Eat right on Passover

How do we eat right and keep our weight during Passover? And what is the difference between eating matzah and digestive system problems?

It is impossible to ignore the fact that something in our Israeli-Jewish culture encourages abundant and abundant eating on Shabbat and holidays
The more diverse and abundant the holiday table is with delicious and special foods, the more we will feel the holiday and its unique feeling. Basically, with the help of the food, we enhance the uniqueness of the holiday and thus distinguish it from weekdays.

So the table is already full of good things, we have to please the hosts and the senses of smell, taste and sight that are awakened in front of the diverse offer and immediately we start an internal discussion about how we behave in the face of all this without feelings of guilt and without a feeling of fullness and heaviness and a few extra pounds.

Because not every day is a holiday as they say, we often give in to temptations.
But the fact that there is such a great abundance and that ‘not every day is a holiday’ does not mean that we cannot conduct ourselves in a wise and fun way – yes, it is possible!

Here are some tips for eating wisely during the holidays:

• Do not arrive very hungry for the meal – this is a very important rule and not only during the holidays. The feeling of hunger confuses us and our choices become wrong in quality and quantity. It is important to eat in an orderly manner – 3 small meals a day and snacks in between so we will not reach an extreme feeling of hunger which usually leads to disaster. Golden tip: eat 4 walnuts before the meal and you will see how your feeling of the week increases – which will make you eat moderately and sparingly.
• Pay attention – listening / mindfulness – is the psychological process of bringing deliberate and non-judgmental attention to the eating experiences that are happening in the present tense. It is highly recommended to deepen the study of this process and prove the power of attention’s influence on our eating behavior. With mindfulness we will know how to correctly recognize the feeling of hunger and satiety and eat comfortably. Come to the meal when you are calm and peaceful, experiencing all the flavors and textures with intensity and attention. Golden tip: the feeling of satiety is a pleasant and easy feeling. Stop when you are no longer hungry, although you can continue to eat. Our satiety mechanism is activated about 15 minutes from the beginning of the act of eating and signals a feeling of satiety – even if we eat very little! According to Maimonides, our stomach is divided into four quarters and we must fill only three of them. One quarter always leave empty. You won’t believe how much this tip will change your feeling
• Take small portions – ‘Which hero? The one who conquers his desire’ – don’t give in to the creature of lust, conquer it – take smaller portions than what your instincts say. This is how you will behave with control and wisdom.
• Drink something – a glass of water or a glass of soda before the meal or before each meal will contribute to a feeling of fullness and eating moderately and in smaller portions.
• Dessert – you can just taste a few small and delightful bites of it and it will do the job. Dessert is an unnecessary habit that is not healthy for digestion. Yes, it is important to enjoy a sweet bite or two, especially for the soul.
• Feel good – if you deviate, there is no room for feelings of guilt, regret, anger or disappointment. Forgive yourself in order not to enter the circle of comforting emotional eating, and to avoid the next deviation. In addition, feelings like these are not healthy for the mind and hence also for the body.

What is the difference between eating matzah on a holiday and problems with the digestive system? And what is the solution?

Eating unleavened bread during Passover often causes disorders in the digestive system such as gas and bloating, constipation, abdominal pain and even intestinal blockage.

Why is this happening?

The normal matzahs ​​basically consist of white flour and a little water, which means there is little water and almost no dietary fiber at all.

The amount of water and dietary fiber in food greatly affects the rate of our digestion. The fewer these, the slower the digestion. Another important role for dietary fiber and liquid in food – softening the stool and making the exit easier. As I wrote before – the matzah is very low in fiber and liquids, which prolongs its residence time in the intestines and creates a situation of bloating and constipation, in addition, since the matzah is dry, it also absorbs the liquids in the intestines and dries out the intestinal environment. That is, all the conditions for the development of constipation and its complications exist. When there is constipation, gas and flatulence also develop due to the action of intestinal bacterial fermentation.

so what are we doing?

• Water – it is important to drink a lot of water in order to maintain a good amount of fluids in the digestive system. Adherence to drinking water is very important here and in the scope of preventing constipation. Make sure to drink water or infusions throughout the day.
• Wholemeal matzah – you can purchase or make wholemeal matzah at home, preferably spelled, which is easier to digest. Wholemeal flour has nutritional fibers that improve the digestion process and speed it up. In any case, you should not eat a lot of matzoh/matzoh flour and their products.
• Fruits and vegetables – eat much more fruits and vegetables than usual. They are very rich in both liquids and dietary fiber, greatly improving intestinal motility and the digestive process.
• Physical activity – this also greatly improves the motility of the intestines and the entire digestion process. It is important to perform aerobic activity for at least 20 minutes a day.