{"id":4613,"date":"2022-03-09T16:41:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T16:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/passover\/?p=4613"},"modified":"2022-03-09T19:33:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T19:33:25","slug":"of-food-and-freedom-navigating-pesach-with-food-related-conditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/passover\/articles\/of-food-and-freedom-navigating-pesach-with-food-related-conditions\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Food and Freedom: Navigating Pesach with Food-Related Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many powerful themes carry us through the holiday of Pesach:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The focus on freedom. The triumph of redemption. The call to remove leavened aspects of our souls and purify ourselves. The joys of tradition and singing and spending time with family.<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the food.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As much as we emphasize the spiritual aspects of Pesach, we can\u2019t fully separate them from food. Hashem gave us very specific halachot<\/em> regarding food on Pesach. It\u2019s a challenge for many to remove the chametz<\/em> from their yearlong diets, even for just those seven or eight days.<\/p>\n

But for some, this task is greatly magnified, since food significantly impacts their health and day-to-day lives. How do they navigate this holiday healthfully and with as little stress as possible?<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a close look at several common food-related health conditions and how to manage them over Pesach.<\/p>\n

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"Ella, 42, loves Pesach, but dreads the matzah. Its dry, crispy crunch is a harbinger of miserable days to come. Ella has irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, a disorder of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. It\u2019s a year-round syndrome that can be aggravated over Pesach \u2014 specifically by matzah.<\/p>\n

\u201cMatzah can be very hard for people with IBS to digest,\u201d says Tamar Feldman, RDN CDE, a registered functional dietitian and founder of thegutdietitian.com. Instead, Tamar recommends whole wheat matzah for the additional fiber; however, even that is often not easily tolerated, especially in combination with wine or grape juice.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat only what you need,\u201d Tamar suggests. \u201cAsk your rabbi how much you need, and stick to just that.\u201d<\/p>\n

To counteract some of matzah\u2019s impact on the gut, Tamar suggests that those with IBS drink twice their usual amount over the first few days of Pesach. For additional fiber, eat three fruits plus three to five cups of vegetables on the first days.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you get past those first two days, many people actually feel better on Pesach than during the rest of the year,\u201d Tamar says. \u201cA kosher-for-Pesach diet can be very healthful if it\u2019s done right and if you don\u2019t overeat.\u201d Not overeating is crucial. \u201cFor many people with IBS, much of their GI distress primarily comes from overeating and the late timing of large meals,\u201d Tamar says.<\/p>\n

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn\u2019s and ulcerative colitis)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) \u2014 a condition characterized by chronic inflammation and damage to the digestive tract \u2014 face similar challenges. And the solutions are also similar: Eat the smallest amount of matzah that is okayed by your rabbi; try gluten-free oat matzah; (gluten can exacerbate IBD); and eat fiber-filled food like fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n

Careful reading of food labels is essential, since matzah meal \u2014 and therefore gluten \u2014 can be found in foods you might not expect, such as tomato sauce. Look for the \u201cnon-gebrochts\u201d label, which ensures a food is matzah-meal free. Staci, who takes medication for her mild IBD, can essentially follow her year-round diet on Pesach too. The hardest part for her is that her regular fiber supplement contains wheat, and the substitute she has found doesn\u2019t work as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll drink a lot and eat lots of vegetables to compensate, and I usually feel pretty good, thank G-d,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Celiac Disease & Food Allergies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"Margo\u2019s 18-year-old son has celiac disease, an autoimmune condition in which gluten (a protein found in wheat and other grains) cannot be tolerated. Back when he was first diagnosed at age 7, few kosher gluten-friendly options existed. Pesach \u2014 with its plethora of gluten-free foods \u2014 was a boon for their pantry.<\/p>\n

The biggest issue for people with celiac disease on Pesach is the matzah, which traditionally is made with wheat. Of the five grains that can be the basis of haMotzi, the only one that a person with celiac disease can eat is oats. However, oats can become cross-contaminated with wheat, so someone with celiac disease may react from eating oats that are not certified gluten-free.<\/p>\n

A corollary challenge for people with celiac disease: matzah, matzah everywhere. \u201cMy husband will crack the matzah over a tin so it doesn\u2019t splatter crumbs all over. We\u2019ll pass it around the table in that tray,\u201d says Margo. \u201cWhen we eat out, we ask the host to keep the matzah on the side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margo\u2019s 13-year-old son is allergic to peanuts (as well as tree nuts). During Pesach she must be especially vigilant about reading food labels, because food companies may change the ingredients, making a typically safe food off-limits for Pesach. For example, nuts are ubiquitous in Pesach products, even those you wouldn\u2019t necessarily expect to have nuts \u2014 like plain chocolate, for example.<\/p>\n

Substituting safe alternatives for the food allergen is one workaround. For egg allergies, for example, a chia-based substitute can work. Per OU, chia seeds require checking against foreign materials.<\/p>\n

To avoid potential problems for both her food-sensitive sons, Margo does all her own baking for Pesach. \u201cWhen you\u2019re making meals at home, you know which ingredients are around and what you put in,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

To find tips and tricks for managing, Margo encourages crowdsourcing; in fact, that\u2019s what prompted her to start her 6,000-member Facebook group, Kosher Me & Gluten Free.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy best advice,\u201d says Margo, \u201cis to talk to other people and learn what they\u2019re doing to manage, so you\u2019re not dealing with it alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diabetes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Matzah. Grape juice. Matzah ball soup. Potato kugel. For someone with diabetes, a typical Pesach menu may look like a long list of carbohydrates.<\/p>\n

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder that impacts the way people process carbohydrates in food. With Type 1 diabetes, the body doesn\u2019t produce insulin, the hormone that enables cells to absorb glucose from the blood. In Type 2 diabetes, cells become less sensitive to insulin, often requiring greater amounts of insulin to lower blood glucose. High glucose levels in the blood can cause long-term damage to multiple organ systems in the body. And dangerously high or low blood glucose levels can pose an immediate threat to an individual\u2019s health.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith diabetes, whenever you\u2019re off your regular routine, it can upset blood sugar \u2014 and Pesach throws off your routine,\u201d says dietitian and diabetes educator Rivka Breuer, RDN, CDCES. \u201cWhether they take medication or insulin, people with diabetes need to be ready to adjust.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to plan ahead, Rivka asserts. \u201cAsk your questions to your rabbi in advance: how much matzah do I need to eat? How much water can I add to the wine?\u201d<\/p>\n

General meal-planning guidelines for diabetes don\u2019t change over Pesach: skip high sugar foods like juice and soda; eat combination meals that include protein and fat, along with carbohydrates; choose plenty of fiber-rich foods like vegetables; and read labels carefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a big fan of frozen vegetables,\u201d says Rivka. \u201cThey are so convenient, especially when there\u2019s only so much room in your packed fridge over yom tov.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another strategy to help moderate the blood sugar ups and downs of the Seder is to eat before yom tov, preferably a snack with protein and fiber, like chicken soup with vegetables, or a small apple with a handful of nuts.<\/p>\n

Physical activity is a critical component of a healthy diabetes lifestyle over Pesach too. Even taking a walk after your meal can make a difference in your blood sugar levels, says Rivka.<\/p>\n

Finally, as Pesach wraps up, it\u2019s important to review how the holiday went, healthwise. \u201cKeep track of what worked for you \u2014 which products were well tolerated, which caused your blood sugar to skyrocket,\u201d Rivka says. \u201cWrite it all down so you can look it over before next Pesach and get a head start.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a close look at several common food-related health conditions and how to manage them over Pesach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":4781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4613","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOf Food and Freedom: Navigating Pesach with Food-Related Conditions - Kosher for Passover<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oukosher.org\/passover\/articles\/of-food-and-freedom-navigating-pesach-with-food-related-conditions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Of Food and Freedom: Navigating Pesach with Food-Related Conditions - 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