health & wellness
One Matzah Ball
Is Better than Two
Alison Schwartz
Special to the Jewish News
A
s you dig into your matzah ball
soup on seder night — and who
won't be? — you're unlikely
to be thinking about the salt content.
Actually, we're talking 756 milligrams
per cup of soup (and who eats just a cup's
worth ... If you're anything like my kids
and hubby, it's two cups plus three mat-
zah balls!). Right there and then, without
even looking at the eggs with salt water,
gefilte fish, the roast chicken, the brisket
and the kugel, you're heading for a bust
when it comes to the daily health require-
ment for salt in your diet, which is about
one teaspoon a day, or 2,300 milligrams.
Most of us eat 3,000-4,500 milligrams
a day, but new research from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention has
shown that if we were to cut back to
recommended levels, 500,000 to 850,000
lives in the U.S. could be saved. Which is
where Michigan-based Health Alliance
Plan (HAP) comes in, with a big push
during this month — National Kidney
Month — to help us all achieve a lower-
sodium lifestyle.
When sodium levels are high and the
kidneys aren't working optimally, sodium
builds up in the blood, attracts and holds
water, leading to increased blood volume
and higher blood pressure. Up goes our
risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney dis-
ease and even cancer.
There are so many myths surround-
ing salt. Apart from the confusion about
how much is too much, you may think
that if you don't have high blood pressure
you don't need to worry. And many of
us think that low-salt cooking has to be
bland. But HAP experts are determined
to challenge these myths and lead us on
the road to low-salt enlightenment.
Along with the newly launched HAP
Speakers Bureau, freely offering health
experts to the community to speak on
issues such as kidney disease, heart
health, healthy eating, low-sodium diets,
weight management and workplace well-
ness, HAP is offering a number of health
and wellness resources to its members
and the community.
These include A Taste of Health,
low-sodium cooking classes for older
members, free Enhance Fitness classes
for older adults in the community in
partnership with the National Kidney
Foundation of Michigan, free after-school
cooking classes for children aged 8-14
years called Ready, Set, Cook and Cook
eKitchen, a free healthy cooking video
website for children and their families,
launched last year and available to the
entire community.
In addition, blood pressure screenings
at worksites and a healthy dining guide
Chickpea Casserole with Lemon,
Herbs and Onion
Cooked chickpeas are the protein base of this
dinner casserole. It's vegetarian and so very nice
for a meatless supper. But with its herbed and
lemony creaminess, it also makes a great side
dish for roasted chicken or grilled meat of any
kind. Serves 6 to 8.
3 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed,
low-sodium, or 5 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup red onion, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1 /2- 3A cup vegetable stock - or chicken stock -
or water and Braggs Aminos
1 1 /2 cups plain Greek yogurt - you can use
full fat if you like
% cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided (not
from a green can!)
% cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
56
March 21 • 2013
JN
on the website are all vital components to
HAP's wellness initiatives.
"Many of us are brought
up with a salty diet —
Jewish cooking tradition-
ally does tend to rely on
salt rather than other sea-
sonings," says Amy
Strauss, a spokeswoman
for HAP and also a mem-
Amy Strauss
ber of Adat Shalom
Synagogue. "But making changes to the way
we eat and learning about where salt is hid-
ing, such as in processed foods and fast
foods, can make a big change in our health
now and in the future. Reducing our salt
intake can have a dramatic effect on our
risk of high blood pressure and diabetes —
which are two of the most important risk
factors for kidney disease
Strauss, a mother of two who lives in
Farmington Hills, also added that it is a
fallacy that cutting down on salt in cook-
ing means giving up on flavor, a message
echoed by HAP's Chef Paul Penney, who
works with the nonprofit health plan on
many of its recipes and cooking initiatives
for the community.
He explained that as people age, their
taste buds function differently and there is a
tendency to gravitate toward more seasoned
foods with sodium because things taste
blander. "But with just a little knowledge
of how to use spices and different herbs,
2 tablespoon fresh rosemary (leaves only) - 1
tablespoon dried
2 /3 cup panko bread crumbs - or regular
bread crumbs that are unsalted
Olive oil - to drizzle - or you can use spray
oil to coat the crumbs.
Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease
a 9- by 13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish
with spray.
In a large bowl, mix the chickpeas with the
rice, red onion, garlic, lemon zest and juice.
Season them with freshly cracked pepper.
Mix the beaten eggs in a medium bowl with
the yogurt, and 1 /4 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
Finely mince the parsley and fresh rosemary
leaves. Stir the mixture and herbs into the
chickpea mixture.
Spread the mixture in the prepared bak-
ing dish and top with the remaining V4 cup
Parmesan and the bread crumbs. Drizzle with
olive oil. Bake covered for 30 minutes then for
15 minutes uncovered or until bubbling and
golden.
❑
HAP experts look at
salt, the fact and fiction,
during National Kidney Month.
we can ensure food is
tasty but not loaded
with potentially harmful
amounts of salt," he said.
Penney added that
making nutritious vege-
table-based soups from
scratch is a great start.
Chef Paul
"Processed versions might
Penney
look healthy but are often
loaded with salt," said Penney, who will be
running A Taste of Health cooking class on
March 27. "My version of lentil soup [see
below] has very little sodium. Processed
lentil soup, even some of the kosher packs,
have a high-sodium content:'
Around 26 million people in the United
States have chronic kidney disease and of
that number, 940,000 live in Michigan.
According to the National Kidney
Foundation of Michigan, more than 70 per-
cent of all kidney failure caused by diabetes
or high blood pressure could be prevented
or delayed by eating healthy, getting exercise
and taking the right medications.
Cutting down on sodium intake is one
important step we can all take, says Strauss,
to keep kidneys and circulatory systems in
good shape ... and one good reason not to
pass the salt (or extra matzah balls).
❑
A Taste of Health will be March 27 in Madison
Heights for HAP members who are 65 or older.
Call HAP at 1-800-422 4641 for details.
•
Chef Penney's Red Lentil
and Red Pepper Soup
'A cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, finely
chopped
1 quart good chicken stock
(low-sodium version or for vege-
tarian version, use Braggs Aminos
and water)
1 quart of water
1 cup dried red lentils
1 tablespoon white balsamic
vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the olive oil in a soup pot,
and add the chopped onion and
peppers. Saute the pepper and
onion mixture for about 10 min-
utes or until they become soft.
Add the chicken stock and 2 cups
of water to the pot and simmer for
Red-Lentil Soup
another 30 minutes. At this point,
remove from the heat and puree
the mix either in a blender or food
processor until smooth. If you pre-
fer it rustic, allow a few chunkier
pieces.
Return the blended liquid to the
soup pot and add the lentils. Cook
for about 25 minutes until the len-
tils have broken down and are soft.
Stir in the vinegar to taste — start
with 1 tablespoon — and add salt
and pepper as well.
❑
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