A health expert has called for a ban on overweight Santas at shopping centres because they say it sends the wrong message to young children. 7NEWS
Nutritionist, researcher and food scientist Dr Vincent Candrawinata is pushing for a “healthier representation” of the iconic Christmas figure, saying that the traditional portrayal of an overweight Santa Claus is promoting unhealthy lifestyle habits.For more Christmas related news and videos check out“Kids absorb a lot from what they see and one of the staple things that they see around this time of the year is Santa in shopping centres,” he told 7NEWS.
“I do think that we shouldn’t be sending the wrong message to our kids and younger people ... that to be joyful and happy you have to be overweight and gorge yourself with not necessarily healthy foods and beverages during the holidays.” Professional Santas don’t quite agree with Dr Vincent Candrawinata’s reasoning behind the proposed ban.Candrawinata said small changes to how we associate unhealthy foods with Christmas can easily be changed. Instead of putting out milk and cookies for Santa, he said, apples could be used instead.“I really would like to send a message to parents, to kids, to our society that we should not associate this wonderful, joyful time of the year with the need to ... only to regret it in January.
The controversial call however has been dismissed by those who work as professional Santas during the Christmas period. “How do you know if the Santa that is at a shopping centre or anywhere or even me are not wearing padding right now?,” one told 7NEWS.“Everyone has to look after their health, no matter what career you’re in.”
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