Christmas Diet

Children think a Christmas diet should consist of stuffing as many cookies as possible into their mouths in a 24-hour period. If we spend a bunch of time making 10-20 dozen cookies, then that will be pretty easy for them to do. Here are several reasons why you should avoid a high-sugar Christmas and some alternatives to help you achieve your goals.

Sugar lowers your immune system. I have even heard that it renders your immune system inoperative for 6 hours. With all the Christmas program and festivities, you certainly don’t want sick people in your house. They say that 80% of your immune system is in your digestive tract. If you keep feeding yourself good foods your body will respond well.

Teach your children to eat until they are satisfied. Don’t make them feel guilty for not finishing what is on their plate if they are full. If they are telling you they are full only to get dessert, then that is another issue. If they are coming back to you after 30 minutes and saying they are hungry again, then you might want to save their plate and offer the food to them again. We just need to allow our children to read their body’s cues and not get into the habit of just eating for the sake of eating.

Make sure everyone is getting plenty of water. Buy special water containers if you have to. Take water with you everywhere. This will help you avoid purchasing sugary drinks when you are out just because someone is thirsty. Think about whether sugary drinks even satisfy your thirst. What is the first thing you do when you eat a cookie or piece of cake? I know what my children want – they want a drink because the sugary dessert has made them thirsty. Keep water on hand as part of your Christmas diet plan. I like to have it in front of me at parties and family gatherings. It helps me remembre to take a drink instead of reaching for another cookie. Most of the time when you think you are hungry and are looking for something to eat, it is really your body telling you that it is thirsty. Try it sometime.

Take advantage of having better quality finger foods around. Make or buy a vegetable tray. Cut up some good Florida oranges or grapefruits and place them on a cool looking tray that people will want to eat from.

Those are just a few ideas to help you prepare a good Christmas diet for your children. They will probably enjoy helping you cut and arrange the finger foods on the tray too!