Two of the main mitzvos of Purim involve food: eating a seudah and giving and receiving mishloach manos.

But

While food is required by halacha, junk food is not! Many people complain about how unwell and lethargic they feel by the time Purim is over,

aside from the inevitable dentist visits for children who have had one too many mishloach manos treats. This year, your Purim can be different.
 

The key to a healthy, high-energy Purim starts in the morning. Prepare a solid, nutritious breakfast for yourself and for your children

and make sure it is the first thing you all eat. Throughout the day, have healthy snacks available for the adults and children in your family, like natural dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. A full stomach will keep your family away from junk food, which will in turn keep you all away from the doctor.

Once the mishloach manos start arriving, things get more tricky. First off, you can avoid the issue of junk food by requesting from your neighbors and friends not to deliver junk-filled packages. If that’s not an option, deal with it as it comes. Children get excited about candy, so they’ll need an incentive to avoid eating it. Here’s an idea: prepare a Drop Box and a decorated Surprise Box. For each candy your children drop into a slit in the Drop Box, they can reach into the Surprise Box and pull out a prize. Another option is having them trade in their treats for money, then visiting the toy store and choosing a prize.

What happens with the Drop Box contents after Purim? Being that the chemicals, colorings and sugars in candy are so dangerous, I would not suggest giving them away to others. It really belongs in the trash. If you are afraid that throwing it out would transgress בל תשחית, discuss with a competent Rav whether it is preferable to feed garbage to your body…

As far as leftover foods that are not dangerous for consumption (such as wafers, cookies, and snacks), donating them is the best way to get the biggest bang for your mitzvah buck! TK Health Club has arranged to distribute leftover packages of food after Purim to needy families. For every package donated, TK Health Club members will earn a raffle ticket to win a 100 NIS voucher to a participating health food vendor of your choice. If you are not yet a member, join now! Call 058-325-7693, visit www.tkhealthclub.com, or email tkhealthclub@gmail.com.
 

The Purim seudah is the highlight of the day. For readers who live in Yerushalayim, Purim goes straight into Shabbos, so it is important to keep the meal lighter than usual.

For the appetizer, try preparing a variety of salads for a light spin. These can also be served on Shabbos, so you won’t have to do double work. You can also serve fish and a filling vegetable soup. For the main, choose chicken over beef and sprout-like grains over heavier starches: quinoa, wild black rice, whole brown rice, buckwheat, and other light grains are good options. Dessert might not usually be necessary after all the junk food people have been eating – but this year you won’t be eating it, so prepare something sweet but nutritious, like fruit compote or baked apples. Also, provide water instead of sweetened, processed drinks; they are not healthy and can make you feel sick.

Between all the festivities, we tend to be more lax about even severe health risks on Purim. Men and boys should not be smoking because it has been proven to be physically damaging, especially to the lungs – even in small amounts. Additionally, drinking too much alcohol puts intense pressure on the liver, our “detox” organ, and inhibits it from performing its other critical everyday functions. Consult with your Rav as to what is actually required by halacha in regard to drinking on Purim.

With these tips in mind, this Purim might just be the first that you fly through with enough energy to last until you are knee-deep in Pesach cleaning. Many of the topics touched on here will be expounded upon in future TK articles, so stay tuned for more. May this Purim be your healthiest, most wonderful one yet! I look forward to hearing all about your beautiful experiences.

 

Two of the main mitzvos of Purim involve food: eating a seudah and giving and receiving mishloach manos.

But

While food is required by halacha, junk food is not! Many people complain about how unwell and lethargic they feel by the time Purim is over,

aside from the inevitable dentist visits for children who have had one too many mishloach manos treats. This year, your Purim can be different.
 

The key to a healthy, high-energy Purim starts in the morning. Prepare a solid, nutritious breakfast for yourself and for your children

and make sure it is the first thing you all eat. Throughout the day, have healthy snacks available for the adults and children in your family, like natural dried fruit, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. A full stomach will keep your family away from junk food, which will in turn keep you all away from the doctor.

Once the mishloach manos start arriving, things get more tricky. First off, you can avoid the issue of junk food by requesting from your neighbors and friends not to deliver junk-filled packages. If that’s not an option, deal with it as it comes. Children get excited about candy, so they’ll need an incentive to avoid eating it. Here’s an idea: prepare a Drop Box and a decorated Surprise Box. For each candy your children drop into a slit in the Drop Box, they can reach into the Surprise Box and pull out a prize. Another option is having them trade in their treats for money, then visiting the toy store and choosing a prize.

What happens with the Drop Box contents after Purim? Being that the chemicals, colorings and sugars in candy are so dangerous, I would not suggest giving them away to others. It really belongs in the trash. If you are afraid that throwing it out would transgress בל תשחית, discuss with a competent Rav whether it is preferable to feed garbage to your body…

As far as leftover foods that are not dangerous for consumption (such as wafers, cookies, and snacks), donating them is the best way to get the biggest bang for your mitzvah buck! TK Health Club has arranged to distribute leftover packages of food after Purim to needy families. For every package donated, TK Health Club members will earn a raffle ticket to win a 100 NIS voucher to a participating health food vendor of your choice. If you are not yet a member, join now! Call 058-325-7693, visit www.tkhealthclub.com, or email tkhealthclub@gmail.com.
 

The Purim seudah is the highlight of the day. For readers who live in Yerushalayim, Purim goes straight into Shabbos, so it is important to keep the meal lighter than usual.

For the appetizer, try preparing a variety of salads for a light spin. These can also be served on Shabbos, so you won’t have to do double work. You can also serve fish and a filling vegetable soup. For the main, choose chicken over beef and sprout-like grains over heavier starches: quinoa, wild black rice, whole brown rice, buckwheat, and other light grains are good options. Dessert might not usually be necessary after all the junk food people have been eating – but this year you won’t be eating it, so prepare something sweet but nutritious, like fruit compote or baked apples. Also, provide water instead of sweetened, processed drinks; they are not healthy and can make you feel sick.

Between all the festivities, we tend to be more lax about even severe health risks on Purim. Men and boys should not be smoking because it has been proven to be physically damaging, especially to the lungs – even in small amounts. Additionally, drinking too much alcohol puts intense pressure on the liver, our “detox” organ, and inhibits it from performing its other critical everyday functions. Consult with your Rav as to what is actually required by halacha in regard to drinking on Purim.

With these tips in mind, this Purim might just be the first that you fly through with enough energy to last until you are knee-deep in Pesach cleaning. Many of the topics touched on here will be expounded upon in future TK articles, so stay tuned for more. May this Purim be your healthiest, most wonderful one yet! I look forward to hearing all about your beautiful experiences.