The holiday season is a time to share meals with family and friends, but the sweets consumed by children should have low sugar, saturated fats, and trans fats. Additionally, their intake should be part of a balanced menu that provides high-quality foods with appropriate nutritional content.
There are no truly healthy alternatives to sugary foods; there are only less harmful options.
Christmas Sweets: Temptations for the Whole Family
Turrones (nougats) in all flavors, marzipans, candied almonds, shortbread, polvorones (a traditional Spanish pastry), panettones (with or without chocolate chips), candied fruits, caramel candies, pistachios, roscón de reyes (traditional Spanish king’s cake) filled with cream, truffle, or whipped cream… During the Christmas holidays, festive meals and dinners are filled with a wide variety of sweets that delight those with a sweet tooth. Both adults and children enjoy these treats, which, when consumed in excess, can be detrimental to health. This consumption should be moderate, especially considering that the results of the ALADINO 2023 study, published in September 2024, show that 36.1% of children between the ages of 6 and 9 are overweight. “Childhood, even from the earliest years, and adolescence are key windows of opportunity for preventing obesity,” says Rosaura Leis, coordinator of the Nutrition and Breastfeeding Committee of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP).
Obesity in Childhood: A Multifactorial Issue
“Obesity or overweight in childhood is, in 99% of cases, nutritional or exogenous, meaning it is multifactorial,” says Dr. Isabel González Casado, head of the Pediatric Endocrinology Service at the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid. There are genetic factors that predispose children to gain weight, but environmental factors play a much larger role. Elements contributing to an obesogenic environment include increased sedentary lifestyles, reduced physical activity, and excessive consumption of calorie-dense foods, usually high in fats, refined sugars, and salt, such as candies, industrial baked goods, sugary soft drinks, and fast food (burgers, pizzas, chips, etc.). “When there is an imbalance between the energy consumed and the energy expended, weight gain occurs,” she adds.
The Risks of Overconsumption
Obesity is a chronic disease with significant health consequences in the short, medium, and long term. “It is not a matter of willpower,” explains Leis. Obesity is characterized by an increase in body fat, which is a metabolically active organ that produces substances affecting various organs and systems. There are diseases associated with obesity, but in most cases, it is polygenic obesity, resulting from the interaction of genes and environmental factors. “Genes account for 20% of obesity diagnoses, while 80% are due to the environment and epigenetic mechanisms,” Leis explains. This expert highlights the current environment where certain behaviors lead to weight gain: “People eat without hunger, drink without thirst, and socially, it is accepted to eat anywhere, at any time, and in any manner. There is little family supervision of children’s intake.”
The Role of Parents in Children’s Nutrition
Inadequate eating habits are primarily influenced by parents. They must educate their children about the harmful effects of excessive sugar consumption. “Parents must help children understand that these foods are harmful to health,” says Dr. Julio Álvarez Pitti, pediatrician and coordinator of the Childhood and Adolescent Obesity Group at the Spanish Society of Obesity (SEEDO). “If adults are aware of this, they will limit children’s exposure, knowing that these foods will be present during certain occasions. But the less, the better,” he adds. According to Álvarez, “There are no healthy alternatives to foods with high sugar content, only less harmful alternatives.”
Natural Sugars: Not a Free Pass
Sometimes, parents offer their children products sweetened with natural sugars, such as fructose, thinking they are healthy and that their repeated consumption will not affect their health. However, these should be reserved for occasional indulgences, according to Álvarez.
Balanced Eating: Not Just What, But When and How
Healthy nutrition is not just about what is eaten (foods), but when and how it is eaten; that is, how meals are prepared and enjoyed socially. The holiday season is a time for family gatherings, workplace celebrations, and friendly get-togethers, and these social activities are beneficial for health. “Diet should be sufficient in quantity, without excesses or deficiencies; varied, to provide the recommended macro and micronutrient quality; balanced and appropriate for the age, sex, health status, and level of physical activity,” says Dr. Leis.
Smart Planning for the Holidays
When planning a menu for the holidays, experts recommend following the recommended food pyramids and traditional eating patterns, such as the Atlantic and Mediterranean diets. In terms of sweets, “They should be consumed in small amounts and only occasionally, with lower amounts of sugars and saturated and trans fats, and should be integrated into a menu that follows our culinary traditions, providing quality and nutritionally dense foods,” explains Leis.
Physical Activity: An Essential Complement
Along with caring for nutrition, it is also important to get outside, go for walks with the family, ride bikes, or skate. Dr. González Casado points out that during the holidays, physical activity is more beneficial both physically and mentally than spending long hours in front of the television or playing video games.