By Leighann Hatch
Have you ever eaten too much after a Thanksgiving or Christmas meal? Reached for just one too many bites of your favorite dessert or foods and feel overly full afterwards? Believe it or not, overeating during the holidays may also happen to children too, even if they can’t fully express it. With holidays comes lots of foods, snacks, and sweets that we may not eat on a regular basis. And it is easy to overeat because we know we won’t have these types of food again for a while, or simply because the food is at reach in front of you, you go back for one last bite; kids may do this too! Here are just a few tips that you can try to help you and your children practice mindful eating and better digestion during the holidays this year.
Get Children Involved in the Kitchen
Help children learn what mindful eating is. Teach them about portion sizes and food variety, helping children to understand the importance of fruits and vegetables. One way that you can teach children about good, healthy food habits is to get them involved in the kitchen to help you cook if they’re old enough or have them sit in a safe space to watch you while you cook. Teaching children to cook and to help in the kitchen are great ways to promote learning about the foods they are eating. Children may learn more of a variety of foods and their nutritional value when they learn to cook them. Not only is it a great way to spend time with children, but it is also a great tool or skill that you are teaching them. If you don’t know much about cooking or how to do it, then this is a good way to learn something together. Come time for dinner, children may be more willing to eat foods they’ve helped prepare.
Keep Children Hydrated
Drinking water daily is of high importance for adults, but during the holidays it can be just as important for children. Reminding kids to drinking water can help them to stay hydrated, especially since kids are usually running around and playing with other kids during family gatherings. Left unattended, children may reach for sodas or sugary drinks, which may cause lots of unnecessary calories. Water also helps aid weight loss, energizes muscles, is essential for cell function, and regulates body temperature. Water is very beneficial to your kidneys and helps maintain normal bowel function. Drinking water may prevent unnecessary calories during the holidays.
Help Prevent Grazing
We all do this; graze at food and snacks up until the time the food is ready. Grazing not only adds extra calories during the day, but whether you realize it or not, it also slowly fills you up and before you know it, you have already overeaten. Children may do this too, continually snacking and eating throughout the day. One way you can prevent grazing is making sure that you and your children are starting holiday mornings with a good, balanced breakfast. Keeping everyone fuller from the start may prevent grazing for snacks all day.
Add Digestive Enzymes and Probiotics
Some children need a little extra help with digestion and when this happens, turn to nutraMetrix DNA Miracles Isotonix® Digestive Enzymes as a great product to support normal digestion. nutraMetrix DNA Miracles Digestive Enzymes have several benefits for children, like supporting digestion, promoting absorption of nutrients, supporting a healthy digestive tract, and so much more.* nutraMetrix has an array of digestive enzymes and probiotics, depending on your children’s needs. Learn more here
These are just a few ways that you can help your child with mindful eating and digestion support during the holiday season.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Article Sources
WebMD Editorial Contributors. “Health Benefits of Water.” WebMD, 25 Sept. 2020, www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-water.