Shulchan Aruch: True Healthy Nutrition According to the Rambam

What we eat and how we digest food is the main factor affecting our health, says the Rambam. He even compared bad food to poison. Even elderly and weak individuals can maintain good health through proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

But what is healthy nutrition? According to the Rambam, healthy nutrition is tailored to an individual's temperament, age, occupation, and health status. For example, an overweight person requires a different menu than someone underweight. Similarly, someone doing heavy physical work needs different nutrition than someone who spends most of their day in an office.

There is a strong resemblance between the Rambam's approach to nutrition and that of traditional Chinese medicine. Both believe that nutrition should be determined based on a person's elemental type (fire, wind, water, or earth) and make use of humoral theory. Additionally, the treatment method in Chinese medicine is very similar to the therapies prescribed by the Rambam.

The basic assumption underpinning both Chinese medicine and the Rambam's teachings is a healthy soul in a healthy body as a prerequisite for quality of life and longevity. 

In general, the Rambam advised that a person should adapt to their natural surroundings. Therefore, nutrition should be adjusted according to the seasons and geographical location. In the winter, it's advised to eat warming foods with some warm spices, such as meat and winter spices. In contrast, in the summer, it's suggested to consume foods that cool the body, such as high-quality dairy (goat cheese, fermented yogurt), cooling vegetables and fruits (squash, pumpkin, watermelons, and melons).

However, before considering the seasons, it's important to assess a person's temperament. A person with a cold temperament might need strengthening foods even in summer due to their pathology, requiring strengthening foods. Someone suffering from frequent diarrhea, for example, should have a reinforcing diet that stays longer in the stomach: quality lean meat, fish, cooked vegetables, and white rice instead of brown.

According to the Rambam, food is medicine, mainly a preventive one for various diseases. Therefore, he classified foods as good or bad depending on a person's personal condition. We learn from the Rambam that nutritional treatment is personalized—what is good for one person may be detrimental to another.

It is worth mentioning the words of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who said, "Nature has changed, as well as the climate and people, and so has nutrition and the nature of food."

Which foods should never be eaten?

The Rambam differentiated between foods that are extremely harmful and should never be eaten, and those that are not good in general but can be eaten sparingly and infrequently: "There are foods that are very harmful, and a person should never eat them [...] they are like poison for the body" (Mishneh Torah, Sefer Mada, Hilchot Deot, Chapter 4). So which foods are better not eaten at all?

Large, old, and salted fish (the larger the fish, the more toxins and mercury it contains)

Salted and old cheese (excess salt is dangerous for everyone, and old cheese has harmful bacteria)

Salted and old meat

Mushrooms and truffles (a type of mushroom)

Foods with a bad smell  

Which foods should be eaten sparingly?

Mishneh Torah, Sefer Mada, Hilchot Deot, Chapter 4: "There are foods that are harmful, but not as bad as the first ones; therefore, a person should eat them only sparingly and occasionally, and not make them the regular part of their diet." Which foods should only be consumed in small amounts and occasionally?

Cheese and milk that have sat for more than a day after milking

Meat from large oxen and large goats

Broad beans and lentils. But today we know that sprouting assists digestion and makes food healthier.

Barley bread

Spelt bread

Cabbage

Garlic and onions (should be consumed in moderation, garlic is healthy but can be very harmful if the person has a hot temper).

Mustard is not good in summer

Radish is not good in summer

Laxative vegetables—someone with a sensitive digestive system should cook the vegetables, "but all of them have bad nutrition for those who wish to maintain their health".

Carob (causes constipation)

Citrus fruits (except lemon, grapefruit, pomelo, and sweet pomelo, because they are not very acidic)

Unripe fruits

Waterfowl, and young pigeons 

Fresh dates (dry dates are good, fresh dates are excellent)

Bread toasted in oil or kneaded in oil

Thoroughly sifted semolina

Large fish

Which foods are good for health?

Whole wheat bread ("spelt" in the language of the Rambam). "The flour made from wheat not soaked in water and not peeled" (Sefer haKatzar, Chapter 3)

All fruits (and the best are almonds, nuts, and grapes, many fruits are good, except citrus which is mucous-forming).  

Olive oil (but not on a hot day)

Poultry meat and especially chicken soup

Fish, especially small fish rich in omega-3, the mullet is the best.

Eggs

Cow and goat milk (today goat milk is preferred, and only fermented yogurts that benefit the intestines should be consumed)

Beef and lamb (only for thin and weak individuals)

"Honey and wine are bad for the young and good for the elderly" (Hilchot Deot, Chapter 4)

How should one eat?

In addition to classifying good and bad types of food, the Rambam offers several eating recommendations in the Mishneh Torah (Sefer Mada, Hilchot Deot, Chapter 4):

1. A person should not eat unless they are hungry, and should not drink unless they are thirsty.

2. One should not fill their stomach completely, leaving a little space.

3. One should not drink water during the meal but drink a little water mixed with wine before the meal.

4. During the meal, it's recommended to eat light food before heavy food. For example, eat poultry before beef, and eggs before poultry or beef.

5. Nutrition should be adapted to the seasons. Thus, in the summer, it is recommended to eat cold food without spices and with vinegar, while in the winter, warm and spicy food is recommended. Furthermore, in summer, the amount of food should be reduced to two-thirds of the winter amount.

6. One should eat sitting down, not standing. Additionally, walking during a meal or immediately after eating disrupts the digestive system and endangers health.  

7. A person should eat only after having gone to the bathroom and bathed.

Dror Aukabi is a naturopath and nutritionist, a lecturer on healthy living