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Matzah Malaise

The bread of
affliction and other
Passover foods can
have a negative
effect
on the
gastrointestinal
system.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

111 he 11th plague of
Passover: stomach up-
set and constipation.
While many a know-
ing glance has been ex-
changed over the effect
of consuming matzah,
the subject is not too
funny if you are the
one on the receiving
end of the all-too-familiar pain.
Constipation from eating too
much matzah, otherwise known
as Pharaoh's Revenge, strikes
many a Jew in the eight days of
Passover; in fact, it happens to be
one of the chief complaints gas-
troenterologists field at this time
of the year.
"You are guaranteed a num-
ber of calls during Passover re-
garding constipation and the first
thing I will ask is, 'How much
matzah are you eating?' " said Dr.
Alan Cutler, director of gas-
trointestinal research at Sinai
Hospital.
Add to the mix the four cups of
wine, charoset (nuts, wine and
apples), matzah cake flour, bit-
ter herbs, matzah meal and more
plain old matzah and you have
one gastrointestinal hurdle many
cannot clear. While constipation
is the chief complaint, heartburn
and flare ups of the intestinal
condition, diverticulitis, also can
make the list.
As for the constipation, the
condition is caused by the hy-
drophilic (or water loving) nature
of the matzah.
"Matzah is very dry, very ab-
sorbing," said Dr. Cutler. "It will
absorb fluids already in the in-
testines."
Because other grains are
stricken from most Jewish diets
during those eight days, the body
does not benefit from the water
that is available in other grains.
So? What to do?

An asthma fair sponsored by
William Beaumont Hospital
will be held 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 19, at the hos-
pital administration building.
Free lunch will be provided. To
register, call (800) 633-7377

The challenges faced by those who
keep kosher and are trying to

Constipation due to matzah
consumption is no laughing matter.

Beverly Price's
Nanny's Fruit
Compote

Ingredients:
Two boxes of prunes
one package of dried
pears
one package of dried
apricots
one orange, sliced
one lemon, sliced

r'g

Directions:
Mix together, cover with
water and simmer until
soft. Serve.

N '
V* ea k. r6 N AN

"Drink a lot of water and get
exercise," advises Beverly Price,
a registered dietitian and author
ofNutrition Secrets For Optimal
Health.
Matzah flour falls into the cat-
egory of white flour which, by its
natural property of absorbing wa-
ter, slows movement in the in-
testines and thus causes
constipation. With the world's
largest manufacturer of matzah
— the B. Manischewitz Co. in
Jersey City, N.J. — making
about 250 million sheets of
matzah a year, that is a lot of
slowdown.
Because the matzah flour ab-
sorbs water, its effect can be coun-
tered by drinking more water,
Ms. Price said.

Cutting back on matzah con-
sumption and eating more veg-
etables and fruit can also help,
she said. Vegetables and fruit
contain water and fiber, two
things that can ease a case of con-
stipation.
"Focus on big salads or cooked
vegetables if you can't tolerate
the raw ones," she said.
Ms. Price recalled when her
grandmother would serve a fruit
compote for dessert in place of
cakes made of, you guessed it,
matzah meal. Made chiefly of
prunes and other fruits, the com-
pote served as a diuretic while
also adding fiber and water to the
Passover diet.
Dr. Cutler said other parts of
the Passover meal can also be ir-

lose weight are being addressed
in a Weight Watchers group,
10:15 -10:45 a.m. Thursdays at
the Jimmy Prentis Morris Jew-
ish Community Center. For in-
formation, call (800) 487-4777.

hold a Health O Rama, 9 a.m.-
3 p.m. Saturday, Apri119, in the
hospital auditorium. Free and
low-cost tests will be adminis-
tered.

The Endocrinology/Hyper-
tension Research Clinic is be-
ginning a program for patients
between 21-70 who have mild to
moderate high blood pressure.
For information, call (313) 576-
1000.
St. Mary Hospital in Livonia will

-

-

Henry Ford Health System and
Temple Beth El will offer a free
health fair, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sun-
day, April 20, at Temple Beth El.
For information, call (810) 358-
0722.

A free weight reduction class
is being offered by Oakland

ritating to the gastrointestinal
tract.
'Wine, apples and bitter herbs
all could increase the chance for
heartburn," he said.
A simple solution is to take an
over-the-counter medication pri-
or to eating. Another is to cut
back on the amount of charoset,
horseradish and wine consumed
at the meal.
"We totally throw the balance
out of our diets during Passover,"
Dr. Cutler said. "But if you eat
everything in moderation — don't
eat too much matzah, don't eat
too much charoset, watch out for
the wine — and you drink more
water, you should make it
through okay." ❑

County Health Division for five
consecutive Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-
noon, starting April 22. To reg-
ister, call (810) 645-1150.

St. Mary Hospital will hold a ba-
sic life support adult heart cx)
saver course, 7 10 p.m. Tues-
day, April 22, at the hospital in
Livonia. To register, call (800)
494-1650.

-

a_

A class on financing long-term
care will be offered 7-8:30 p.m.
MEMOS page 86

05