Help me be healthy in Israel

amother

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 1:54 am

Here's my issue. I grew up on healthy snacks that were very accessible in the stores. I find it really difficult here. Even getting fruit and vegetables is a whole thing, because there are few types of fruits, and the ones available are usually brown and gross.

The other catch is that we eat only certain hechsherim, and all the health food stores seem to sell health food that doesn't fall under those. This cannot be changed unfortunately. I find maybe this is the biggest problem. Plus, honestly, it's really expensive. To buy a bottle of orange juice - sheesh!

I feel like my kids are so deprived of all the good stuff I had growing up. My mom wasn't much of a cook, but at least I had fresh fruit daily, and good sandwiches, and good snacks. We were far from health food obsessed, but I felt like I had a very good balance.

Here, the kids have to eat sandwiches in the mornings. One of my kids cannot bring any dairy to gan. The other, I put in cottage cheese in her sandwich. Then I have to send a mezunos. I'd love to send fruit, or veggies with salad dressing, but that's just not done. Everyone is expected to send a sandwich with white bread, and crackers or something (I usually send pretzels because that's the healthiest option). I miss granola bars, and baby carrots with dressing, and all that stuff.

I don't feel my dinners are much better, either, to be honest. One of my kids doesn't like anything that's not simple. Meaning, it's very good that she likes easy-to-make food, but things like veggie patties just don't go. I'm trying to push those occasionally, we'll see if it works. We don't eat meat during the week.

I really feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle here. Any ideas??

amother

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 2:12 am

I just made Aliyah this past August and am struggling with similar healthy eating issues.

Here are some of the snacky things my kids like:

Pretzels with peanut butter (natural kind - or you can make your own).
Pretzels/Crackers with yellow cheese or olive cream cheese
Apples/Pears (with or without honey - I have been finding good quality apples and pears)
I also have been finding good quality oranges, I cut them into slices with the peal on it and the kids just eat them and leave the peel.
Recently I found some Chul bannanas and my kids were going crazy that they could finally eat a bannana (because we try not to have any kedushas shvis products in the house).

I also have a challenge with dinners - my kids don't like pasta. We make tacos - cut up cucumbers, peppers, avacado/guacmole, tomatoes, mashed/purred black beans and frated cheese, - they like to make the tacos themselves - but you could just as easily put it into a pita instead of a taco shell. Here was what I was thinking of a menu for the week:

Sunday - shabbos leftovers/schnitzel (because I usually havent had a chance to go shopping)
Monday - Chicken and rice (but if you dont eat meat during the week you could do pasta or eggs or french toast)
Tuesday - poached salmon (or you could do tuna burgers but my DH doesnt let the kids have tuna because of the mercury, or you could just do tuna/salmon salad, egg salad, chummas, etc.)
Wed - tacos
Thursday - make your own pizzas (similar to tacos - pita bread, sauce, cheese everyone gets to top their pizzas with olives, mushrooms, peppers, etc.)

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 2:15 am

First off, it may be the acceptable thing to bring a sanswhich for arucht eser, but who said you have to? My daughter told me that she doesnt want to wash her yadayim anymore, so we think of other things. Many days she brings two egg whites with cucumbers and rice cakes. Sometimes she brings pretzels and cucumbers and cheese (so forget the cheese if dairy is no good)
there are so many different options.
Also, you are obviously buying your fruit in the wrong places. I have never bought brown gross fruit. We buy green apples and my daughter has one every few days.
it really can be done. you just have to find good stores. Thats all.

shabbatiscoming

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 2:16 am

amother wrote:

Also - here is what I send in for lunch:

Whole wheat roll/baggette for the bread (usually returns to me uneaten - I dont know why Israeli teaches insist you send bread when it wont be eaten).
Pretzels
Apple slices (or sliced orange)
Cuccumber slices
Biscuits/crackers
Hard boiled egg sliced
Triangle cheese

I really miss cheese sticks. A good source of protien and my kids would inhale them. But they are super expensive in Israel and not made from Mozzerella cheese.

Why does it matter the kind of cheese it is made from? And how much do the cheese sticks cost where you are from?

amother

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 2:24 am

Thanks to everyone for your responses!

I buy produce next door at whatever that store is now (keeps changing), but they just changed the hechsher so now I will have to shlep across the neighborhood to Yesh, because I have so much free time (rolls eyes). I find that the oranges are rarely good, the apples are only cacha cacha, and there's rarely anything else.

I go shopping monthly at shaarei revacha.

My kids are young still (my oldest is 3, and is super picky), so I think a lot of this can change in the future when I can introduce more types of food.

I find that we eat bread way too much. I work in the mornings so lunch is usually pita (after breakfast having been the sandhich). To the person who said that I could do something different, the ganenent specificially asked for this white bread/mezunos deal. I remember once I tried to bake healthy whole wheat muffins for breakfast and was told that the other kids wanted it so please not to send, because everyone should eat the same thing.

I feel like because of the system here, my 3 year old has simply gotten used to not eating healthy. For example: When she was little, I used to only send whole wheat bread and it was fine. But then the ganenent said she wanted like everyone else, and would only take from others and not eat her own, and then that was out the window. Because I have a hard time getting healthy snack options here, she's now used to eating this way. I want to train her to eat healthy again, but it's so hard when I can't seem to find the options I'm looking for!

I miss cheese sticks too, but I can't find them in a hechsher we eat.

I don't have time right now to copy down my whole menu that I had written up, but it basically consists of:
eggs (one kid eats them, one doesn't), canned corn (they both like it), the israeli couscous pasta, regular pasta (one kid eats it, one doesn't), or shabbos leftovers. I can't really find anything else to add! HELP!

Sanguine

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 2:49 am

amother wrote:

I feel like my kids are so deprived of all the good stuff I had growing up.

OP - How long are you here? Your kids are not deprived of good stuff at all. Everything costs more here and that's the trade-off for the good life but you can eat lots of healthy here if you want.

1 -Either pay the price of cheese sticks here or get over it. Eat triangle cheese.

2 - Fruits and vegetables are beautiful here but you can't buy summer fruit in the winter. Learn to Adjust. If you just moved here on time for shmitta and you're only eating produce from Chu"l - you're right. You have a problem. Try Heter Mechira - beautiful stuff

3 - If your child won't wont eat sandwiches speak to the teacher (is this gan?). Maybe you can send a rice cake peanut butter sandwich.

4 - No one buys a bottle of orange juice (unless they have money). It's easy and cheap to buy oranges and squeeze them yourself.

OP - your post is so negative for such trivial reasons. Did you just move here? Did you want to? There is plenty of healthy food here but you have to want to put in some effort. One more harder thing here - But so worth it Very Happy

amother

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 3:29 am

No, I did not just move here. My kids are getting older so I'm starting to experience the backlash from the ganenets. My daughter DOES eat the sandwich in the morning. but it can't have anything good in it! I can't make a fancy sandwich with eggs and veggies, or anything with cheese. Because the ganenet doesn't let. And neither did the ones before her.

I've already tried other things but they are very specific that I should only send what the other kids are eating: white bread, and mezunos.

We only eat badatz vegetables and fruit. We don't hold by heter mechira. I understand that if I did, things would be different. We belong to the charedi tzibur and our hechsherim are very limited.

luppamom

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 3:33 am

I've also found that I am much healthier here than I was in the US. I eat much less processed foods. I don't really have to worry about adapting my menu to children though, my DD is a baby.

Since I've moved here, I've probably lost around 10 lbs. just from a healthier life style. I hardly ever take buses and walk and walk and walk.

I don't know where you shop, but I usually find delicious fruits and veges. I prefer chul, but use a little bit of nochri stuff. Although, as little as possible. We don't hold that it has kedushat shevit, but we try to be careful. Overall, the fruits and veges are so cheap. (Maybe not this yr. but other times) I was shocked when I went to chul. Fruits and veges are so expenive over there.

I have noticed that some stores have tastier veges than others. I recommend shopping around. Also, the seasons make everything much more exciting. I am excited when the citrus comes out and I am excited when it's peaches and plums and watermellons... get to make lots of shehechiyanus. And this yr. aside, they're fruits and vegetables from Eretz Yisroel... what could be better? (I am chalishing to go pick s/t w/ kedushat shivit and eat it... one day Smile

)

Avocados are so cheap and they're yum!

I also like the whole wheat bread here. I know that's a challenge w/ the school age kids, but maybe you can bake half and half challah and other treats for her to eat when she's home. When she gets older, there will probably be more room for some individuality.

I buy quick oats (MK Hechsher from London, also have found Landau) and add brown sugar. This is good b/c I can control the amount.

I also make a lot of chicken as I've found that dairy is just as expensive. Shnitzel is pretty healthy. They sell roasted liver here, yum! I sometimes buy it for Shabbos. It's expensive but it's full of iron and my DH enjoys it.

Orange juice, I've pretty much given up on and enjoy it whenever we are in chul. I did buy it as a treat for Pesach and we enjoyed it so much.

I have found motzerella cheese sticks pretty sure it was Tenuvah Mehadrin w/ Rav Witman and Gross. They're expensive though. I think I got it when I was pregnant and had a craving. Otherwise, I s/t buy motzerella behind the cheese counter. I found a cheap one from Yavne I think. I think there is a more expensive one that is yummier. Pizza w/ that and homemade sauce (either I make a marinara sauce or I mix resek w/ spices, mainly oregano) YUM! I also made lasanga. Would your kids go for that? You can probably sneak veges in.

Also, homemade soups. Yum! I love that there's so few ready made things here b/c it challenges me. I once made baked falafel balls from a recipe on imamother. So yum!

Hatzlacha! Also, don't compare.It's not the same and probably never will be. You just got to love how it is here and slowly forget what it was like in chul. Soon you'll find yourself feeling bad that in chul they'll never got such delicious huge rimons w/o paying a mint... we get all these fresh herbs and lettuce we don't need to check... that's really expensive in chul.

And when I go to chul, I enjoy the orange juice and Cheddar cheese (this is s/t I miss, but try not to think about)

deena19k

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 3:45 am

Sanguine wrote:

I'm sorry, but this is a super rude response to op. Complaining about the health food options in this country is a valid complaint and does not make her negative about living here. I mean, look at the bakeries here filled with filo dough and puff pastry and look at the schwarma places using vats of oil and tell me that everyone here eats so healthy lol.
Op, I've noticed that unfortunately the mehadrin stores tend to have sug bet produce. I don't know why, maybe it's better in the shuk. You could try the shuk. Baby carrots, strawberries, and mozzarella cheese sticks all don't have mehadrin hechsherim. sanguine, it's a little rude to tell her to try heter menhirs, if she doesn't hold by that.
Admitting that there is room for improvement does not make us all negative about living here!!! That's one thing that bothers me about this forum. We are allowed to vent and ask for advice without being considered lazy and ungrateful and negative!

Sanguine

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 4:01 am

deena19k wrote:

Sorry if I was rude, but the whole attitude of OP's post was so negative. luppamom has all the answers about eating healthy here. It's different than chu"l but can be done. OP was just so negative about it all.
About heter mechira vegetables. I don't expect people to change their hashkafa. But realize that you're living in EY in a year that we have the zchut to keep shmitta and all the people in chu"l enjoying bananas don't have that zchut. Yes you can kvetch about how much everyone "enjoys" Shmitta but everything can't be bad.

OP - I think your main problem is that your first child is 3. It's hard to learn to feed a family. I think you need help with meal ideas.

amother

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 4:17 am

You'll probably find that most of the things you miss are actually not healthy anyway. Like granola bars - they can have a LOT of sugar in and are very processed. Orange juice - more sugar than a glass of coke, and none of the fiber found in fruit that will help you digest it. Plus, it's so easy to drink a few glasses - and that's tons of oranges' worth or sugar. The real food staples are in Israel, although you are right about the fruit and veg being limited. We spend money on bodek brocolli and frozen strawberries and mango year round.

I guess what you are missing is the 'healthy-ish junk food' - maybe you could have a baking session once a month? Homemade fruit leather using applesauce, grain free muffins using tehina instead of almond butter etc.

It's a real shame that the gans are making children eat like that. Grains are not very nutritious compared to all the wonderful colored fruit and veggies around...

Do you not eat meat during the week for money reasons? I find that chicken actually works out cheaper than the amount of dairy you would need to have a good amount of protein. Especially if your kids do have a lot of grains in gan - maybe you want to have a protein and veggies rich dinner instead? Simple, it can be. Also, red meat for iron. You can stretch it by making meatballs or meatloaf with veggies grated into it and tomato sauce for extra vit c.

I don't have much advice about what to feed your kids, but it might be worth it to look at a few real food bloggers websites, and get some ideas. Real food is the healthiest and made from the basics which should be cheap anyway.

The money you save on the processed things you're not buying you could spend on a few tasty healthy ingredients, like healthy oils such as olive or coconut instead of terrible refined canola oil.

Also, you can buy things that are 'healthy extras' to add to regular food just to boost the protein and vitamins - like nutritional yeast, wheat germ, ground flax seeds, tehina made from whole sesame seeds. Then even pasta can be better for you!

Anon because this is my 'speech'...

DrMom

Mon, Feb 16 2015, 4:38 am

If it's really an issue to give your gan-aged child anything except a slice of bread with hummous or cottage cheese, I don't think it will kill her. Use whole wheat if it makes you feel better.

Snack ideas:
- cucumber spears/carrot sticks with hummous or lebane
- make a mix of sesame-seed pretzels with raisins and nuts
- small salads (my 7-yo loves simple Israeli salad with a splash of olive oil and a squirt of lemon.)
- fresh fruit - no, we don't fly in summer fruit from Chile in the winter the way they do in the US, but what is here is locally-grown and fresh, at least where I shop. Check out different stores if your local green-grocer is not stocking good produce.
- crackers (there are lots of simple wholegrain crackers from Osem at every makolet) with lebane
- chick peas with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and a squirt of lemon
- red bell pepper spears - sweet and tasty and full of vitamin C
- orange juice is pricey (if you get the good stuff), but oranges themselves are plentiful and juicy and full of fiber and cheaper. Eat oranges, drink water.