyot"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Vinahafochu&quot;\u2014But Not Your Health - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A step-by-step plan to help you avoid Purim turning into one long eating spree beginning with how to prepare for &amp; break your fast in the healthiest way\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Vinahafochu&quot;\u2014But Not Your Health - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A step-by-step plan to help you avoid Purim turning into one long eating spree beginning with how to prepare for &amp; break your fast in the healthiest way\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-03-06T04:05:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-04-27T13:02:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"849\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"565\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"Vinahafochu\\\"\u2014But Not Your Health - OU Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2012-03-06T04:05:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-27T13:02:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\"},\"description\":\"A step-by-step plan to help you avoid Purim turning into one long eating spree beginning with how to prepare for & break your fast in the healthiest way\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/vinahafoechu-but-not-your-health-guide-getting-through-purim-alan-freishtat\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Woman-Choosing-Between-Food.jpg\",\"width\":\"849\",\"height\":\"565\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/\",\"name\":\"OU Life\",\"description\":\"Everyday Jewish Living\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\",\"name\":\"Alan Freishtat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alan Freishtat\"},\"description\":\"Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. 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