Yale Hospital Dietitian Offers

Healthy Holiday Tips For Kids

The holidays, full of parties and sugary treats, can seem like a danger zone in families where extra pounds and obesity are a growing worry. Research on adults has shown that even minimal holiday weight gain can add up over the years.

“Food is such a big part of the season,” said Lisa Tartamella-Kimmel, registered dietitian at Yale-New Haven Hospital and co-author of Generation Extra Large: Rescuing Our Children From an Epidemic of Obesity (Basic Books, January 2005).

“It’s easy to get caught in the holiday hustle and bustle and neglect your diet and exercise routine,” she said. “In the middle of a growing obesity epidemic, what type of message does that send to our kids?”

Approximately one in six US children are seriously overweight, and nine million are heavy enough to put their health potentially at risk.

Here are Lisa Tartamella’s holiday tips for parents:

Be a positive role model. If you eat breakfast every morning, choose exercise over watching television, and limit the treats you consume at holiday parties, chances are better that your children will do the same.

Stick to a mealtime schedule so that kids can maintain normal hunger cues. Provide a nutritious breakfast every morning and prepare family dinners whenever possible. Research shows that when families eat meals together, children consume more vegetables, drink less soda, and eat fewer fried foods.

If you find yourself too busy to cook, take advantage of healthy convenience foods. Try rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, precooked skinless chicken strips, precut or frozen vegetables, and prewashed bags of salad or spinach.

Set limits. If you are going to a party, serve fruit, vegetables, and other healthy food choices earlier in the day. Then tell your kids in advance that they may pick one dessert at the event rather than three.

Keep a variety of snacks on hand so children do not feel deprived. You can serve popcorn or make healthy holiday snacks using raisins, nuts, and low-sugar cereals, and serve them in muffin liners or package them in colored plastic wrap tied with holiday ribbon.

Keep your kids moving to minimize mindless snacking in front of the television set or computer. When the weather gets colder, you can walk with them in the mall or build a snowman. Putting on music and dancing in the family room, and even wrapping gifts will burn more calories than watching TV or playing computer games.

When you are talking about the holidays with your children, emphasize the spiritual and social aspects. Show them that spending time with loved ones can be more satisfying than binging on cookies and candy canes.

Give kids gifts that encourage healthy lifestyles. Instead of stuffing stockings with sugary treats, give them a pedometer, jump ropes, water bottles, and exercise videos designed for children.

Help kids come up with healthy New Year’s resolutions. Suggest taking up a sport that interests them, such as a team sport, martial arts, swimming, or ice-skating. You can also buy them a blank book and show them how to keep an exercise journal.