Tips on remaining in control while enjoying the holiday foods.
By Sherly Shooshani Daneshgar, MS, RD
The average American adult gains between 1 to 10 pounds during the “holiday season,” the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. As loving, caring parents this is one holiday tradition we do not want to pass on to our children’s generation.
The holidays are about spending cherished time with family and close friends. They are about family rituals and traditions. For most, this time of year is also about eating indulgent high fat and high calorie foods that we don’t usually eat the rest of the year. Everywhere we look there are tempting baked goods, candies, chocolates and savory foods.
Below are five simple suggestions to help you and your family enjoy all the wonderful aspects of the holiday season, while remaining in control.
The holidays can be a time of precious memories and great stress. This season, in addition to the presents that light up the faces of your children, you have the opportunity to create peace in your home that will last a lifetime.
As parents, we all want to ensure that our children and loved ones eat healthy, unadulterated food, free of hormones, pesticides and chemicals. But are we as vigilant about the liquids and drinks we ingest? Did you know that there is a hidden chemical in most beverages and liquids we consume, including tap water, the iced tea served by most restaurants, your child’s favorite soup from the local deli, even your glass of red wine? A vast majority of beverages and foods that are made with municipal drinking water in the US will contain a chemical additive called fluoride. If ingested in large amounts, fluoride may be harmful to the body, particularly in children. 
There are a lot of questions about whether or not one should prep their child for the all important playdate/entrance exam to private school Kindergarten.
Maple Brined Turkey (Makes 10-12 Servings)
In your arms is the most precious, beautiful bundle of joy you could ever have imagined. You know your heart should be filled with loving warmth, jubilee, and sheer wonder at the little miracle in front of you; BUT, instead, you’re a wreck! You haven’t slept in weeks and you’ve lost your brain and a few other things you can’t remember at the moment. The deep, dark bags under your eyes are reminiscent of the Bride of Frankenstein. You’re completely overwhelmed and leaking from every orifice in your body, especially your eyes…uncontrollable tears are streaming down your face.
Spookie Grilled Cheese: What kid doesn’t love a grilled cheese sandwich. But this one up’s the Halloween anty by cutting out your favorite spooky shape in the middle making the perfect filling meal before the little ones head out for a night full of candy and fun.
You all know the family. The one in which the siblings seem to magically get along, support each other, work well together, and talk through difficult moments with little to no yelling, or homicidal threats. You also know there is a reason you probably only know one family like this. It is a rarity. It doesn’t exist in nature in large numbers. Parents aspire to have that sense of familial calm and sibling cohesion, and may feel that it will always be beyond their reach. Then, a new sibling is brought into the mix, and that aspiration for familial magic seems like an ever-more-distant hope.