The Yom Kippur fast begins at dusk on Tuesday and ends on Wednesday night. Here are five tips to get through the fast:
1) If you are a chronic coffee, tea or cola drinker, cut down already now. This will reduce the amount of caffeine on which you rely and hopefully prevent you from suffering a headache during the fast.
2) Beginning the morning before the fast, avoid drinking sweet beverages or salted soups. Both cause thirst. Small meals should be eaten often and, at every meal, it is advisable to eat complex carbohydrates like potatoes and pasta, with protein such as egg, cheese, fish and meat. Vegetables are always welcome and healthy.
3) Avoid foods that produce gas such as legumes, cabbage, cauliflower and carbonated beverages. You don’t want to go into the fast gassy.
4) For the last meal before the fast, avoid alcohol and anything salty, spicy, fatty or fried. Don’t overeat. You don’t want a heavy, stuffed feeling of fatigue and pressure in the stomach. A recommended menu includes complex carbohydrates; proteins such as fish, poultry, turkey, meat and vegetarian tofu and eggs; cooked vegetables of any kind; beneficial oils such as canola, olive, avocado; and tehina or hummus added to salad or as a separate dish. Drink only water or green tea.
5) Be careful what you eat when the fast is over. Don’t stuff yourself. If you eat too much you could have some abdominal discomfort. Best is to drink a lukewarm sweet drink like tea or juice and then eat cake or a few cookies or crackers. Only after about an hour later should you eat something a larger meal.
And lastly – Don’t forget to appreciate the solemnity of the day. We wish you an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur.