Tricks and tips for eating less sugar this holiday season

With the holidays upon us, do you ever wonder about the amount of sugar that kids will consume.  heck, the whole family.  With October being the kick off to the natural sugar high, beginning with Halloween and then moving into the eating frenzy of desserts for Thanksgiving....and then roll right into the Christmas or holiday season of goodies!  Wow, it is a wonder that we are not in a sugar coma by the time it hits December 31.

Is there anything we can really do about this?  Can you really fight the sugar rush that takes over from October to December?  

Well here are some tips to help you this season:

First, it's okay to have a little sugar.  Sometimes when we go all "NO" and "Avoid at all cost" we end up feeling so deprived that we overeat in sugar.  We don't want to get our kids into that habit.  So we have to teach moderation.  A little sugar is ok.

So choose one dessert, make it a smaller portion than you would normally eat and eat it slowly.  Teach children to enjoy each bite and really taste their food.

Create some simple dessert sweet treats.  So yes, it may have chocolate but try recipes that mix in fruit and use chocolate for more decorating the fruit.  You may be surprised that you can cut about 1/3 of sugar and it will still be sweet enough.  (but of course, you need to experiment first).  But the point is there are usually ways to make it delicious and sweet but use less sugar.

Don't skip meals because that will only make you hungrier and you end up eating more treats.

So this holiday, teach kids about portions and savoring their treats.

Monday’s Nourishing Thought:  

A healthy diet has room for treats, it is all about balance and moderation!