Your Guide to Diabetes Eating During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Rosh Hashana

For 2025, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Monday, Sept. 22, and ends at sundown on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

This is the New Year in Judaism, and along with celebration and synagogue time, this two-day observance includes eating symbolic, often-sweet foods that are meant to represent well wishes for a sweet new year.

While the options may be endless, some who follow traditional Jewish practices may be less inclined to swap foods or ingredients. This may make switching out those traditions more challenging.

But in general, people with diabetes who want to balance their spiritual and religious practices to be more in line with their diabetes management plan might look to replace high carb or sweet options with more toned-down or lower-carb options.

Moderation is always key. Your diabetes management and eating habits may not be “perfect” for the 1 to 2 days that may be of religious significance to you.

As long as you’re being mindful of moderation and keeping an eye toward diabetes management, you can enjoy some traditional food items and practices without worrying too much — even a few bites of a n authentic dish, or smaller portions could work for you, to balance both goals.

Traditional foods can include:

• Apples with honey: This healthy fruit may be dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year.
  • Try this: Skip the honey and relish in the natural sweetness of fresh fruit. Or dip an uncooked apple in an artificial sweetener like Splenda. Also try unsweetened syrup.
• Brisket: This cut of beef is typically braised or slow-cooked with vegetables, herbs, broth, and other ingredients. Some recipes use red wine, soy sauce, or dried fruits and dates for added flavor.
  • Keep it simple: Limit or eliminate sweeter ingredients and substitute sweeter veggies with lower-carb ones that won’t affect your blood sugar as much.
• Challah bread: This slightly sweet braided bread often includes raisins, to symbolize a sweet year.
  • Consider this: Use a lower-carb flour (nut or coconut) or whole wheat flour, which can add fiber to be more glucose-friendly. Use an artificial sweetener for dipping the bread instead of honey.
• Fish head: May be enjoyed along with a wish to be “a head and not a tail.”
  • Consider this: Fish are healthy and full of omega-3 fatty acids, but avoid having them alongside any sweeter or higher-carb sides. Vegetarian options might include cabbage or garlic heads.
• Kugel: a sweet cinnamon-apple noodle dish baked into a custard casserole.
  • Swap ingredients: Instead of traditional egg noodles, use a lower-carb alternative, such as cauliflower, zucchini, or spaghetti squash. Also consider using sugar substitutes instead of sugar.
• Pomegranates: The 613 seeds are symbolic and represent the wish for numerous good deeds.
  • Consider this: Try adding the seeds to a yogurt or salad to balance the sugar-raising effects.
• Tzimmes: This is a carrot-based stew, often with sweeteners like honey, sugar, or maple syrup.
  • Food swaps: Substitute sweet potatoes with lower-carb options, such as pumpkin or butter squash; limit dried fruits like apricots, prunes, or raisins; add brussels sprouts for more variety; consider a squeeze of orange juice or watered-down juice instead of a typical serving of pure orange juice.

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year, also known as the Day of Atonement. It begins at sunset on Oct. 1 and ends at nightfall on Oct. 2, 2025.

This period of time is marked by fasting for 25 hours, which can present a challenge for those with diabetes. This may be even more difficult for those who experience low blood sugar and may need to treat those before they become medical emergencies.

People with diabetes may be exempt from fasting, or they may choose to adjust their diabetes management plans to accommodate their different routines and practices during this longer fasting time.

Before the Yom Kippur fast, people generally eat light, easier-to-digest foods to prepare for the many hours without eating.

After the fasting period, a symbolic meal follows with typically higher-carb and sweet foods to help the body recover from the fast. This is referred to as “break-fast,” as it’s breakfast food eaten at nightfall in order to “break the fast.” This might mean making slight changes to certain traditional foods and dishes, including:

• Bagels and Lox: A staple, often served with cream cheese, onions, and capers.
• Beverages: Grape juice or wine is often enjoyed with a blessing (Kiddush), but you might choose sugar-free juice, white wine, or dry red wine that may be less sweet. Always know how alcohol may affect your blood sugar levels, too.
• Breakfast foods: Eggs, quiches, and soufflés offer a brunch-like feel. Consider following any guidance you have for breakfast at any point of the year, limiting carbs and reducing the amount of sweetness in your breakfast food choices.
• Challah: As with Rosh Hashanah, this sweet challah bread is staple for Yom Kippur, and it might be made differently with lower-carb flour or dough.
• Dairy dishes: Cream cheese, egg salad, tuna salad, and other cheesy or creamy options are common. Keep these on the lower end of sweetness and fat, minding ingredients when making or buying.
• Fruit: Fresh fruit like apples and pomegranates is common, and you may choose to keep these simple without any dips or sugar additions.
• Honey Cake: A sweet, moist cake with honey, often served as a dessert.
• Kugel: A baked pudding, either sweet (noodle kugel) or savory (potato kugel). There may be alternatives to the sweetness, including making it with lighter and lower-carb or less sweet ingredients.
• Rugelach: This is a twist on the traditional sweet pastry. You might make it less sweet.
• Smoked fish: Whitefish, salmon, or bluefish can be served alongside bagels and cream cheese. One option might be to just enjoy the fish, or have lower-carb bread and bagels available.
• Soup: Some families enjoy matzo ball soup or other light soups. You might try using lower-carb mixtures or flour to make the matzo balls.

Medical safety over religious obligations

Jewish law emphasizes the principle of pikuach nefesh, which means that saving a life (or preventing serious harm) takes precedence over religious obligations like fasting.

Make sure to consult your rabbi or religous authority ahead of time, to discuss any concerns or special accomodations you might need to take during any Jewish holiday celebration. They can also discuss any questions you might have about fasting with diabetes, such as treating low blood sugars that might arise during this symbolic time.

Your healthcare team can also help guide you on adjusting your medications, insulin, eating, and other aspects of diabetes management before Rosh Hashanana and Yom Kippur arrive.

The takeaway

Jewish people with diabetes may face challenges during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, in which many food and drink rules can be challenging to navigate based on their blood sugar effects.

With Yom Kippur featuring a 25-hour fasting period, followed by a celebratory higher-carb breakfast, this can be one of the more difficult times to navigate for those with diabetes.

You can try some alternatives to traditional foods and drink practices to be more diabetes-friendly.

Your healthcare team can help guide you on best practices and choices that may work for you based on your health and religious traditions.