Skin and Bones – Can Diet Help?

Nutrition professionals from around the world recently met in Tel Aviv for a conference focusing on the Mediterranean diet. We know that the Mediterranean diet can help improve health and prevent disease. There were sessions on heart disease, cancer and healthier aging.

Of special interest –

Does the Mediterranean diet help protect against skin cancer? Can it improve bone health?

We all know about the importance of wearing sunscreen to protect against skin cancer. But diet may also help against the sun's harmful rays. Research points to the possible role of antioxidants as "internal" protectors of the skin. And the Mediterranean diet, high in vegetables, fruit, fish, olive oil and red wine, is certainly high in antioxidants.

What about bone health? Most of us are familiar with the role of calcium and exercise in building and maintaining strong bones. Numerous studies also point to a connection between eating lots of fruits and vegetable and good bone health.

Professor Alessandro Laviano from Rome stated it pretty clearly –

"You are what you eat." And for overall good health, the Mediterranean diet makes nutritional and delicious sense."

Is the Mediterranean Diet for You?

The Mediterranean diet can help protect you from heart disease and cancer. It can contribute to healthier aging and increase longevity, even when started later in life. It's a diet rich in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Obviously a very healthy way to eat!

Just keep a few things in mind:

The parts work together as a whole. Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet works to reduce disease when the various elements are combined. It's true that each component of the diet is good. But you can't just pick one or two things that appeal to you, ignore the rest and expect to get terrific results.

Don't rule out foods from other cultures. Asian soy foods and greens are healthy and delicious. From South America we have the nutritious combination of beans and whole grains. India gives us an array of legumes and spiced vegetables, and from the Middle East, chick peas, fava beans and techina all contribute to a healthy diet. Choose the best from your favorite cuisines.

It's about life-style, not just diet. Physical activity is essential! (Take a look at the base of the Mediterranean diet pyramid above.) So is portion control. And thoughtful, relaxed eating is part of any healthy-eating plan. What's important is that you eat good-for-you foods that work best for you and your family.

The Mediterranean Diet – Greek or Israeli?

When health professionals talk about the Mediterranean diet, we're referring to a pattern of eating found in the late 1950's and early 60's in the olive growing areas of the Mediterranean.

Countries like Greece, Spain and southern Italy. Before "fast food" got there.

Every country had its own variation of the diet, but the common elements were:

Lots of fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits

Legumes, nuts and seeds

Whole grains

Olive oil as the main source of fat

Moderate amounts of wine, fish and dairy products (mainly cheese and yogurt)

Very little red meat

Can Israel claim the Mediterranean diet as well?

In the Tanach, the Land of Israel is described as

"[A] Land of wheat, barley, grape, fig and pomegranate; a Land of olive oil and date honey." (Devarim 8:8)

"…a land flowing with milk and honey…" (Shemot 3:8)

Here we have the seven species – including whole grains, fruit, olive oil and wine. Add (goat's) milk, which was most likely made into yogurt.

It sounds like the Mediterranean diet started right here!

Summer Fruit Crisp for Two (Parve)

I'm not big on cooking or baking during the hot summer months. But we do enjoy dessert, especially on Shabbat. When it's just the two of us, this fruit crisp recipe is perfect. Use apricots, peaches, plums, cherries, berries or a mixture of fruits. This recipe takes just a few minutes to put together and you're likely to have all of the ingredients on hand.

2 cups fresh fruit, (stone fruit should be sliced, cherries pitted)

2 teaspoons orange juice

1-2 teaspoons sugar (depending on how sweet the fruit is)

2 teaspoons flour

2 tablespoons rolled oats

¼ cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons flour

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon canola oil

Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Spray a small shallow baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the fruit, orange juice, sugar and flour and mix lightly. Spoon it into the baking dish.

Mix together the rolled oats, nuts, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir in the oil until the mixture is crumbly. Use your fingers to distribute the topping over the fruit.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is lightly browned.

Serves 2

Are You "Full" or "No Longer Hungry"?

When do you stop eating? Is it when you feel full? Unfortunately, by then you've probably eaten too much.

In leaner cultures, people stop eating when they're no longer hungry.

It's not just semantics. There's a real difference. Pay attention to how you feel while you're eating. "No longer hungry" feels comfortable. You should still feel energetic. You've probably eaten just the right amount.

"Full" feels heavy or stuffed. Maybe even uncomfortable.

There's a big difference in calories between eating until you're "full" and eating until you're "no longer hungry". Enough calories to make the difference between a healthy weight and weighing too much.

Here's what the Rambam had to say about eating too much:

"One should not eat until his stomach is full. Rather he should stop when he has eaten close to three quarters of full satisfaction." (Hilchot De'ot 4:2)

Most people can eat between 20 and 25% less than they think they really want without really noticing it. And if you eat that much less than you do now, you're likely to lose weight. Painlessly!

Try this: When you're filling your plate, take ¼ less than you think you might want. You probably won't even miss the extra calories.

Holland - Bicycles and Herring

Frits, Mary and Dirk (who Joan and Christiana adopted as an orphan after the war) each planned a day for us to see Holland.

They took us to a concert on a canal in The Hague and we visited the Mauritshuis Royal Gallery (Rembrandt – Portrait of an Elderly Man, Vermeer – Girl with a Pearl Earring, among other gems).

We drove east to see the polder – a huge area of land reclaimed from the sea and now used for agriculture. We also visited Urk, a traditional, but still thriving, fishing village.

In Amsterdam we visited the Portuguese Synagogue and the Jewish Historical Museum before getting a personal canal tour from Dirk, an urban planner by profession.

Although I won't make generalizations about health and nutrition in Holland, here are some of my impressions.

It seems like they're growing most of their produce. (Country of origin is listed with the price of every fresh item in the produce department.) Not surprising given the abundance of farmland. Family farming seems to be alive and well, and organically-grown produce is gaining in popularity.

What do people eat? Cheese, bread, butter and milk were abundant. To my surprise, buttermilk was served in tall glasses along with orange juice, apple juice and water at the Yad Vashem reception. The white bread sandwiches (at least the kosher ones) were filled with either cheese or egg salad.

Why aren't more of the Dutch obese? What about cholesterol?

Well, a lot of people are on bicycles rather than in cars. And they seem to be sitting down to three meals a day. I didn't notice much in the way of between-meal snacking. Portion sizes are reasonable.

And they eat a lot of heart-healthy fatty fish. The new crop of herring had just arrived. It's eaten raw, with chopped onions. Marie-Ann Kalff introduced us to her fish monger, who was happy to say that he sold Israeli pond-raised fish in addition to many local varieties.

Then there's life style. Our Dutch family is fairly laid-back. They retired early, but are busier than ever in choral groups, church and civic activities. They spend time with their extended family and friends. They enjoy walking and gardening. (Their huge wooded yard was impeccably tended by just the two of them.) At the age of 75, Frits Kalff plays tennis weekly. One of his partners is in his 90's.

I know that genetics plays a role in good health too. But there's always something to learn from other people's diet and exercise habits.

Pass the herring please!

בשביל החסד העולם מתקים

The world exists because of loving kindness. (Rashi)

My husband and I were in Holland last week as guests of the Kalff family. Our hosts were the children and grandchildren of Mr. Joan and Mrs. Christiana Kalff, the couple who hid my (late) first husband in their home during the Shoah.

The Kalffs, along with eleven other Dutch families, were honored with Yad Vashem's "Righteous Among the Nations" award. The very moving ceremony was hosted by Israel's Ambassador to The Netherlands. who is shown giving the medal and certificate to Frits Kalff and Mary Hoekstra-Kalff in this photograph.

Needless to say, it was a very emotional five days. My first husband and his parents moved to the US after the war and had minimal contact with the Kalffs.

He was four years old when he was brought to them one night in 1942 – just a few years younger than Mary and Frits Kalff. For them, he was one of the family – another sibling who, three years later, after the war, disappeared from their lives. So they had many questions for me. And they shared their own stories of life during the war. They dug out old photographs and we walked through their childhood home.

It was a beginning as well as a closure for all of us. They welcomed us into their family, much as they had welcomed my first husband as a brother.

I remember when Frits Kalff first made contact with me a few years ago – just after the birth of my first granddaughter – the daughter of my son from my first husband! And why didn't my son join us for the occasion? Because he and his wife are expecting their second child any day now!

Eggs for Breakfast

When was the last time you ate an egg for breakfast? We usually save omelets for a more leisurely meal later in the day. But eating an egg for breakfast may be a good idea, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

Protein at breakfast can help you get through the morning without snacking. That's because it blunts your hunger more than carbohydrates do. Protein foods also help make you feel full for a longer time.

A breakfast of eggs and whole-wheat toast may be one of the best ways to get that protein. A large egg contains 6 grams of high quality protein and only 75 calories.

An interesting study showed a weight loss advantage among women who ate eggs, rather than bagels, for breakfast. Even though both groups ate the same number of calories, egg eaters lost a lot more weight and reported higher energy levels than the bagel eaters. There was no difference in their blood cholesterol levels.

In another study, people who had eggs for breakfast ate fewer total calories during the day. Mainly because they just didn't feel so hungry.

A large egg has just over 200 mg of cholesterol. If you're diabetic or know that eating foods high in cholesterol raise your blood cholesterol levels, then eating eggs regularly isn't for you. But if you're healthy, one egg a day should be fine.

No time for cooking eggs? How about preparing a batch of hard-boiled eggs in advance? Keep them peeled in the refrigerator and they'll stay fresh for several days.

For years I wouldn't touch a hard-boiled egg. Hard, dry, rubbery and gray was not what I considered appealing. Then I learned how to cook them properly.

Here's what I do:

Put the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring them to a gentle boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pot from the heat, cover it and let it stand for 6 minutes. Eat them hot or put them into cold water so they'll cool quickly.

My favorite hard-boiled egg accompaniments:

A dab each of low-fat mayonnaise and coarse Dijon mustard

A pinch of flaky sea salt and strong, fruity extra-virgin olive oil

Cereal for Breakfast

Ready-made cereal makes a quick and nutritious breakfast. But only if it doesn't have as many calories as a candy bar or a doughnut. If you would never give your children a doughnut for breakfast, you don't want to buy cereal with the same amount of sugar.

How can you tell? Read nutrition labels carefully. Check that a serving size of cereal contains:

At least 2 or 3 grams of fiber

Less than 10 grams of sugar

200 mg or less of sodium

Among kid-friendly name brands that fit the bill are Cheerios, Kix, Life, Honey Nut and Multi-Grain Cheerios.

Health-food and organic brands may offer good choices as well. But not every cereal they make is good for you. There are plenty of organic cereals that are low in fiber and heavily sweetened with sugar, honey, maple syrup or another sweetener.

That's why it's important to read the label.

The same goes for granola. Many brands are loaded with sugar and fat. Even if it's a good fat, like canola oil, you may be getting more calories than you've bargained for.

Hot cereals are great for breakfast. Oatmeal is a favorite, but other whole-grains are good too. Try leftover brown rice, wheat berries, quinoa and polenta for a change. Add raisins or other fresh or dried fruit.

What should you eat with your cereal? Try low or non-fat milk, soy or rice milk or plain yogurt.

And fruit. Whole fruit is higher in fiber and lower in calories than its juiced counterpart. That makes a cut up banana, berries, melon, apple or orange a better choice than a full glass of fruit juice.

Next … Eggs for Breakfast

Breakfast Anyone?

Not hungry in the morning? No time to eat before getting the children to school and dashing off to work?

You're not alone.

In a study of consumer attitudes towards food and nutrition, 92% of respondents said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But less than half of them actually ate breakfast each morning!

Is breakfast really that important? Was your mother right when she insisted that you eat something before you left for school?

Absolutely. Breakfast is definitely good for you. For lots of reasons.

It gives you the energy boost you need to get through the day

It helps improve your concentration and performance

You'll have more strength and endurance

It can help improve your cholesterol levels

Your overall diet will be higher in important nutrients

And here's more good news:

Breakfast eaters – those who eat a healthy breakfast that is, tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

What's a healthy breakfast? One that includes whole grains, low-fat dairy, good quality protein and fruits or vegetables. Like…

Cereal, low-fat milk and fruit

Leftover pizza or pasta

Israeli-style vegetable salad

Whole-wheat toast with cheese

Yogurt and fruit

Half a whole-grain bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon

A hard-boiled egg and a banana

Breakfast bar and yogurt

Oatmeal and raisins

An omelet filled with last night's leftover vegetables

In our house, breakfast is home-made granola (minimally sweetened and full of nuts, seeds and dried fruit), fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt and Japanese green tea. For Shabbat Kiddush it's whole-grain muffins, fruit salad and green tea.

Next … Cereal for Breakfast