Some multi-culture families celebrate their heritage by adding more holidays, writes Maya Adam, MD, a Stanford lecturer who operates the nonprofit Just Cook for Kids. "For our family, with its unusual set of Indian, German and Jewish South African roots, this season seems particularly out of control because we celebrate all of these holidays, one after another. And if we're not careful, we can easily end up suffering from a severe case of sugar shock."
Sugar shock, or rather, avoiding sugar shock is the topic of Adam's blog post on the Healthier, Happy Lives Blog, published by Stanford Children's Health.
For me, the whole moderation thing is a particularly daunting challenge. Either yes or no seems much simpler. Eat lots or say "no thanks" — none of this healthy balance baloney for me.
But with three simple guidelines, Adam makes moderation seem possible, even doable. Numero uno: Offer healthy alternatives. If potato chips are accompanied by fresh veggies and hummus, it's much easier to go for the veggies. Dos: Model good behavior for your kiddos. As Adam writes: "When kids see that their parents are able to enjoy a small treat on occasion — and then stop — they learn a great lesson: Less is more."
And for the third tasty pointer, I'll let you check that out for yourself. Mmmm, mmmm, it's a good one.
As Adam writes: "Holidays should be happy times — and sharing food with the people we love is a big part of that happiness." Bon appetit!
Previously: A physician realizes that she had "officially joined our nation of fellow sugar addicts", Eat well, be well and enjoy (a little) candy and Pediatrics group issues new recommendations for building strong bones in kids
Photo by Laura
