The “Gelfite Fish Diet”?

When it comes to dieting, there is always another plan or food being touted as the latest and greatest new way for reducing weight. So I put this out to you: have you ever thought about Gefilte Fish? Not likely. Unlikely. Never. In fact, when Gefilte Fish is mentioned, many of us just cringe thinking of little cratered, white balls swimming in a slimy sea of gelatin with a couple of sliced carrots floating around like orange jellyfish. Not a pretty sight. Or, often, Gefilte Fish is associated with the religious holiday of Passover when your grandmother passionately made it for you as a child. Then you ate it with all the due care and love that you had for grandma’s affection. 

But unappetizing is most people’s reaction, as if to a gag joke. And come on! A new fad diet. Laughable. Or maybe not.  I put this out to you. Gefilte Fish is not only nutritious; it is an excellent way to diet.

Let’s look at the facts taken from a number of store brought labels:

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Nutritional Benefits
Low fat without a doubt. And the primary ingredient, aside from water, is fish (whitefish, pike, mullet, carp) and egg whites.  So not only does it offer a low-fat diet with protein, it offers omega-3’s without the levels of mercury some of the bigger fish have to offer. 

For example, 3-4  pieces with a salad make a great lunch or dinner. You are getting anywhere from 15-21 grams of protein with minimal fat content and low calorie content.  Much less fat than the average candy bar you greedily eye every time you wander into the supermarket. You may want to consider staying away from the Premium Gold with its higher fat content.

And if you don’t like the taste, I say to you – “It’s all in your head.” The sweet Yehuda has a creamy, sweet, pleasant consistency and tender taste. Or try Gefilte Fish with traditional horseradish along with a smidgen of mayo or ketchup. Stay below a teaspoonful of mayo per portion. Try it with pickles, a small piece of whole wheat bread or even apple sauce. I find all these topping a great combination.

 The Gelfite Fish Diet?
I tried it and the results were great. Weighing in at a whopping 165 lbs, I decidedly needed to loose about 5-7 pounds. After three months eating Gefilte Fish about 3 – 4 times a week at one of my meals  – usually for dinner – I was able to shed 8 pounds and keep it off even through the last of the Summer when there were a flurry of parties and eating-related activities that are about as helpful as a Whopper with fries for weight reduction.

So I leave it to you. But results are in the Gefilte Fish!

I would like to thank Julian Singer for writing this article.  I have known Julian for several years. While he is always rather trim, the last time I saw him he was looking particulary lean. (I believe he was getting ready for a beach vacation in Hampton Beach, N.H.) He told me he was substituting more gelfite fish for other foods at meals. As gelfite fish are not one of my favorite foods, I was intrigued and suggested he write this post. Here are his words:  “You may ask what right I have to write about dieting. Well, after living and working in NYC for over 20 years, I have done my fair share of working out, dieting and reading about the latest way to loose weight. While definitely a layman on the subject, without any professional credentials, I have been working on a book aimed at men and do know that often dieters seek out trendy diet plans without going for simple basics. I put this suggestion out there only because it worked for me.  (Pic is of Julian)

City girls and guys – go ahead and try substituting gelfite fish for your steak!