12 Ways to Enjoy Christmas Celebrations for a Healthy and Happy New Year Ahead

1. Monitor portion sizes

Just about everyone overindulges in food, snacks, drinks and treats during the festive season. While you want your kids and yourselves to enjoy Christmas lunch or dinner, it’s important to maintain regular portion sizes to avoid overeating. This applies throughout the entire summer holidays. As a parent, it’s best if you dish out the servings to ensure kids don’t overindulge.

2. Encourage healthier options

The most effective way to guarantee children eat healthy during the holidays is to keep snacks and junk food to a minimum. Instead, encourage healthy eating habits by having fresh fruit readily available, and healthy snacks such as nuts, yoghurt or granola with a low sugar content. By limiting their options and offering words of encouragement, kids will consume food that’s nutritious throughout the summer.

3. Have more activities, not food

Keeping children busy over the summer break takes their mind off eating and snacking, and maintains physical fitness. Encourage the little ones and teenagers to move away from their screens and get outdoors. Organise games of backyard cricket. Invite the neighbourhood kids to join in.

If you have the time, organise getaways during the day, such as spending time at the beach, going on a family hike, or spending time in the local park, after eating a healthy picnic lunch.

4. Fill them up before heading out

If you’re attending an event over the holidays, fill up their tummies with a healthy meal before you head out. This way, children won’t ask for unhealthy snacks and drinks while out and about. Bring plenty of water so kids remain hydrated and won’t pester you for unhealthy soft drinks or sugary juices

5. Keep them hydrated

Hydration is vital at any time of the year, but it’s even more critical during the summer holidays. Drinking plenty of water ensures hydration, and it keeps their stomachs feeling full. The more water kids drink, the less they’ll feel like snacking. You can liven up their drinking water by adding ice cubes made with fruit to give it some flavour.

6. Take a healthy share plate

If you’re visiting friends or attending a function where bringing food is a requirement, then have the kids help you put together healthy share plates. An example could be a plate with slices of cold meat, cubes of unprocessed cheese, slices of carrot, grapes and some wholegrain water crackers. Another good idea is a plate of cups filled with homemade dip. Slice up carrots and some green vegetables for dipping. Fruit platters also work well.

7. Serve children whole foods during the holidays and all the year around

Not only are whole foods nutritious, but they also keep kids’ tummies feeling fuller for longer. A diet high in protein, for example, is slower to digest. Meaning that children will go for longer periods without feeling hungry or the urge to snack on something unhealthy. Include healthy fats, such as those found in nuts and fish, and make sure kids are eating plenty of vegetables daily.

8. Eat regular meals instead of huge Christmas feasts

Eating irregular meals, such as large Christmas feasts, elevates the blood sugar in kids and adults. This results in erratic energy levels. Rather than feasting and overeating, it’s best to eat regular, smaller meals throughout the day. It’s all about balanced eating during the school holidays, especially over the festive season.

9. Stick to an eating schedule

It’s normal for eating schedules to deviate during the school holidays, but it’s best to try and adhere to a regular schedule as much as possible. Children develop a healthy relationship with food when you schedule meals and snacks. It also gives them a sense of security, as they know they’ll have another opportunity to eat again at the allotted time.

While this doesn’t have to be rigid, aim to schedule meals and snacks for the same time each day. Children should eat three balanced meals a day, with a few healthy snacks between meals.

10. Get kids involved in meal prep and cooking

Getting kids involved in meal preparation and cooking serves several purposes. For one, it keeps them active and gives them something to do. Secondly, they learn more about good nutrition and why it’s important to prepare and cook healthy food. Thirdly, they learn life skills and discover more about different foods.

Start by asking them to choose a healthy recipe, either from a book or Dr Gary’s website where you will find some great healthy eating resources. They can then start helping you gather the ingredients and help to prepare everything for cooking.

11. Take kids grocery shopping

If you take the children grocery shopping over the holidays, it allows you to educate them on nutritious food choices and healthier grocery options. If a child attempts to add something unhealthy to the cart, remove it and explain why it’s not a good choice. Then replace that item with something healthy, and again explain why this grocery item is a better option. Check out the app from the St-George Institute for Global Health called Food Switch.

12. Be a healthy role model

Children mimic their parents, so one of the best things you can do to keep them healthy over the holidays is to be a healthy role model. Remember to check out the Ellyn Satter Division of Responsibility for Feeding and Physical Activity to help guide you.

Monitor your eating habits to ensure they’re in line with how you want your children to eat, what they eat and when. If you eat healthy food regularly at set times of the day, your kids will be more likely to follow your example.