As families gather in the sukkah for outdoor meals and social activities, health experts highlight opportunities to foster healthier habits, strengthen bonds, and enjoy the holiday with mindfulness towards nutrition, hydration, and movement.
Sukkot’s mix of outdoor meals, family visits and time away from routine can be a chance to build healthier habits as well as celebrate. Dr Sigal Mazor, director of the department for education and health promotion at Clalit, said the holiday offers an opening to bring people together in the sukkah, slow down and make room for habits that support both physical and emotional wellbeing.
One of her main suggestions is to treat the sukkah as a shared living space rather than just a place to eat. That means putting screens aside, sitting together for conversation and games, and involving children in activities such as drawing, quizzes or board games. Other family-focused guides to Sukkot make the same point, describing the holiday as a time for hospitality, gratitude and welcoming guests, including the traditional ushpizin, or symbolic honoured visitors.
Food is, of course, part of the celebration, and Mazor stresses that there is no need to avoid favourite dishes. The healthier approach, she says, is to add balance to the table with fruit, vegetables and other nourishing foods, while eating slowly and paying attention to hunger and fullness. She also urges families not to overlook hydration. Water should be kept within easy reach at the table, in bags and on outings, because long hours spent in the sukkah or outdoors can make it easy to forget to drink until thirst has already set in.
She recommends carrying enough water for every family member when heading out for walks, picnics or other activities, and making the most of pleasant hours in the day for time outside. That can mean a neighbourhood walk, a short trail, a visit to a park or simply spending time in nature with little planning and no expense. The broader idea, according to Mazor, is not to turn the holiday into a fitness campaign, but to reduce sitting time, move more and use the festival to strengthen family bonds while cutting back on screen time.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
