A couple of months back, I wrote a blog post about whether Orthodoxy was inherently unhealthy. (You may be seeing that piece again in the near future. Stay tuned.) My answer was that Orthodoxy itself isn't unhealthy, but that much of today's Orthodox lifestyle is. I concluded by writing,I call on the OU undertake a study of the collective health of Orthodox people, and especially men between the ages of 35 and 65. The OU's done great work helping Torah Jews put more into our mouths. Now it's time for the O.U. to take the lead in helping us put a little less in as well.Well, as of Friday, they still hadn't gotten the message.
I opened up the Shabbat Shalom email from last week to read the following headline:
Donuts vs. CupcakesWas it an article about the relative health of one dessert over another? An interesting Shabbat contest in which a shul pitted the doughnut lovers against cupcake connoisseurs? Hardly. It was a recipe suggestion. And I quote:
Sorry, but is that really the best that the OU can do to promote kosher food? After eating a meal of carrot "kugel" (er, cake) and cranberry crunch as a side-dish, is one dessert not enough, that we need two desserts, piled on top of each-other? It just seems like a bad rip-off of Paula Deen's famous hamburger sandwiched between two a doughnuts. Really. (See above photo. I heard about it on "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!")I think I’ve died and gone to “Snack Cake” heaven. My daughter Shani recently came up with the ideal snack cake recipe she found online. A cupcake topped with a donut!
Truth be told, I posted the original article long before my last doctor's appointment, in which I discovered that my cholesterol had jumped to 250. Not good. I'm trying to cut down, having rid myself of most cheese, my beloved wings on Shabbat, skin on chicken, my cream in my coffee, and other beloved foods. Do we really need the OU promoting an even unhealthier lifestyle?
I suggest that the OU start promoting healthy kosher eating, offering tips on whole-grain recipes, lower fat foods, and healthier cooking options. (You can check out Arlyn Boltax's blog for more ideas.)
We're getting to the point where we've got to ask ourselves whether we're killing ourselves with glatt kosher food.
I think that statement, "I call on the OU undertake a study of the collective health of Orthodox people, and especially men between the ages of 35 and 65."
ReplyDeleteis unrealistic. The OU has no resources to "undertake a study of the collective health of Orthodox people, and especially men between the ages of 35 and 65." Nor does it have people who are qualified to do such a study. To do such a study requires medical professionals who can spend years tracking the health of people. The famous Framingham Heart Study began in 1948. See http://www.framinghamheartstudy.org/
Please see also http://www.torah.org/features/spirfocus/bnaibrak.html
where Jonathan Rosenblum writes
"A growing body of scientific evidence suggests the key to the longevity of Bnei Brak residents may well be their religiosity. Fully three-quarters of the 300 studies to date of the relationship between religious belief and health have shown a positive correlation. Various studies have shown that religious belief and regular attendance at religious services is associated with reduced doctors visits, a reduced incidence of certain forms of cancer and heart disease, and lower post-operative mortality and quicker rates of recovery.
I see no reason to assume that similar statements do not apply to American Orthodox Jews, unless you have other data, which I doubt you have, since you are calling on the OU to do a study! Indeed, in light of this, I have to question what you wrote earlier, namely,
"A couple of months back, I wrote a blog post about whether Orthodoxy was inherently unhealthy. (You may be seeing that piece again in the near future. Stay tuned.) My answer was that Orthodoxy itself isn't unhealthy, but that much of today's Orthodox lifestyle is."
I think you should redo the first part of your blog as well as well as what you wrote at
http://choppingwood.blogspot.com/2010/11/is-orthodoxy-unhealthy.html
Dr. Yitzchok Levine