5 health mistakes Santa makes

He eats too many cookies and drinks too much milk

A chocolate chip cookie is between 70 and 120 calories, on average. Imagine the number of calories Santa consumes in the 132 million homes he visits on Christmas Eve (in addition to saturated fat, salt and sugar). All those glasses of 2% milk don’t help either-they contain too much saturated fat. ??Want to help Santa out? Give him unsweetened soy milk or one percent milk instead. For a snack, choose a healthier homemade option over cookies.

He doesn’t get enough sleep-especially on Christmas Eve

On December 24, Santa spends the whole night awake distributing gifts. As a result of this sleepless night-and all the planning and prepping for it-he may suffer from various physical ailments. He may experience anything from headaches or stomach aches to an increased risk of injury on Christmas Eve. He might even be so tired that he gives his reindeer the wrong directions.

His belly fat shakes like a bowl full of jelly

Santa has an abnormally high proportion of body fat. The worst part? Most of it is located around his waist-which means he’s got as much as double the risk for heart disease as a man with a smaller waist. Even elves-who, as everyone knows, carry the bulk of their weight on their hips, have better overall health. “Fat around the midsection is doing many things to your health,” says Dr. Alykhan Nanji, director of C-era, a heart disease diagnostic clinic in Calgary. This type of fat has been tied to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance, and can lead to diabetes and heart disease.

He overworks

Santa has a sedentary lifestyle throughout the year, and on Christmas Eve, he overworks. Since he’s out-of-shape, this increases his risk for injury. To prevent sprains, cuts, bruises and worse, Santa should warm up before the big night, and, ideally, exercise more during the off-season. A good way to start? Walking the reindeer every night.

He should also learn his cardiac risk level, ask the North Pole doctor what his heart rate target zone is and wear a heart monitor on Christmas Eve.

He doesn’t get enough vitamin D

Short days in the North Pole combined with sleepless nights in December may cause a vitamin D deficiency. Osteoporosis Canada and the Canadian Cancer Society recommend a dose of 400 to 1000 IU per day of the sunshine vitamin in autumn and winter to prevent heart disease and cancer. Father Christmas should take a supplement in addition to increasing consumption of foods rich in vitamin D.

Related:
• The 5 worst holiday foods you can eat
• 8 substitutions for healthier holiday cooking
• 5 tips for a happier holiday season