WIN THE HOLIDAY BATTLE AGAINST ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS

The food landscape is shifting, and many parents are feeling the pressure, especially during holidays when our kids face unstructured eating, boredom, and increased exposure to unhealthy food choices.

Ultra-processed foods now stand between our kids and real wholefoods. They’re more accessible than ever, and manufacturers know how to hook us in, using synthetic nutrients, health claims, fun packaging, nature imagery, and social trends to disguise fake nutrition.

Most concerning is the rise in added ‘natural’ flavour enhancers. These act as excitatory neurotransmitters, stimulating the brain’s reward centres and mimicking the taste of real macronutrients, without delivering them. As a result, many kids become overstimulated, addicted, and view healthier wholefoods as boring.

So how do we help our kids navigate healthy holiday snacking without deprivation or losing important social connections?

FOCUS ON BUILDING HEALTHIER HABITS

Balance appetite, blood sugar and mood: Offer regular meals every 3–4 hours, that include protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and fibre.  Pack a holiday lunchbox if you are working from home.

Be a savvy cupboard coordinator: Prep favourite healthy snacks and keep them visible in the fridge or cupboard. Move ultra-processed foods out of sight and reach.

Learn how to read food labels together and support selective control: Focus on the nutrition table and ingredient list, not the marketing and claims. Compare options and let them choose a few healthier options.

Make a snacking agreement: If they choose an ultra-processed snack, pair it with a wholefood that adds missing nutrients like an apple for fibre or yoghurt for protein. You can also agree to a quota of packaged snacks per day.

Negotiate with body needs: Before choosing a snack, ask what they’ll be doing next. High energy activity? A high energy snack. Low energy activity? Choose higher protein and healthy fats like home-made dips with vegetable sticks or cheese and apple slices.

Practice food-flexibility: Take the pressure of yourself, be resourceful and turn meals into snacks. One of my favourites for summer are Shape-Shifting Smoothies: your morning blend becomes a nutritious ice-block snack. Perfect for kids who don’t stop or prefer cold, crunchy textures. (Could add a recipe in Here – I can create a visual for it)

Model what matters: Kids learn by watching and respond better to gentle guidance, not confrontation.  It’s consistency in our own food choices that reinforces the value in healthy wholefoods.

ABOUT EMMA

Emma is a qualified nutritionist with over 15 years working in the health and wellbeing industry. Originally from Sydney, she now calls the Northern Rivers home, where she lives with her two kids, FIFO husband, and their big, fluffy golden retriever, Teddy.

As a juggling-mum herself, Emma gets how tricky it can be to feed a family and keep kids interested in healthier options. She’s passionate about bringing kids back to wholefood ecosystems, making real food fun and accessible, whilst also budget-friendly and manageable for parents.

Her experience with neurodiverse kids and challenging eating behaviours inspired her to look beyond dietary intake, supplements, functional testing and meal planning, to the supporting foundation of ‘how’ using a toolkit of colourful interactive resources that form her food behaviour coaching program, Wholefoods for Wholekids®

Connect with Emma and view her complete range of nutrition services at suluna.com.au