Welcome to this guide, which we've developed as additional support for our Jewish members, friends, and families, blending Second Nature guidance into their daily lives.
In this article, we'll discuss the traditions of day-to-day life and provide support for navigating the many Jewish festivals.
What is Judaism?
For those reading this guide as an educational tool, Judaism is the world's oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years.
Shabbat (the Sabbath) is the most critical time of the week for Jewish people. It begins on Friday evenings and ends at sunset on Saturdays.
On Saturday, people attend the Synagogue for services led by a rabbi, which means 'Teacher' in Hebrew.
We know that the level at which people practise their faith in any religion varies widely.
We have prepared this guide with consideration to the most Orthodox, however, we recommend that our members adapt this based on their traditions and beliefs.
For members catering for Jewish friends or family members, there are some key considerations when it comes to dietary intake.
This includes no consumption of pork or shellfish, enjoying lamb cooked in a pan with liquid but not roasted, and not consuming meat and dairy in the same meal (e.g. on Shabbat (the Sabbath), ensuring that the dessert doesn't contain dairy products).
It's also important to note that Jewish people eat Kosher meat and poultry only (this is meat that has been ritually slaughtered and salted to remove all traces of blood).
Incorporating Second Nature into Judaism
Family pressure and the pressure to participate in all aspects of a traditional meal can lead to conflicting thoughts regarding following Second Nature.
It's important to note that enjoying any food on occasion is fine. Your Health Coaches can help you find a balance between your religion/culture and balancing your plate.
This might involve eating a healthy, balanced breakfast and lunch during the day if you have a big family meal in the evening.
Another challenge may be the volume of sweet foods at specific festivals, especially for those with a sweet tooth or who struggle to say no to sweet foods.
Your Health Coach can help you with some strategies, including talking to your family members ahead of time to set expectations, taking along a healthy dessert, or considering how you lay the table or where you place yourself.
Shabbat
Jewish law requires Jews to refrain from various acts of 'work' on Shabbat, including travelling (other than by foot), cooking, writing, carrying, switching on and off electricity, using a telephone, and any transactions of a commercial nature, including buying and selling.
Jewish law on Shabbat prohibits food preparation, cooking, baking, and fire kindling. Food is generally prepared ahead of time and reheated.
The Shabbat meal is a spiritual and family event, and we recommend that you consider how to participate in this while considering your desired health outcomes. Here are some tips:
Have a reduced serving of Challah bread
Consider having a carbohydrate-free soup as a starter, e.g. pea and mint, vegetable or chicken without the matzo balls
Meze, e.g. hummus, babaganoush, tomato garlic dip, is a good option as this can be high in protein and vegetables
Aim to fill 25 % of your main course plate with meat, such as brisket or lamb, roast chicken, fish, salmon or Gelfite, and vegetables
Kugel is relatively high in carbohydrates, so consider how to balance your plate, with kugel as a maximum of 25 % of the plate
Ensure that 50 % of your plate comprises vegetables, e.g. asparagus, salads, and roasted vegetables
Consider having fruit for dessert
Religious holidays
Passover
Passover celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt and occurs in April.
At the beginning of Passover is the 'Seder' meal, which includes drinking four glasses of wine, reading, and eating specific foods. e.g.,
Ceremonial foods are placed on a Ka'arah (or seder plate) platter. This includes:
Vegetables (karpas) dipped in saltwater
Matzah (dry, flat cracker-like bread)
Bitter herbs (maror), e.g. horseradish and romaine lettuce dipped into Charoset (a paste of nuts, apple, pear and wine)
A festival dinner (see Shabbat)
Passover food traditions:
For seven days, food that has been leavened (known as chametz) has to be removed from the home and avoided - this includes any food containing wheat, barley, rye, oats, and spelt that has come into contact with water and been allowed to ferment and rise.
For some, legumes, beans, peas, rice, and millet are also avoided - these foods are known as 'kitniyot'.
Peanut/peanut butter isn't kosher for Passover as peanuts are legumes according to some Ashkenazi Jewish standards.
Traditionally, instead of bread, a flatbread called matzo is used.
Balancing a seder meal:
Aim to balance out the amount of Seder foods you eat, focusing on the meat and vegetables and keeping Matzah to a minimum
Alternatively, aim to balance the rest of the day with healthier options at breakfast and lunch
Drink water alongside the wine, and consider the size of the wine glass or serving
Work on a balanced mindset, e.g. this is an occasional meal, so enjoying all offerings is fine
Shavuot
Also known as the "feast of weeks", Shavuot marks the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel in May or June.
Dairy is customary, and a typical meal includes:
Baked fish, e.g. halibut or salmon
Blintz (crepe with cheese)
Noodle kugel
Crustless quiche
Challah (bread)
Pashtida (similar to a quiche)
Cheese salad, e.g. mozzarella or goat cheese
Cheese bourekas or sambusak (cheese and pastry)
Meatless lasagne
Vegetables, e.g. asparagus or green beans
Cheesecake or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting
Balancing a Shavuot meal
Dairy is customary. However, some traditional offerings can be lower in carbohydrates and higher in vegetables. Here are some suggestions:
Baked fish, e.g. halibut or salmon, served with salad
Crustless quiche, e.g. Second Nature No Pastry Quiche, Savoury Slice, Mini Omelettes or Goats cheese, pea and basil frittata
Keep Challah (bread) to a minimum serving, e.g. 25 % of the plate
Pashtida (similar to a quiche)
Cheese salad, e.g. mozzarella or goat cheese, e.g. Second Nature grilled aubergine and mozzarella salad
Meatless lasagne made with aubergine e.g. Second Nature Aubergine parmigiana or https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/261026/ultimate-low-carb-zucchini-lasagna/
Vegetables, e.g. asparagus or green beans
Second Nature passionfruit cheesecake
The High Holy Days:
The ten days, starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur, are also known as the High Holidays, the Days of Awe, or Yamim Noraim.
These days, which occur in September and October, are considered a time of repentance for Jewish people.
Rosh Hashanah is the first day of the ten high holy days. It translates to 'head of the year,' and it is tradition to have a Rosh Hashanah seder plate.
Each of the chosen foods—generally a pomegranate, date, string bean, beet, pumpkin, leek, and fish head—symbolises a wish or blessing for prosperity and health in the coming year.
Typical savoury food traditions include:
Brisket or other meat option
Kugel
Couscous with 7 vegetables
Carrots, leek, chard, spinach, green beans, beetroot (often served with e.g. pomegranate or honey)
Typical sweet food traditions include:
Apple and honey
'New fruit' (seasonal fruits)
Challah bread dipped in honey
Honey cake
Dates
Babka
Balancing a Rosh Hashanah meal
Traditional foods such as pomegranate, date, string bean, beet, pumpkin, leek, and fish head can be incorporated into healthy savoury meal choices
Consider brisket or other meat options as 25 % of your plate
Couscous with seven vegetables would be a good option for the 25 % of your plate from carbohydrates (consider the amount of couscous used
For your 50 % vegetables, consider carrots, leeks, chard, spinach, green beans, and beetroot (it is okay to roast/serve these with a bit of pomegranate or honey)
Sweet food traditions could be adapted to contain less sugar; for example, you could opt for the following:
Apple and honey, using less honey
'New fruit' (seasonal fruits)
Dates
Again, also work on a balanced mindset. This is an occasional meal, so enjoying all offerings is fine. We have put together a Rosh Hashanah guide, which you can find here.
Yom Kippur:
The ‘day of atonement’ is the holiest in Judaism. It is the last day of the ten high sacred days and typically falls at the end of September. It is a day of fasting, prayer, and reflection, observed for 25 hours at sundown.
A typical Yom Kippur pre-fast meal:
The pre-fast meal is known as seudah ha-mafaseket (literally, "meal of separation" or "concluding meal").
Some traditional recipe choices for the meal include:
Rice
Kreplach (stuffed dumplings),
Challah bread (dipped in honey, as Yom Kippur occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah)
Chicken or fish
Meals usually should be prepared with minimum salt, as this could cause dehydration during the fast
A typical breaking of the fast:
The breakfast meal usually consists of high-carbohydrate and dairy foods
Sometimes brunch-style recipes such as sweet kugel are served
Bagels, quiche, soufflés, eggs, cheese are common
Some families indulge in heavier traditional meals with soup and brisket
Balancing food intake at Yom Kippur
Before the fast:
Consider the balance of the plate by considering the following
Ensure that the meat or fish makes up 25 % of the plate
Opt for rice or kreplach
Keep challah bread to a minimum
Ensure there are plenty of vegetables available
Drink plenty of water and consume hydrating foods (fruit and vegetables)
Reduce salt intake, as this could cause dehydration during the fast
Breaking the fast:
Keep sweet foods such as sweet kugel to a minimum
Opt for half a bagel
Consider savoury dishes such as quiche, soufflés, eggs, and cheese
If having a more traditional meal, aim for a carbohydrate-free soup (see previous)
If having brisket, aim to have this with lots of vegetables
Drink plenty of water and consume hydrating foods (fruit and vegetables)
The Rosh Hashanah guide contains guidance for Yom Kippur. You can find this here.
Hannukah
This Jewish celebration, also known as the "Festival of Lights," lasts eight days and commemorates the rededication of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the Syrian Greeks over 2,000 years ago.
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days during December. Each day, Jews light candles on a Hanukkiah (a nine-branched candelabrum) using a candle called a shamash, starting with one candle and adding one more each day.
Traditional Hannukah food:
Traditional Hannukah foods are fried in oil
Traditional foods include:
Brisket
Latkes, which are often served with applesauce and sour cream
Kugel (savoury or sweet)
Sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) or bunuelos (or bimuelos), which are traditionally dipped in honey
Hannukah Gelt (chocolate coins, usually given to children)
Balancing food intake during Hannukah
As this is an 8-day festival, consider providing members with nutritious and balanced breakfast and lunch ideas
Discuss occasional and everyday foods and help to build a framework for the occasional Hannukah foods
Enjoy brisket with vegetables and 25 % of the plate as bread or kugel at traditional family meals
Use the Second Nature Latkes with Smoked Salmon recipe for a savoury option, or choose an unsweetened apple sauce
Consider Sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) or bunuelos (or bimuelos) as 'occasional foods'
We have put together a Hannukah guide, which you can find here.
Sukkot
Sukkot occurs annually in September-October. Beginning on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei (five days after Yom Kippur) and is celebrated for seven days.
Sukkot traditional foods:
Breads and starters:
Challah
Kreplach (small dumplings filled with meat)
Gefilte fish
Chicken Matzo ball soup
Other soups, e.g. chicken or vegetable soup
Mains
Brisket
Meatballs with sauce
Roast chicken with vegetables
Chicken and couscous
Schnitzel
Sides
Meat stuffed peppers with turkey mince or beef mince
Traditional or sweet potato kugel
Tzimmes
Vegetable side dishes, e.g. roasted carrot, mixed vegetable casserole
Salads
Grape leaves
Cabbage
Desserts:
Fruit compote
Jewish apple cake
Balancing a Sukkot meal:
The traditional foods served at Sukkot make following a healthy, balanced plate relatively easy.
Top tips:
Minimise challah bread, kreplach matzo and other carbohydrates
Opt for a soup without the matzo balls, e.g., chicken, carrot, or other vegetable soup, or balance a few matzo balls with the carbohydrates for the rest of the meal
Ensure that 25 % of the plate is protein, e.g. brisket, chicken, gefilt
If you are responsible for food preparation, consider complex carbohydrates where possible, such as whole-grain pasta or noodles, sweet potato, and wholewheat couscous
Choose your carbohydrates: aim to minimise carbohydrates to 25 % of the main dish plate and opt for protein-rich starters and snacks
Fill the starter and main plates with a wide range of nutritious vegetables such as salads, roasted vegetables, e.g. tzimmes or vegetable casseroles, and stuffed peppers
Eat slowly, wait 10 minutes before reaching for 2nds and opt for vegetables
Opt for fruit for dessert, or enjoy a small slice of a chosen dessert on one or two of the evenings
Work on a balanced mindset, e.g. this is an occasional meal, so enjoying all offerings is fine
The Sukkot guide can be found here.
Mitzvah
When a Jewish boy turns 13, he has a Bar Mitzvah; when a Jewish girl turns 12, she has a Bat Mitzvah.
This is an 8-day festival, so we recommend creating a meal plan with nutritious and balanced breakfasts and lunches.
At traditional family meals, enjoy brisket with vegetables and 25 % of the plate as bread or kugel.
For a savoury option, use the Second Nature Latkes with Smoked Salmon recipe or choose an unsweetened apple sauce.
Consider Sufganiyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) or bunuelos (or bimuelos) as 'occasional foods'.
We hope that this guide is beneficial to you. If you have any questions, contact your health coach.
Written by our health coach Kirstie Lawton