Gastroenterologist named ways to organize a New Year's table for children

A New Year's holiday for children should focus not on plentiful food, but on creating an atmosphere of wonder and family unity. This was stated by the head of the Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Dietotherapy of the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution "FITZ Nutrition and Biotechnology", Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Tatiana Strokova at the Izvestia Medical Center on December 23 during a press conference on "How to celebrate the New Year without harm to health: New Year's table – 2026".

In her opinion, attempts to adapt a common adult table for a child are the wrong approach. Instead, parents should meet their children halfway by making a special and fun holiday for them, which will become a common gift and strengthen family ties.

"New Year is a holiday, and a holiday is not a cult of food, by and large. It's a cult of atmosphere, a cult of such a festive mood and expectation of a miracle. <...> And I want to say that communication is probably more correct, but what we will eat at 12 o'clock at night does not matter, because, by and large, it is physiologically wrong to eat a lot at night," she said.

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The expert stressed that the culmination of the holiday should be communication and the expectation of a miracle, and not the amount eaten per night, which is physiologically unjustified. For children, you can easily create special dishes with a minimum of time: for example, you can carve funny figures out of carrots or oranges. Such a creative approach will not only please the child, but also cheer up the adults. In addition, the professor recommends involving children in the process of preparing a New Year's table in order to enhance their anticipation of the holiday and avoid disappointment.

Regarding dietary restrictions, Strokova reminded that children should not be offered spicy, fatty and excessively salty foods. At the same time, she agreed with her colleagues that there are no absolutely harmful or healthy foods — the golden mean is important, taking into account the age and health status of the child.

Special attention should be paid to children with diseases that require a strict diet. As an example, the professor cited a case when the parents of a child who was not allowed meat expertly prepared cutlets of the same type for him, but from other permitted products. This approach not only helps to maintain health, but also contributes to the socialization of the child, allowing him to feel like a part of a common holiday.

According to Strokova, the main task of parents is not just to feed, but to creatively and lovingly present a festive table to the child.

On December 22, Akulina Bakhturina, senior coach and head of teacher training at the LEVITA international network of ballet and stretching studios, told Izvestia that every year at the beginning of winter, a constant and absolutely meaningless ritual begins — to lose 5 kg a couple of weeks before the New Year holidays. The body, she says, simply does not understand when there will be food again. Cortisol (the stress hormone) is rising, and with it the craving for fast carbohydrates is growing. On day X, the body, which is in acute deficit, requires compensation. As a result, overeating.

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