Shining a Light on Healthy Living: Enjoying Latkes Without the Guilt

How can you set aside the calories and carbs while still enjoying a healthy, tasty meal that will impress everyone? Dietitian Adina Becher has some tips.

Olive Oil vs. Cooking Oil

While it's customary to cook with oil, it's important to choose the right type. Refined cooking oils, like soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, safflower, and sesame, are rich in omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids that easily oxidize and are linked to inflammation, oxidation processes, and insulin resistance. Refinement uses "hexane," a benzene-derived chemical (from petroleum) that separates oil from other components and is associated with bowel diseases and even cancer. What's the alternative? Use unrefined oils that are cold-pressed, preserving their nutritional values. Fry with olive or avocado oil, which contain antioxidants that support health. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture added olive oil to its deep-frying recommendations, and it retains antioxidants and vitamins even after frying.

Baking vs. Frying

While during Chanukah we traditionally commemorate the miracle of the oil by frying foods, that doesn't mean everything must be fried. Frying absorbs a lot of oil, which means that along with the carbohydrates in doughnuts, sfenj, and latkes, you're getting extra calories from the absorbed oil. When baking, you can spray a little oil for the frying effect or skip it altogether for fantastic results. Try it and see!

Zucchini vs. Potatoes (Carbs, Fiber, Calories, Antioxidants)

Zucchini is a fantastic vegetable that doesn't get enough attention in the kitchen. It's great for cooking, baking, and can even be used to make latkes. It's low in calories, high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals like magnesium, potassium, and folic acid. Zucchini offers lutein, an antioxidant linked to reduced heart disease risk and eye protection. Wash well and keep the skin for its nutrients and fiber. Surprisingly, frying in olive oil can increase zucchini's nutritional value and help maintain its many benefits. Zucchini is also low in carbs, making it ideal for diabetics—test its impact with a continuous glucose monitor without needle pricks. Consider adding herbs, leeks, grated onions, beets, or celery to zucchini latkes for a full vegetable fest. Of course, eggs and cheeses provide protein and calcium.

Potatoes contain five times the calories and nine times the carbohydrates per 100 grams compared to zucchini. For diabetics, potatoes typically raise blood sugar levels. What's good about potatoes? Their potassium content is double that of zucchini (when cooked with skin), and frying latkes in olive oil slows sugar absorption into the bloodstream.

Choose Latkes Over Doughnuts

Want to avoid empty calories and carbs? Leave doughnuts off the menu. They may look tempting and special for the holiday, but remember they add no nutritional value, just empty calories. And no, doughnuts are not fried in avocado oil. Build a holiday meal with traditional foods and delight your guests with latkes. Even if fried, they still contain healthy vegetables full of fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals that you won't get from doughnuts—empty carbs soaking up copious amounts of refined oil, making them a sugar bomb (their flour turns to sugar in your mouth). Most importantly, you choose the quality oil to create your "miracle of the oil" at the holiday meal.

Make the Latke the Main Dish

Whether you fry or bake your latkes, they can easily become the meal's centerpiece by pairing them with nutritious foods. For example, add a low-fat yogurt tzatziki dip to zucchini latkes, a lettuce salad with walnuts and feta, roasted vegetable antipasti, or avocado salad, known for its low-carb content and satiation capabilities. Season with chopped tomatoes, herbs, and lemon, and you have a wonderful, tasty, and nutritious addition.

Don't Forget to Move

While exercise won't reverse doughnut indulgence, it increases your chances of mindful eating. Be consistently active—not just for Chanukah—as a key part of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity helps maintain desired blood sugar levels, promotes physical, mental, and emotional health, improves circulation, and keeps blood pressure normal. Planning a family meal? Add a workout to your calendar to fully "earn" your meal and motivate healthy living habits.

Conclusion

Chanukah is a magical holiday filled with light, family, and friends. It's essential to maintain healthy routines allowing you to lead a balanced lifestyle while enjoying a flavorful, nutritious meal. Advance planning and a creative menu are a winning combination.

Adina Becher is a diabetes and ketogenic dietitian at the DMC Diabetes Center, Chair of Atid Association, and author of "The Ketogenic Diet."