Tag Archives: Rosh Hashanah

Throw Away a Past of Crappy Eating with The Digest Diet

By Jill Sandberg

I can honestly say I can’t remember a time I’ve ever lost this much weight in a week. Sure, most of it is water weight, but still…eight and a half pounds in a week is kind of a big deal.

The first week on the Digest Diet was so easy. I read through the book and it seemed like any other diet – low carb, high protein. Things we all know to do, but so hard to do in real life. Being a bread addict doesn’t help.

The first four days consisted of eating pretty much the same things – which was so easy to do since I could make one batch and eat off of that for several meals. It was a liquid-based diet for the first four days so that was some getting used to. Day one was particularly difficult as I had to watch my daughter eat leftover pizza while I ate kale soup. I had to have great reserve with not slapping the pizza out of her hand and screaming like a petulant child “CAN’T YOU SEE I’M ON A DIET?!”

Day two went a little bit better. No screaming and no tantrums, but more surprisingly, no hunger pains. I was completely satisfied with the shakes and the soup. The kale soup was such a simple easy recipe to make and so tasty. By day three? I had already lost four pounds. I was more than happy to continue on with the diet once I stepped off the scale. Water weight? Most likely, but I’ll take it. (more…)

Celebrate Rosh Hashanah with a Healthy New Year

Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year in the Hebrew calendar. The Torah defines Rosh Hashanah as a day-long celebration, however on the Hebrew calendar, days begin at sundown. This year, Rosh Hashanah begins on September 28 at sundown and continues through the following evening.

While some Jewish people only observe on one day, others observe both holidays with religious services and a traditional holiday dinner. Like many holiday meals, a Rosh Hashanah dinner is very symbolic, but can be on the indulgent side, with carb-laden kugels and challah.

This year, have your honey cake and eat it too, with some of our low-fat, low-calorie and low-carb holiday recipes.

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Hoppin John Burgers Offer Good Luck for the New Year

The tradition to eat black eyed peas on New Year’s Day dates back centuries. The origins have ties with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah. It wasn’t until the 1860s, or around the time of the Civil War, that the tradition to eat black eyed peas became an American practice, mostly by Southerners.

There are worse food traditions to have. Look at what we consume on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Valentine’s Day. Burgers and rich desserts aren’t bringing any good luck, or good health for that matter. But the black eyed pea does. These little beans belong to the bean and pea family, or legumes. A single, unprepared serving of black eyed peas has 200 calories and 1 gram of fat. Where they become really impressive is the whopping 11 grams of dietary fiber and 13 grams of protein that serving offers! The black eyed pea is also a quality source of essential vitamins and minerals.

With that much nutrition packed in to one little, tiny bean, it makes us wonder why we really only hear about or eat black eyed peas on a single day of the year. (more…)