Dark chocolate, in particular, has proven health benefits by supplying your body with flavenoids and free radical-kicking antioxidants. These compounds, also found in fruits and vegetables, can prevent certain types of cancer and protect your heart and arteries. In addition, the flavanols and procyanidins in chocolate improve the function and flow of blood vessels and help control inflammation. The more cocoa in a chocolate product, the higher the antioxidant flavonoid content is. So dark chocolate has the highest amounts where as white chocolate has none.

Or course, the key to eating for the benefits—and not the high caloric consequences—is eating it in moderation. Because chocolate does contain high amounts of fat, your serving size this Hallmark holiday should be limited. (No life-size chocolate replicas of your honey-bun…that’s just creepy.) However, though chocolate contains saturated fat, the particular type of saturated fat – stearic acid – is unique because it does not raise blood cholesterol.

The final verdict: you can have your chocolate and eat it too… in moderation.

“All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!”- Lucy Van Pelt (in Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz)

Not only is this a way to reduce the environmental impact of your diet, it also naturally decreases the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol. Through choosing vegetarian options over meat once a week, you may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. It can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.

It doesn’t have to be Monday; it could be any day of the week! And if you don’t think you can give up that chicken, pork, beef, or whatever animal you drool over, even one day of the month makes a difference! In place of meat, just look for protein from beans, legumes, eggs, nuts and seeds instead. Every little bit helps. Join us at the vegetarian, sustainable Shabbat this Friday!

For more information and recipes of the Meatless Monday Movement, check out http://www.meatlessmonday.com/.

Tea has antioxidants in the form of flavenoids. Studies have shown that these compounds have anti-cancer properties. Green tea is the best source of a group of anti-oxidants called catechins which are found to be more powerful than vitamins C and E in stopping oxidative damage. Studies have found a link between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers including skin, breast, lung, colon, esophageal, and bladder.

Green and black teas have also been found to reduce the risk for heart disease. This may be due to the anti-oxidant qualities which block the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HLD (good) cholesterol, and improve artery function.

Tea has many different varieties including black, green, white, oolong, red, and herbal. After water, it is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world! The warm-weather evergreen tree, called Camellia sinensis provides the leaves for black, green, white, and oolong teas. The only difference is the amount of processing:

White tea: wilted & unoxidized

Green tea: unwilted & unoxidized

Oolong tea: wilted, bruised, & partially oxidized

Black tea: wilted, sometimes crushed, & fully oxidized

Herbal and red rooibos tea are not derived from the same plant and, therefore, do not have the same health-promoting properties. Most herbal teas are in fact not tea at all! They are simply infusions of herbs, flowers, roots, spices, and other plant parts. The proper name for this type of beverage is tisane. Despite not having the antioxidant health effects found in the tea family, tisane drinks can have relaxing and calming effects.

Now as a direct comparison to your normal cup of joe, one cup of tea contains an average of 40 mg of caffeine per cup. This is about half that of coffee which contains about 85 mg in a freshly brewed cup.

To get the most out of your tea:

-Allow tea to steep for 3-5 minutes to bring out the antioxidants.

-Freshly brewed tea has the most beneficial compounds. Decaffeinated, bottled ready-to-drink, and instant teas have less of these compounds.

-Tea can prevent absorption of iron from meals. Adding lemon or milk or drinking tea between meals will counteract this problem.

It may be best to think of them as mini-meals: the calories count and they should only be eaten when hungry. Be aware of your body and skip the urge to munch if you are bored, frustrated, or stressed.

Planning snacks ahead of time can ensure that you grab for something both nutritious and ready-to-eat instead or grabbing unhealthy alternatives (i.e. rolling through a drive through).

When leaving the day for class, work, or the library, bring some snacks with you to keep both your body and mind running at their finest. Some good, travelable ideas include:

• fruit (although bananas can get tricky in a full backpack)
  
• vegetables
• nuts
• single-serve container of yogurt
• trail mix
• graham crackers
• dry cereal
• string cheese
• whole grain crackers
• low-fat granola bars.

Your brain uses glucose as its energy source which is drawn directly from your bloodstream. Don’t let you or your brain go hungry during finals week. Snack well and good luck on your exams!

So I have to make a confession. I love to look at YouTube videos. There are so many creative videos out there, and I have always secretly wanted to post a video that would get over 1 million hits so I could be famous… for 15 minutes. But until that day comes, I am stuck searching for these videos instead of starring in them. So while, I should be focusing on finishing up my semester… I am searching for these fun Hanukkah videos. Here are some of my favorites!

Enjoy!

Honika Electronica

Hanukkah Flash Mob

Original Hanukkah Song

Hanukkah Outkast Parody

Hip-Hop Hanukkah

My Menorah

I am a Latke - Debbie Friedman

8 Nights of Hanukkah

Chanukah with the Chipmunks

Deb Carneol

Hillel UMN

PR Intern

Hello UJews!

My name is Zac and I am Hillel’s Sustainability intern for the 09-10 school year.  I am a junior architecture and urban studies major at the University of Minnesota and I have a tremendous interest in creative reuse applications of human waste, urban gardening and the future.

My mission is to analyze current activities at Hillel- student events, energy and water consumption and our outgoing waste- and then investigate where we might lessen or eliminate these environmental impacts in the simplest and most enjoyable ways possible.

I will be posting progress, images, and ideas regularly and welcome any questions, concerns or input!

-Zac Keilholz

Hillel UMN

Sustainability Intern

(Follow me on twitter @zacharydoes !)

Don’t be fooled by the mass media advice and old-wives tales – know your body, know the facts.

Myth #1: Feed a cold, starve a fever

The Truth: Colds and fevers are generally caused by viruses that tend to last seven to 10 days, not matter what you do. There is no good evidence that diet has any effect on a cold or fever. Even if you do not feel like eating, you still need fluids so put a priority on those. You need nutrients and liquids to get better. If you are congested, the fluids will keep mucus thinner and help loosen chest and nasal congestion. A little chicken soup provides some nutrients as well. (Thank goodness for the free soup!!!)

Myth #2: Get cold, and you’ll catch a cold

The truth: Mom was wrong. Getting cold does not hurt your immunity unless you are so cold that your body defenses are destroyed – and that only occurs during hypothermia. Also you cannot get a cold unless you are exposed to a virus that causes a cold. The reason people get more colds in the winter is not because of the temperature, but it may be a result of being cooped up in closed spaces and exposed to the spray of cold viruses. Staying warm may not prevent a cold, but staying cheerful might. A study at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh says positive people exposed to cold viruses have a 13 percent lower risk of getting a cold than gloomier souls

Myth #3: You lose most of your body heat through your head.

The truth: There is nothing special about the head and heat loss. You will lose heat through any uncovered body part, about 10% from your head. But it is Minnesota, so cover up to prevent hypothermia and frost bite on your ears in the winter time!

Myth #4: You can catch the flu from a flu shot

The truth: The flu vaccine is made form an inactive virus, so you cannot actually catch the flu from a flu shot. Some people might develop a fever or a muscle aches or feel unwell for a day or so, however it is not the flu. Researchers suggest exercising your arm a few hours before a flue shot can help your body deal with the vaccine, and enhance the production of antibodies.

Myth #5: Large doses of vitamin C can prevent cold or flu

The truth: research from the University of Helsinki found no evidence to suggest vitamin C can fight a cold. It is still important to overall health to consume the minimum daily requirement of vitamin C, which is 75 and 90 mg/day for female and male adults, respectively. As a medium orange continues roughly 70mg of vitamin C, it is a waste of money to purchase mega supplements. It is a water=soluble vitamin so your body will urinate out any excess.

Myth #6: Sweat out a cold or flu

The truth: Hide under the blankets and put your head over a bucket of steaming water all you like, but it will not necessarily help to sweat out a cold. The heat can provide substantial relief from head and sinus congestion, which can make it easer to sleep, but it will not get rid of your cold

If you have any other health myths you want busted or any questions please feel free to contact me (gasza002@umn.edu).

Angie Gaszak

Hillel UMN

Community Health Intern

I am so sorry I have neglected to write these last few weeks! It has been crazy in the office trying to get ready for the end of the semester! Although the end of the semester is always SUPER busy with finals and major papers, it is also one of the most fun times of year! The winter season has finally arrived!

The winter season to me means hot chocolate, wool socks, holiday lights, ice skating escapades, snow angels, wrapping paper, holiday songs in the department stores, and gingerbread cookies. The winter season also means extensive together time with your friends and family. It is during these get-togethers that families and friends create annual holiday traditions. Some of these traditions that I have been a part of have been “ugly sweater” parties, secret snowflake (Santa) gift exchanges, seeing the Holidazzle Parade, cookie bake-offs, and dreidel tournaments. While I may do all of these things annually, nothing gets me more excited than my family’s Hannukah tradition. Every year since Hannukah in 2002 my family has had its annual “Carneol Latke Cook-off Competition.”

My father is one of five children and there has always been a lot of competition between the Carneol siblings, so it is only natural that they would get competitive when it comes to their cooking. So how do the Carneols solve this issue? By having a cook-off and of course eating!

The entire day is dedicated to the event. For weeks prior to the event, the Carneol siblings search far and wide for the perfect latke recipe. On the day of the competition, no one is allowed to prepare anything prior to the start of the competition. The contestants set up stations in my family’s kitchen, put on personalized aprons and chef hats, and at the same time, madness ensues. Potatoes and onions start flying, secret ingredients are brought out in unmarked containers, and the temperature in the kitchen goes up a few degrees.

After every latke has been fried, everyone relaxes for a few minutes while my mother prepares the latkes for the blind taste test. We are given all of the different latkes labeled by numbers. We are instructed to taste each latke and then vote on our favorite. The winner gets the coveted Latke Ladle award, chef hats with the words Latke Winner and the year on it (to be worn at the next years competition), and bragging rights. There is always so much tension, but everyone enjoys the thrill of competition.

I of course do not participate in the cooking part of the competition. Since its start in 2002 I have been the dedicated historian of the event. I am in charge of pictures and videos of the competition. This year I even brought our family tradition to the social media scene by tweeting updates (you can see my updates on my twitter account . Below are some pictures of my family’s crazy antics!

This crazy tradition has brought me so many fond memories. Because it is the winter/holiday season, I would love to blog about more fun family and friend traditions that people do around this time. If you have a fun tradition that you would like to share email me at debcarneol@gmail.com.

Deb Carneol

Hillel UMN

PR Intern

the correct clothing for the competition

4 batches of latkes being cooked at once!

Latkes waiting to be tasted!

Latke Cook-off Winners 2009

Is it Friday already?!?! You know what that means! Here comes your Fast Forward Friday post, full of upcoming Hillel and Twin Cities Jewish community events!

Don’t forget to contact me if you know of any upcoming Jewish community events that you think Hillel should know about! Email me (debcarneol@gmail.com) with “fast forward Fridays” as the subject.

For the latest Hillel information check out Hillel’s calendar, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!

HILLEL EVENTS

Milgrom Shabbat

Friday November 6, 2009

6:00 PM Services, 7:00 Dinner

8:00 Dessert reception with author Ernest H. Adams

Dinner is FREE for students, $18 for non-students

For More Information

Israel: Reflections and Refractions

Featuring photographs taken by Minnesota college students while in Israel on a Taglit-Birthright Hillel Campus Explorer trip in January 2009.

Thursday November 12 * 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Sabes JCC – 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road; Minneapolis, 55416

For More Information

Coffee Talk with Sam and Andy

Friday, November 13

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM at Bordertown Coffee

For More Information

JEWISH EVENTS – TWIN CITIES

Oak St. Cinema November Jewish Series

Friday November 6, 2009 – Sunday November 22, 2009

An eight-part series of new and recent features and documentaries on Jewish themes.

Oak St. Cinema, 309 Oak St. SE Minneapolis

A View from Jerusalem: Challenges and Opportunities in the Upcoming Year

with speaker Yossi Klein Halevi, contributing editor and Israel correspondent for The New Republic. The event is FREE

November 12 at 7:00 PM

Bet Shalom Congregation – 13613 Orchard Road, Minnetonka

PLEASE RSVP by Nov. 9th to Jeremy Wynes at jwynes@aipac.org

Dangers of a Nuclear Iran

Tuesday, November 24

7:00 PM * Location TBA

Best selling author and journalist Kenneth Timmerman will speak about Iran’s past and present nuclear programs, its influence on the Middle East, and what Iran’s actions mean for the global community. A question and answer session will follow. Sponsored by the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, Hillel: The Jewish Student Center, and the Minnesota Student Association.

Deb Carneol

Hillel UMN

PR Intern

This Friday Hillel is having its annual Milgrom Shabbat, a night that commemorates and celebrates one of Hillel’s most honorable former staff members, Rabbi Louis Milgrom.

Rabbi Milgrom was an extraordinary spiritual leader during the ‘40s, ‘50s, ‘60s, and ’70s for Jewish and non-Jewish students alike. Past students remembered Rabbi Milgrom in such a positive light. Earl Hoffman, and alumnus and past President of the Hillel Board of Directors remembers him as “a scholar to whom Jewish and non-Jewish faculty and students came with questions about Judaism and he was known as a caring and wise spiritual leader who accepted all students as they were.”

Rabbi Milgrom has not only inspired past University of Minnesota students, but he continues to inspire students today. Samantha Bass, immediate past president of the Student Hillel Board visited Hillel as a junior in high school during Milgrom Shabbat five years ago. “The energy and sense of community that I witnessed helped me choose to attend the University of Minnesota two years later. Although I have never had the opportunity to meet Rabbi Milgrom, I like to think that our Hillel has remained true to his values and ideals over the years and that these values have helped to define us as an organization… our goals have stayed the same: to provide a home for Jewish life on campus accepting of all beliefs and practices.”

Hillel is so fortunate to have had such an inspirational teacher at Hillel. After his death in 2004 at age 94, the Milgrom Family of Detroit established the Rabbi Louis and Esther Milgrom Shabbat Programming Fund in honor of Rabbi Milgrom. With this fund, Hillel at the University of Minnesota has been able to bring in speakers and teachers for its students.

This Milgrom Shabbat, Hillel welcomes Ernest H. Adams, author of the book From Ghetto to Ghetto: An African American Journey to Judaism. Growing up in Harlem during the Jim Crowe era and coming of age during the Black Power movement, Adams has experienced his share of racial bias. It was not until after meeting Meyer Goldstein in law school that he began to understand his own admittedly anti-white and anti-Semitic ideas. Goldstein’s father, Rabbi Baruch Goldstein “adopted” Adams during his law school years and became Adams’ inspiration to become Jewish. Adams will be sharing his story with us for this year’s Milgrom Shabbat. For more information about Adams please visit his website at http://www.ernesthadams.com/

The entire night will be truly inspirational. Services will be led by Marina and Jeremy Tecktiel at 6:00 PM followed directly by a Kosher Shabbat dinner. Dinner is FREE for students and $18 for non-students (RSVP encouraged).

Following dinner at 8:00 PM Hillel will host a discussion and dessert reception with Adams. For more information see our Facebook invitation or the Hillel calendar.

To RSVP email hillel@umn.edu or call 612.379.4026

Deb Carneol

Hillel UMN

PR Intern