Jewish American Heritage Month in May reflects on the contributions of the Jewish people to a young and growing Nation over its almost 250-year history. Like many in the United States, their culture and history go far beyond the founding date of the country. The Jewish people began establishing families, businesses, synagogues and contributing to their communities long before 1776.
In every sector of the Nation, Jews have made vital contributions to the culture and molding of the country. Each generation made contributions that shaped who we are today. From the early progress of colonies deciding to raise arms against the British (Hyam Solomon) to our courts (Louis Brandeis and Elena Kagan), they continue to build upon the civilization their forefathers sought. Others brought their scientific knowledge (Albert Einstein and Jonas Salk) while a community of business leaders created foundations (Al Fleishman and Monroe Green). They also filled the world of arts with immense talent entertaining us (Woody Allen, Barbara Streisand, J.J. Abrams), creating classic compositions (Irving Berlin, Leonard Bernstein), or writing timeless works (Norman Mailer, Ayn Rand).
Jewish American Heritage Month also looks at the history of injustice the Jewish people have had to overcome for centuries, not just in America but around the world. It’s a time to reflect on the tragic conditions they suffered and at times continue to face. The observance also offers the opportunity to end anti-Semitism and learn the history behind it.
JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
Following resolutions passed by the House and Senate, in 2006, President George W. Bush proclaimed May to be Jewish American Heritage Month. His proclamation was the result of efforts by the Jewish Museum of Florida and South Florida Jewish community leaders.
Each year since then, the sitting president proclaims Jewish American Heritage Month in May.
During Jewish American Heritage Month attend local events hosted by heritage centers, libraries, schools, and synagogs. These organizations host seminars, webinars and other events sharing the heritage, history, and culture of Jewish Americans. You can also take time to read books, memoirs or documentaries on the subject. Share your Jewish heritage and family history or speak at a local event.
Use #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth to share on social media.
National Cheddar Day adds some cheesy goodness on February 13th!
Grilled cheese would be buttered bread without melt-able slices piled high; burgers would be lackluster without a perfect ooze; mac & cheese would just be…mac, to be frank. So many of our iconic American dishes simply wouldn’t be the same without a slice of cheddar’s deliciousness.
CHEDDAR HISTORY
There’s some history to this love of cheddar as well. How exactly did cheddar become a staple in so many of our favorite foods? Let us tell you!
Cheddar first rolled into being in the village of Cheddar in Somerset, England in the 12th century. While cheddar accounts for more than a third of all the cheese sold in the United States, it is a royal hit in the United Kingdom where it was created. In fact, more than half of the cheese sales in the UK go to cheddar.
In 1894, renowned cheesemaker Peter McIntosh brought his cheese-making skills to Tillamook County, Oregon where it rains a lot and the grass was always green. He taught the locals all he knew, and in due time he earned himself the nickname “Cheese King of the Coast.” Today, there are more cows than people in Tillamook, and those local farmers have since formed the farmer-owned cooperative we know today as the Tillamook County Creamery Association.
No wonder cheddar finds its way into so many recipes or a simple snack. That rich, creamy and sometimes crumbly flavor is what keeps us coming back for more, bite after delicious bite.
After over a century spent perfecting its award-winning cheddar recipe, Tillamook founded National Cheddar Day on February 13, 2019, to celebrate its 110th birthday and share a passion for cheddar with cheese-lovers nationwide, giving cheddar a day to shine on its own. ( You have to try thier ice cream!)
Founded on the coast of Oregon this farmer-owned cooperative continues to produce the most consistent, best tasting, high-quality dairy products made the most natural way possible. Guided by its values and the belief that everyone deserves real food that makes them feel good every day, Tillamook has earned top awards for their cheese, ice cream, sour cream, butter, and yogurt products made the Tillamook Way. Committed to unwavering values that never sacrifice quality for profit, Tillamook is excited to share National Cheddar Day with cheddar lovers everywhere for years to come.
If you’re local to Tillamook or traveling to the Pacific Northwest, add the Tillamook Creamery as a destination to see just how cheddar is made; sampling a thing or two as well. Today, nearly one million visitors make the trip to the Creamery each year! That’s a whole lotta chedda.
Hashtag it! Show the world just how much you love cheddar by sharing your favorite creation with #NationalCheddarDay on social media.
National Fasting February reminds us that our metabolic health underlies many of the diseases that we associate with aging, from diabetes to cancer to Alzheimer’s disease. Regularly switching from burning sugars to burning stored fats can reduce our risk of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and other conditions of aging.
February is a month for transforming new health resolutions into healthy habits and lifestyles. Since 1964, February has been American Heart Month to help raise awareness of preventable risk factors of cardiovascular disease including obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Diet heavily influences many of these risk factors. But there is a growing consensus among healthcare professionals that a healthy diet depends not just on what we eat but also when we eat.
National Fasting February celebrates the benefits of intermittent fasting on metabolic health. Practicing intermittent fasting is as simple as changing the timing of your meals. It gives your body at least a 10-12 hour break from metabolizing sugar every night.
Intermittent fasting does not require any change in the content of your diet, but rather merely a shift in the timing of your food and sweetened beverage intake. Regularly refraining from consuming any calories for just 10-12 or more hours can increase levels of brain-fueling ketones. It also:
Science-backed ways to practice fasting for metabolic health include:
Time-restricted eating: 10-16 hours of overnight fasting every day or several days per week
Alternate day fasting: Eating fewer than 500 calories every other day
The 5:2 diet: Two consecutive or non-consecutive days per week of eating fewer than 500 calories
NATIONAL FASTING FEBRUARY HISTORY
Intermittent fasting was developed as an alternative to calorie restriction interventions for studies of human aging and chronic disease prevention. Calorie restriction has long been considered by researchers to be a gold standard in prolonging lifespan in many animal species. But calorie restriction, which in humans typically involves eating fewer than 1,200 calories per day, is incredibly difficult for humans to practice. Researchers including Dr. Valter Longo, Dr. Mark Mattson, and Dr. Satchidananda Panda, and others are now finding that intermittent fasting may be just as effective or even more effective than calorie restriction in terms of delaying and preventing diseases of aging.
Fasting for 12-16 hours and exercising while fasted are safe practices for most individuals, except for pregnant women and individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. However, you should consult your primary care physician to make sure that you don’t have a health condition for which fasting is contraindicated.
Prolonged fasting or going more than 24-36 hours without calories is the subject of early clinical trials. However, it isn’t necessary to glean the metabolic health benefits of fasting. You should drink plenty of water while fasting. You may need to supplement your water with a blend of electrolytes if you are practicing prolonged fasting. Zero-calorie beverages (unsweetened tea and coffee) will also not break your fast. You can consume artificially sweetened beverages while fasting in a pinch, but your gut microbes can break down some artificial sweeteners, and these sweeteners tend to increase your sweet cravings.
Intermittent fasting will not turn an unhealthy diet into a healthy one. You should try to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables when you aren’t fasting. It’s also best practice to break a fast with a relatively low glycemic index (low carbohydrate) meal to avoid spiking your blood sugar.
Visit lifeapps.io/fasting-february/ to learn more about how to participate in National Fasting February and to read about the health benefits of intermittent fasting.
Choose a fasting schedule that works best for you. Practice it all month long. Intermittent fasting is not a fad diet, but rather a lifestyle for metabolic health. If you’ve never fasted before, start with time-restricted eating. This involves fasting for at least 10-12 hours every night, ideally starting in the early evenings. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to 12 hours at first – work up slowly. Throughout the month, you may work your way up to a 16-hour or an occasional 24-hour fast.
Download the LIFE Fasting Tracker app to track your fasts. Create a fasting Circle, invite family members or join a public LIFE Circle to fast in a supportive social environment.
Share your experiences with intermittent fasting and post photos of how you break your fasts on social media with the hashtag #NationalFastingFebruary.
If you are an experienced faster or looking to achieve weight loss, you may try practicing alternate day fasting or a 5:2 weekly fasting schedule this month.
About Life Fasting Tracker
The LIFE Fasting Tracker app was created by LifeOmic, a precision health software company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. LifeOmic works with healthcare providers and academic institutions, including the Indiana School of Medicine, to power precision medicine and personalized treatments for cancer and other diseases using ultra-secure cloud technologies. LifeOmic’s LIFE apps provide the missing link to patient engagement in precision healthcare.
The LIFE Fasting Tracker app, free to download for both iOS and Android, is the easiest and most social way to fast. Launched in late 2018, the app makes it easy and fun to harness lifestyle changes to improve metabolic health. With the app, you can track your progress on any fasting schedule, see when you start burning fats for fuel, and intuitively log how you are feeling. You can share your fasts and give and receive encouragement within custom Circles of people you care about, from friends to coworkers to healthcare providers. Join hundreds of thousands of users in their journey to better health.
On National Cheese Lover’s Day, don’t feel bleu, throw a feta or act capricious. January 20th is a gouda day to kummin over and have some sharp cheddar, munster, or fontina!
There is no firm evidence of how cheese making was discovered. but legend tells us it was likely by chance that someone created the first cheese. Thousands of years ago, people transported milk and stored it in sheep’s stomachs. Left to sit a few days, the proteins would separate into curds and whey. From there, preserving the solids with salt may have seemed a logical next step. Salt was a highly valued preservative in ancient times.
The earliest record of cheese making dates back to 5,500 BCE in what is now Poland. Today there are over 1,400 varieties of cheese.
Basic Cheese Making
The basic principles behind making cheese are quite simple. Let the milk sour (or scientifically, coagulating the casein protein). Then separate the curds (solids) from the whey (liquid). The curds are then salted and left to age.
Bacteria, enzymes or fungi may be added at various stages. These along with the type of milk, temperature, time, and moisture are all controlled to produced the desired taste, color, and texture. Herbs and spices may also be added.
The nutritional value of cheese varies depending on the variety. Cottage and mozzarella cheese are at the lower end of fat and calories per serving while mascarpone and cream cheese pack it on. Marscapone makes desserts like tiramisu rich and creamy.
For cheese lovers who think one day is just not enough to celebrate cheese, the calendar is full of cheesy celebrations. Check out this shortlist of tasty cheese-based celebrations:
Enjoy some cheese with your lunch or as a snack. Share your favorite cheesy recipes or puns. Try a new cheese pairing. Visit your favorite cheesemonger and be sure to give a shout out, too. Use #CheeseLoversDay to post on social media.
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the re-dedication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah (Hebrew: חֲנֻכָּה, usually spelled חנוכה pronounced [χanuˈka] in Modern Hebrew, also romanized as Chanukah or Chanuka), is observed for eight nights and days. It starts on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
Did you know these facts?
Hanukkah is not considered a significant religious holiday when compared to other Jewish holidays.
The menorah holds nine candles. In the center stands the shamus or servant. The shamus lights the eight other Hanukkah candles.
The Hanukkah candles are strictly for pleasure. They are not to be utilized for any useful or productive purpose. The shamus is available, so the Hanukkah candles aren’t accidentally used to light a fire in the fireplace or another useful purpose.
Gift giving is not traditionally a part of the Hanukkah holiday.
Playing dreidel is a gambling game popular during the Hanukkah holiday.
Fried foods are traditional during the holiday, representing the oil used to light the lamps.
During the time of Alexander the Great, Jewish culture began to blend with the Greek culture. Jews who accepted Greek culture at the expense of their religion became known as Hellenists. Alexander and the Jews had a mostly peaceful relationship; the Jews were loyal to his rule, and Alexander didn’t destroy and abuse them.
Around 190 BCE, when Alexander left Israel, and Antiochus IV took over, most Jews had assimilated to Greek culture but continued to practice their faith. However, Antiochus expected more from the Jews.
Antiochus forced Greek culture on the devout Jewish people by placing Hellenistic priests in the Temple. He also desecrated the Temple by sacrificing pigs at the altar, prohibiting Jews from practicing their faith, killing their faithful, and levying heavy taxes upon them.
A rebel force of Jews formed around the year 166 BCE. They revolted against Antiochus’ government and took back the Temple. So that they could rededicate the Temple, oil was needed for the menorah. But there was only enough undefiled oil to last one night. Miraculously, it lasted eight days. Hanukkah is the eight-day Festival of Lights commemorating this miracle of the oil.
