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The Holiday of Lights and Calories

I can tell you as a Jew that many of the Jewish holidays are about the family gathering together and having a big meal together.

Holidays are supposed to be fun, and they usually are, but there is always a frustration for people who are dieting in order to lose weight. Dieticians usually tell them to try and not gain through the holiday. The problem is not just that the meals are big, but the traditional foods are calorie rich.

The best example is Hanukkah, the holiday occurring right now. Hanukkah is about the recovery of the temple after a rebellion against the Greek regime when the Greek ruled Judea, a little more than 2,000 years ago. A very small amount of oil was left to light the Menorah, a big lamp placed in the temple that lightened it and was the main symbol of it. Miraculously, the oil was enough to light the Menorah for eight days. It's not a coincidence that Hanukkah occurs close to the shortest day in the year. One of its names is "The Holiday of Lights" and it symbolizes the longing for light.

Hanukkah lasts eight days. In each of its evenings we light candles in a device called a "Hanukkiah". The typical foods of Hanukkah are oil based foods, such as latkes and doughnuts. This is where the problem starts: Today, many people maintain, try to maintain or should maintain a low calorie diet, and they have eight days with high calorie, oil based foods all around them.

We have tradition in one hand, and in the other – the media, trying to frighten us with the consequences of consumption of calories. In between we have our digestion system, our health and our pangs of conscience. We're lucky that Hanukkah lasts only eight days a year. If we usually have a healthy diet, this holiday shouldn't bother us.

Happy Hanukkah!

December 14^th, 2009.

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