Doctors at Seattle's Swedish Medical Center suggested that Saint Nick eat more fruits and vegetables in order to control his weight. In an effort to help Santa stay fit, doctors are suggesting that children leave apples rather than cookies as a Christmas Eve snack for Kris Kringle. We estimate that if Santa eats only one cookie at every house on Christmas Eve, he will consume more than 100 million fat grams and two billion calories in just one night. Eating apples, said Dr. Speck, will provide the energy Santa needs without the sugar or excess fat. Apples also are high in fiber and contain ample amounts of phytonutrients that have been proven to fight cancer, heart disease and strokes.
Apples help reduce cholesterol, promote healthy lungs, and even fight gum disease.
Plus, apples come in both red and green, which are my favorite colors. Kris Kringle hopes that his weight problem and dietary switch from cookies to apples will create greater nutrition awareness for everyone. According to national statistics, about one in five American kids under 12 are overweight, and more than half of American teenagers are too fat. That's bad news because research indicates that overweight kids tend to become overweight adults with obesity-related health problems. Research also indicates that overweight teens are twice as likely to suffer heart disease later in life, and obese boys are five times more likely to get colon cancer as adults.