Food for the Soul: Traditional Jewish Wisdom for Healthy Eating

I loved this so-much-more-than-a-cookbook book. The author gives out sound and reasonable advice on nutrition and manages to make it extremely interesting! The recipes are wonderful (at least the ones I've tried); simple, but elegant and delicious. I would highly recommend this book to anyone serious about eating healthier (while actually enjoying the food). Food for the Soul: Traditional Jewish Wisdom for Healthy Eating

Chana Rubin is a registered dietitian who has taught nutrition and healthy cooking in the US and in Israel. In her book, Food for the Soul: Traditional Jewish Wisdom for Healthy Eating she provides information and advice about nutrition and health from a Jewish Perspective. It begins with showing the connections between Jewish thought and traditions and the importance of taking care of our health and bodies. The book continues with chapters covering current thinking regarding healthful nutrition and practical approaches to changing and improving our behavior and food choices. There are chapters on how to read food labels, sorting out good vs. bad fats, understanding carbohydrates, proteins, fruits, vegetables and more. In addition this book addresses some concerns that are uniquely Jewish such as healthier Shabbat and Festival meals. Each chapter ends with a short summary - "The Bottom Line" with the author's recommendations on how to move toward healthier eating. For example, at the end of the chapter on childhood obesity, Chana Rubin gives the following suggestions: Eat meals together as a family as often as possible; Be a role model by eating healthy foods and exercising; Encourage your child to be physically active; Serve child-sized portions and limit snacking. These are simple, practical changes that a family can make to reduce the likelihood of childhood obesity. This book is filled with sensible advice for improving our health. Over 100 recipes are also included at the end of the book. I haven't tried any of these recipes yet but plan to test out the Rice and Lentil Pilaf after Passover and the Moroccan-style Carrot Salad and Healthy Whole-wheat Challah Recipes for a Shabbat later this month. The recipes look interesting and easy to follow. There is also a short chapter on menu planning with a sample week's menu provided that looks great. I found that the information regarding nutrition and healthful eating was easy to understand and complete. The advice and suggestions are practical and not too difficult for anyone to follow. This is the kind of book that belongs in every Jewish home and can be used as both an educational tool and reference for healthful eating.

I've read over hundred nutrition related books over the years and Food for the Soul is one of the most succinct and inspiring. The recipes are clear and easy to understand and it contains a wealth of information on healthy and delicious foods. My copy is well worn and occupies a prominent spot on my kitchen shelf. Frieda Luxenberg

This information-packed, soft-cover book provides nutrition basics and over 100 of Rubin's personal favorite recipes, while addressing nutrition and health from a Jewish perspective. No photographs or illustrations here, but much food for thought. Selected chapters open with quotations from the likes of Kook, the late Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the Bible or Rashi, with the occasional Chinese proverb thrown in. The 17 chapters have names like "Diet and Health," "Eating for Optimum Health," "Fat Facts" and "Childhood Obesity," with sub-headings, such as "Health in the Jewish tradition," "Food as a vehicle to holiness," "A healthy relationship with food," "Lifestyle changes that can help you lose weight," "Using the discipline of kashrut" and more. Rubin extols the advantages of a colorful diet, providing a food palette that details the benefits of each hue. Many chapters end with a succinct "bottom line" summary that I chose to read first, for a quick preview of what the chapter holds and her halakhic observations are fascinating, even to the non-observant reader. A recipe and menu section at the back of the book provide practical, easy-to-implement suggestions and some recipes offer sophisticated new twists to old favorites, like Doron's Banana Walnut Cupcakes contributed by chef Doron Degen who trained in Canada and now resides in Beersheba. His secret is to gently sauté the mashed bananas with cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa and some brown sugar before adding them to the batter. The only problem I had with the book was in locating recipes. I tried the recipe for granola - I'll never use packaged again - but had difficulty finding it a second time, because I didn't remember that, in the index, it's listed under "C" - for Chana's Granola. The aptly named "Food for the Soul," if properly digested, is a great hors d'oeuvre, before choosing recipes for your family from Rubin's or other cookbooks. By Gilah Kahn-Hoffman, The Jerusalem Report, September 15, 2008

Although not Jewish, I found this cookbook to be interesting and educational in covering many aspects of health and nutrition. The plus, for me, is the great recipes and the section on planning ahead. I live in a vacation area and have many drop-in guests. Not only can I be prepared but am able to offer foods healthier and more tasty than my guests have been eating in their travels to be here and still have time to visit.