The answer, my friends, is a vegan, coffee-free diet

August 27, 2006 - 6:05 PM by Sarah

Having overeaten during her Sabbath celebrations, Jerusalem Gypsy looks into a macrobiotic diet, and wonders whether it might be the answer to all our prayers:

I feel terribly bloated today and perused my macriobiotic self-healing books that make me depressed while reading about their cleansing diet.

“For 3-7 days eat bland foods including grains, soups, have no protein, just cooked vegetables and tamari sauce”

Ugh. Has it boiled down to this?

A reader of this blog sent me an email about the fact that bad foods may have contributed to the conflict in this region. And that good foods may eventually heal it. My macrobiotic friends certainly think so.

I remember spending a weekend with a Moslem family in M’ghar in the Galilee. I sipped endless amounts of coffee – maybe even 12 cups in one day. Who can resist that alluring Arabic coffee spiced with hel (cardamom)? I can’t.

And coffee makes you have heart palpatations and get nervous.

Are Jewish Israelis any better? They’re into their fried kubeh, falafel and chips. Terrible for the stomach. They don’t drink as much coffee as their Arabic cousins, but coffee shops are full.

Do you think if we cut out the fried foods and the coffee and stick to traditional mint tea and mejedderah – can we be better friends?

coffee