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April 2, 2010 | 5:40 pm
SCHMALTZ and GREBENES: A Medical Conspiracy
Posted by Norman Lavin, M.D, PhD., UCLA Medical School
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For thousands of years, the Jewish people have faced annihilation — promulgated by evil societies, notorious world leaders and the general passivity of
global citizenry. But as deadly as our enemies have been, our diet has often imperiled us as well. Schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) and grebenes (fried chicken skin) and our generally high-fat, low-exercise lifestyles endanger Jews, and therefore the Jewish people.
It is time we understand and confront these enemies as well: obesity, diabetes and other diet-related diseases .
I remember coming home from school with classmates one afternoon many years ago, and we were starved. My mother, with great love and compassion, spread thick layers of yellowish-brown schmaltz on slices of pumpernickel bread. We gulped down these tasty morsels, which kept us barely satiated until dinnertime, when we attacked bowls of chopped liver saturated with more schmaltz, turkey stuffing mixed with schmaltz and chicken soup loaded with dozens of floating unfertilized egg yolks. If we ate everything, Mother rewarded us with grebenes.
All of the pharaohs failed, and so did Hitler, but could these seemingly harmless foods ultimately annihilate the Jewish people? We now know that these fatty foods — bursting with saturated and trans fats — could easily lead to obesity and, ultimately, diabetes, with its attendant consequences of heart disease, kidney dysfunction and liver failure.
These are most likely not “Jewish diseases.” There is, however, a subset of Jews who have a predisposition to obesity and diabetes.
Schmaltz and grebenes have almost disappeared from the Jewish kitchen. Therefore, obesity and diabetes also should have disappeared. But people throughout the world are caught in a quagmire of obesity and, consequently, diabetes. Culture is transformative; we have replaced schmaltz with high-calorie fast foods and grebenes with french fries. We no longer walk, run or ride bikes. We sit at computers, stare at television sets, and exercise our fingers texting and tweeting.
Diabetes is omnipresent — it is endemic, it is epidemic, and it can be deadly. The most common type of diabetes, Type 2, can be prevented, and it can be reversed. Modern treatments keep patients healthy with the goal of obliterating all complications.
In my practice, in future columns and in my daily blog, Jewish Diseases, at jewishjournal.com, I will address the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes in greater detail. Also to be discussed are the other diseases that affect the Jews. These include Bloom syndrome, Canavan disease, Tay-Sachs, Gaucher, Niemann-Pick and many more. I invite your questions, suggestions, personal experiences and expert opinions as well as references to specific medical centers, physicians or societies.
In the meantime, think about spreading a thick layer of schmaltz on your bread. Think about it — but don’t do it. It is time for us as individuals, and as a people, to take control of our diet, our health and our lives.
Dr. Norman Lavin is a clinical professor of endocrinology and director of endocrinology education at UCLA Medical School. This week, his blog Jewish Diseases launches at jewishjournal.com/jewish_diseases.
The information contained on this web site is provided for your general information only. Please be advised that this information is not intended to supplement the medical direction you would receive from your personal physician.
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outstanding and most informative article. In my opinion and the 85 people whom I showed it too…we all aggred that this was the best and should appear regularly in the Jewish Journal.
Thank you Dr Lavin for your blog. It definitely fills a niche and I hope to learn much from it.
Interestingly I have read that both words, Rabbi and Doctor, connote as TEACHERS .
I look forward to your teachings
Gary Gorlick, MD. Los Angeles
As a nutritionist I feel your article is very indicative of where our society is headed especially in terms of our children. We must start thinking and taking control of our health instead of blindly following. It is possible to retain our cultural practices without contributing to ill health. Thank you for a very timely and informative article.
Dr Lavin has brought to the Jewish community an awareness of a major concern that has plagued us as a people. I am a Jewish women who respects the importance of food, but am more concerned what the value and issue of that food is.Our physical size does not testify to the quality of the food, but rather the quantity we consume…. endocrinology has alerted us to the key word choices. Thank you Dr Lavin MD your scholarship will add years to our lives. Dr Lavin as a skilled physician and as a sensitive Jew you are making a very important contribution to our society.
Thank you for this important and informative information. This is the best article I have read on this cite. I look forward to reading more from Dr. Lavin.
Dr. Lavin’s shared knowledge is greatly appreciated. I was unaware of all of the diseases affecting jewish people until I read this article. Thank you for the awareness you have given me.
I am engaged to a proud, Jewish man. Thanks Dr. Lavin for the interesting read! I will be sure to share this article with my fiance and new in-laws.
Thank you for the fascinating article. I look forward to learning from your articles as I have recently been diagnosed with diabetes and I am a Jewish man. Thanks for your work.
great article! I look forward to your future topics!
I look forward to reading more from Dr. Lavin. I have always been interested in learing more about the specific diseases that can affect me and my family and more specifically, the way to avoid them. Thank you.
Thank you for addressing such an important issue, as diabetes is very prominent in my family, I look forward to learning more about how to avoid the same. Todd
Dr. Lavin’s fine article brought back memories of the schmaltz on pumpernickel snack after school but he neglected to mention the salt we were encouraged to liberally add. The added salt was ostensibly to raise our blood pressure in order to to force the fat into our arterial walls. Thanks for a good read.
Dr. Lavin’s article on this subject is by far the best I have ever read. I would like to hear more from him.
Barbara Miller
Dr Lavin’s article is very interesting and so true. It brings back memories of my mother telling me how her mother and grandmother cooked using chicken fats. My mother never even used real butter in her kitchen. She was very health concious with my siblings and I and still is to this day. Especially because of the risk of diabetes in our family. I look forward to reading more on this topic by Dr. Lavin
Dr. Lavin: Thank you for bringing back those wonderful memories of my mom putting chicken fat on rye bread. Thanks again for your interesting article.
As a jewish man already living with Chron’s disease, it is important that I keep informed about all of other other diseases affecting jewish people. Thank you Dr. Lavin.
Very informative. I look foward to the upcoming articles. Thank you Dr. Lavin
What a refreshing combo of humor and wisdom. I’m eager to learn about more Jewish diseases, and even some nonsectarian ones.
Sorry, but I don’t understand why it is brilliant of the Talmud to only allow exemptions to hemophiliacs with maternal uncles who show symptoms. Can’t they inherit equally from their father’s side?
Nice post..Very informative, Thanks!.
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Its always better for us to be safe then sorry and by always being informed we can help to present these deseases from taking hold.