Football Star Terrell Suggs Got in Shape — by Cutting Down on Gefilte Fish

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By Josefin Dolsten August 23, 2016

(JTA) — An NFL football player just gave Jewish mothers across the country another reason to worry about their children’s well-being. Gefilte fish is no good for those trying to maintain a healthy diet, suggested Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs.

“I like my fried chicken, my pizza, my peaches and my gefilte fish. I had to cut all that out,” Suggs said Thursday when asked about his recent weight loss, according to . “I still eat the peaches, though, and a little bit of the fish. But that’s about it.”

Following a decrease in his consumption of the traditional Ashkenazi dish, the 33-year-old football player is in better shape than ever.

“He’s in excellent condition,” said coach John Harbaugh.

While Suggs did not elaborate on how he got hooked on gefilte fish, the linebacker has a Jewish history. He considers himself “half-Jewish” and has a Star of David tattoo on his right arm, according to TMZ.

Suggs isn’t the only famous person with strong opinions about the ground fish patties.

Despite having eaten the dish at home and having lots of Jewish friends, Rapper LL Cool J never learned to love gefilte fish.

“My grandfather was from the Bronx,” the rapper told the Jewish Journal. “[H]e came home with gefilte fish every week. I didn’t like it, no disrespect, but I loved him, it wasn’t my thing, but I always had great Jewish friends.”

Comedian and talk show host Seth Meyers agrees with the hip hop hitmaker.

“Growing up, my father—whose father was Jewish—embraced borscht and gefilte fish. My brother and I thought it was disgusting. That is not gateway food if you want your kids to embrace Judaism,” the former “Saturday Night Live” writer told Bon Appétit.

The dish has also been on the agenda of none other than Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. One of her emails released by the State Department last year caught the eyes of many Jews.

“Gefilte fish” read the subject of the 2010 email, sent to two top aides. Its body contained a simple question: “Where are we on this?”

Apparently the issue at stake was a shipment of carp (a crucial gefilte fish ingredient) to Israel that had been blocked due to tariff issues just before Passover, when Jews traditionally enjoy the pungent patties. Fortunately, Clinton was able to pull strings to get the cargo approved, ensuring that no seders in Israel would go without the beloved dish.

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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