Recommendations for a healthy diet for the holiday meals
Food choices
- Also in holiday meals, it is recommended to think of our food choices. This is a good chance to become accustomed to as well as to eat more food that was prepared at home, from natural ingredients that underwent as little processing as possible.
- It is best to consume food that is in the spirit of the Mediterranean diet.
Desserts
- It is recommended to make due with small portions and to choose desserts that are fruit based, such as compote or fruit salad.
- It is best to entirely give up sweets and cakes.
Beverages
- It is recommended to serve water at the table and not to consume sweetened beverages.
Four toasts on Seder night
- There are several customs regarding the choice of wine and quantity. Reduce the consumption of wine and sweet grape juice and drink as little as possible according to the Halacha.
- Alcohol absorption varies between people, so drink slowly, eat and drink plenty of water between each toast. This way you will allow your body to break down the alcohol without overloading it.
- Prefer red wine over white wine.
- Avoid drinking alcohol with medications. Alcohol negatively affects the medication, and may have harmful effects and even lead to poisoning.
- Recommended weekly amount: Men – 5 glasses a week. Women – 4 (pregnant women or a woman planning a pregnancy – 0). If you are drink more than that, stop drinking alcohol!
Recommendations for a healthy diet for the vacation days
The Matzo is the main characteristic of the Passover holiday
Nutritionally, Matzo is usually made of wheat flour and water. One Matzo contains about 160 calories – which is double the amount of energy found in two slices of bread. Since the matzo is sometimes not filling enough, we tend to eat more of it. There are whole wheat matzos in the market that are rich in nutritional fibers and generate a feeling of fullness for a longer period of time.
- As a matzo substitute, one can eat a light matzo that contains about 2/3 of the calories of a regular matzo, or rice cakes (for bean eaters).
- In the stores and bakeries, one can find Kosher for Passover rolls made with matzo meal, potato starch, rice flour, almond flour etc. Some of these rolls contain oil and eggs; therefore one should try to eat them in moderation.
- One can use other carbohydrate foods for variety, such as: potato, sweet potato, quinoa, millet, buckwheat and whole rice (for those ethnic groups that do eat these foods in their Passover diet).
- Potato and sweet potato are principal foods in the diet of ethnic groups that do not eat legumes. A medium size potato is equivalent in its amount of energy (calories) to that of one slice of bread. You should prefer an oven-baked or boiled potato to one fried (like in French fries) or cooked with a large amount of oil.
- Please note: spelt (Kusmin in Hebrew) is one of “five types of grain”, and foods containing it are considered Chametz in Passover (besides kosher products, such as matzah from spelt flour).
In contrast, buckwheat (kusemet in Hebrew) is a different plant and is not considered Chametz in Passover - For ethnic groups that do eat legumes on Passover – it is recommended to prepare dishes from lentils, humus, beans, mush, broad bean, peas, soy beans and lupine. These dishes can be healthy, tasty and filling substitutes to a meat dish.
Additional recommendations
During the entire holiday, it is recommended to use the holiday for family outings in nature and for physical activities together, such as: walking, bike riding, ball games, and the like. You do not need to travel far for these activities: even a walk close to home can be enjoyable and refreshing.
Fats in Passover meals: which ones, how much and why?
During the Passover holiday we use many foods containing healthy fats: avocado, nuts and almonds, almond flour and more. Foods from this food group form an important source of energy, provide fatty acids essential for the body, help in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins and contribute to the health of the skin and hair.
Ethnic groups that avoid eating legumes on Passover do not use soy oil and canola oil but use instead palm oil in larger quantity. Palm oil is considered of lesser quality than soy oil and canola oil due to its high content of saturated fatty acids; therefore it is preferable to use it in moderation. For those who do not use soy oil and canola oil for Halachic reasons, it is recommended to use olive oils or nut oil.
Caloric value of certain foods consumed on Passover
| Food | Nutritional value (calories) |
| One matzo | 160 |
| Light matzo | approx. 110 |
| 2 tablespoons of matzo flour | 70 |
| One matzo ball, medium size | 46 |
| Puffed rice cake | 30 |
| Medium size potato | 107 |
| One tablespoon of charoses | 25 |
| An hard boiled egg | 85 |
| An egg-fried matzo | 337 |
| One portion of gefilte fish | 180 |
| Medium size coconut cookie | 57 |
| Medium size peanut cookie | 108 |
| One shot glass of dry wine (approx. 100 ml) | 70 |
| One shot glass of grape juice (approx. 100 ml) | 88 |
| One shot glass of sweet wine (approx. 100 ml) | 150 |
| One bowl of chicken consommé | 40 |
| One portion of beef (100 gr) without gravy | 175 |
*The data were obtained from the database in the Ministry of Health “Zameret” software.
