Hanukkah
Doughnuts and Dieting: Can They Coexist During Chanukah?
Nutritionist Dr. Maya Rosman shares tips on enjoying Chanukah treats without compromising your diet.
Many of us are gearing up for Chanukah, and doughnuts have already begun appearing in local bakeries. Beyond the steep prices some places charge for these doughnuts, nutritionist Dr. Maya Rosman addressed the health and nutrition concerns surrounding them on her 103FM radio show.
In her “Good to Know” segment, Dr. Rosman discussed how to enjoy doughnuts during Chanukah without derailing your diet. “Many of us wait all year for Chanukah — sometimes just for those big, fluffy doughnuts and their sweet aroma, and sometimes because of the nostalgic childhood memories,” she said.
When asked whether a doughnut can fit into a diet, she explained: “Let’s start with the question that concerns anyone on a weight-loss journey. Instead of dinner, you can have a doughnut every day during Chanukah. An average doughnut contains about 400 calories. A typical diet dinner — two slices of light bread, three tablespoons of cheese, a hard-boiled egg, and a vegetable salad with a teaspoon of oil — also comes to roughly 400 calories.”
Though a doughnut is far from the healthiest choice, Dr. Rosman emphasized that, “The advantage of a doughnut is that it can be incorporated in moderation. That’s better than resisting throughout the holiday and then binging on several doughnuts at once.” She added that an effective long-term diet should include room for less healthy foods, making it easier to maintain in the longrun.
Addressing the health drawbacks, she noted: “Doughnuts are fried in oil that’s been heated for a long time. Oil in this state contains harmful substances that promote inflammation and are considered carcinogenic.”
For healthier doughnuts, Dr. Rosman offered several tips: “Preheat the oil to the correct temperature before frying — it significantly reduces the final caloric content. You can always opt to making smaller doughnuts, replacing half the flour with whole wheat, or trying baked doughnuts if you enjoy the taste.” This way, you can savor the sweetness of Chanukah while still feeling good about your choices.
