Healthy Holiday Recipes
for Kids
Many people stay disciplined to healthy eating all year, and when the holidays come around they throw all cares out the window. While it is nice to indulge a little during the holidays, people tend to indulge too much. When your body is not used to the rich fatty holiday foods, it usually becomes confused, and with the quantities you’re putting in, it often leads to indigestion and other stomach problems, and trust that these problems are worse for little kids.
The trick for holiday food is to never deny yourself of foods you do enjoy but may be unhealthy during the rest of the year. If there are healthier alternatives that are just as good, try to go for that, but if a greasy New York pizza with pepperoni is you and your kids all time favorite, try having it once every few weeks instead of never at all. This will keep you from trying to make up for cravings like these during the holidays.
Since the holidays keep everyone feeling good, we should make sure our bodies feel good too. Having your little indulgences throughout the year now allows you to cook healthier holiday food for you and your kids. This makes it easier to realize that holiday food can actually be quite healthy if you make a few adjustments here and there.
Most of our holiday foods revolve around fatty meats and sausages, heavy pies laced with enough sugar and cream for 100 cups of coffee, cheese filled dishes, and butter covered breads and potatoes. Sounds delightful doesn’t it? But notice that the vegetable and fruit groups are completely missing. Holiday indulgence tends to do this to you.
As healthier alternatives, go for leaner meats and sausages, maybe even looking into turkey ham instead of the traditional pork. Desserts can use natural sugars from fruits and low fat cream if necessary. Our cheese filled dishes can be replaced by broccoli with melted cheddar on top. We can also opt for whole grain breads and with less butter.
Like all meals, try to make sure your holiday meals have proper representation from each of the food groups. This will help your children see that even though it’s a festive time, the rules are still followed. Your kids eating habits will form and stick much better if you carry out the usual food groups during the holidays.
Another facet of the holidays is the constant snacking. Instead of snacking on store bought cookies or those Christmas doughnuts, bake your own oatmeal cookies with bits of chocolate chips in it! You’re sure that the ingredients are healthy, and it’s a fun activity that you can do with your children.
Adults also tend to consume more alcohol than normal. It’s a festive season and it’s natural to want to celebrate, but there are healthier options for alcohol. Try drinking red wine as an alternative. If you do like cocktails, use 100% fruit juices with your spirit of choice as this will be healthier than using sodas and juice flavored drinks.
With a little bit of imagination and easy cooking, you can turn the most unhealthy holiday menu into one that is healthy, nutritious and can be cooked other times of the year! Set a good example for your kids this next holiday season, and show them how healthy cooking is something to be celebrated!
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