Why you need to eat more on Shabbat

Once upon a time you could feel saintly if you’d managed to consumer your five fruits or vegetables that day. Over the years, the target shifted to ten but the newest number to aim for the latest target doing the rounds in newspaper and magazine articles and is a jaw dropping 30.

But where has this come from and what does it mean?

Nutritionist Laura Southern says that the ‘eat your way to 30’ mantra is not as scary as it sounds.

“It means including 30 different plant foods every week and not each day. Plus getting there is easier than it sounds – and a lot more fun. Don’t be thinking it will mean endless bowls full of cabbage — all plants count. You can tot up a huge range of foods from fruits and vegetables, to oils, stalks, stems, leaves, roots, nuts, seeds, legumes, herbs and spices. Even your cup of morning coffee. And different colours of vegetables — red or yellow pepper for example — provide different nutrients. The same goes for purple or orange carrots.”

Photo: Getty ImagesGetty Images

She goes on to explain that the weekly 30 has come from research done into gut microbes. “A healthy gut microbiome is linked to every aspect of health from a better immune system, improved digestion, reduced anxiety and depression, hormone balance, glowing skin. To support our health, we need to support the health of our gut microbes.”

The key, she says is to include the most variety of foods into your menus. And the beauty of this way of eating, is that it’s all about adding in. The more the better — it’s definitely not about denial. And you only need to be getting this variety across the week and not in one day. So, repeating the same meals over and over will not help.

It’s quite possible to get a good number of your weekly 30 in one Shabbat meal. I asked Laura for tips on how to get at least 15 plants into your Shabbat menu.

Here are some of her suggestions:

Starter for ten:
Instead of your regular chopped liver, kick off your meal with more Sephardi-influenced starters. Replacing the Ashkenazi classic with a more colourful, veg-filled spread will provide plenty of plants. Whisk up a few dips like baba ghanoush, hummus and matbucha. If you’re time-starved you can buy them in — most kosher delis and supermarkets stock them. Once you tot up the chickpeas, tahina, olive oil, lemon juice, aubergines, tomatoes, garlic and peppers served with olives, pickles and sun-dried tomatoes in your flavour-filled mezze spread you’ll see how easy it is to reach 10+ plant points.

Chicken Matzo ball soup with carrots in the bowl. Jewish traditional Passover holiday foodGetty Images/iStockphoto

Make your chicken soup count:
Anyone who makes their own Jewish penicillin knows the clear broth already contains the goodness of a host of healthy vegetables. But instead of throwing away the carrot, celery and onion serve them in your soup. (Food editor’s tip: when serving your chicken soup, lightly cook extra carrot slices separately to add into the soup. A handful of chopped parsley will also add nutrients.) You can also replace regular lockshen with noodles made from beans or quinoa for an extra plant point. FInd plenty of chicken soup recipes here. 

Photo: Inbal Bar-OzPhoto: Inbal Bar-Oz

Make veggies the main event:
Give star billing to the plant-based dishes of your Friday night feast. I’m not suggesting you ditch the meat — your roast chicken is safe — but think about what’s accompanying it. Roots are in season at this time of year, so replace roast potatoes with a swede and parsnip mash or a tasty and colourful tray of roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, butternut and onions. Or keep with the Israeli theme and serve whole roast cauliflower, which looks spectacular as well as tasting great. Shower it with pomegranate seeds and slather with a green tahini sauce made with tahini mixed with lemon juice and mountains of chopped herbs for plenty more plants. Oh, and different coloured variations on the same vegetable ie: yellow, red or orange peppers all count separately. You can also include wholegrains like brown rice, barley and oats as well as legumes.

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Just desserts:
Don’t think the goodness stops with the savoury courses. Dessert is another a great opportunity to add more gut-friendly foods. Add warming spices, like cinnamon and ginger to stewed fruit, like plum and apple. Each spice counts for half a plant point) and add even more nutritional nuggets by adding oats, nuts and seeds to the toppings for fruit crumbles.

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Keep things sweet:
Don’t stop with dessert. Finish your meal with a black coffee or maybe a glass of fresh mint tea and a gorgeous-looking tray of nutty chocolate bark to go with it. Make sure to use dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids and sprinkle it with nuts, seeds and a colourful range dried fruits. Think pistachio slivers, flaked almonds, chopped up dried apricots and dried cranberries. Delicious and also packed with even more nutrients.

Laura Southern is at @londonfoodtherapy