A World of Low-Calorie Christmas Traditions

My daughter Nora loves to bake. I love to eat baked goods. It works out well depending on how you look at it. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is baking something elaborate for Christmas dessert. Last year we baked our first fruitcake, starting it in October and feeding it brandy until Christmas. The year before we baked a Buche De Noel, a rolled-up sponge cake decorated to look like a yule log complete with meringue mushrooms and candied cranberries. I’m not sure what we will be creating this year but have no doubt it will be spectacular.

There is a myriad of holiday traditions around the world, many centering around food. It’s no wonder people usually put on a few extra pounds over the holiday season. Here in the U.S., we have Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses, stockings filled with candy, hot chocolate, candy canes, and the list goes on and on.

In Iceland, children leave their shoes by the window for the 13 Yule Lads to come down from the mountains and fill them with candy (or rotten potatoes, depending on whether you’ve been good). If you’ve been really naughty, you may be eaten by the Lads’ Yule Cat.

People in Greenland like to enjoy a meal of raw whale skin and blubber, both considered Christmas delicacies. Sounds a little calorically dense. Fairly recently in Japan, a meal of KFC (that’s right, Kentucky Fried Chicken) has become a Christmas tradition.

I enjoy the holidays and all of its traditions, but is there any way to stave off those extra pounds with some healthy Christmas traditions?

In China, the term for Christmas Eve is pinganye, meaning “quiet evening.” Pinganye also sounds very similar to the Chinese word for apple. As a result, a new tradition has come about. People in China now give each other fancy apples wrapped in elaborate colorful boxes. Often, intricate designs are carved right onto the face of the apple. Maybe we can replace some of that Christmas candy with a fancy decorative apple.

I read an article in Woman’s World telling me I can boost my immunity with eggnog.

“Savoring a glass daily cuts your risk of colds and viruses by 33 percent. And if you add a splash of rum, you’ll lower your illness risk by 54 percent,” suggests a study in the journal BMC Public Health. I find this a little hard to believe and have not been able to find the referenced study. But maybe if you limit the sugar content somehow and not add too much alcohol, it may be a little healthier. If you like eggnog, go for it (in moderation). I wouldn’t pretend it’s a healthy drink.

I haven’t found many healthy food traditions around the globe, but there are definitely ways to make the holiday season healthy in other ways. According to scientists at Pepperdine University, wearing Christmas attire can increase your brain’s production of mood-boosting beta waves. These waves can help reduce anxiety and stress and help with focus and energy.

The perceived health benefits of singing in a choir were explored in a study published in the Royal Society for Public Health. Researchers studied 1,779 choristers over a four-month period and found that “choral singing elicits a positive response in the chorister across a plethora of domains. These include social connection, physical and physiological benefits (specifically respiratory health), cognitive stimulation, mental health, enjoyment and transcendence.”

In Senegal, more than 90% of the population is Muslim but Christmas is still a big deal. Muslim citizens will practice Christmas traditions right alongside their Christian neighbors. Many will purchase Christmas trees, decorate with Christmas lights, and wait for Santa to arrive down the chimney.

It has been proved many times that social interaction is good for your brain. A large range of positive psychological outcomes have been associated with moderate drinking. Enhanced sociability and social interaction lead to elevated mood, reduced stress, and reduced depression. Even though food is involved in many of the holiday traditions around the world, it doesn’t sound like it is the focal point. All of these traditions are focused mainly on social interaction, enjoying the holiday with family, and celebrating with neighbors. Maybe if we focus on community and family, we can reduce our holiday stress and therefore reduce our holiday overeating as well.

Strike the harp and join the chorus. Go visit your neighbors, singing carols and bearing gifts of food like they do in Martinique. Invite people of different backgrounds and religions to join in the celebrations like they do in Senegal. In Finland, it is customary to end the day in the sauna together. In Australia, they leave Santa a beer along with some cookies. It may not help Santa’s waistline but may help reduce some stress.

I am personally going to stay away from the whale skin and blubber, but a beer on Christmas Eve and maybe a sauna session sound pretty good.