Sustainable Santa®

The REAL Healthy Happy Santas promote Real Food

Eckfield travels around the state to community gatherings such as farmers’ markets, seed shows and concerts, where, in a Santa suit often worn with red tennis shoes, he presents to children a fit, contemporary contrast to the image of the blithe fat man wreathed in smoke conjured by the poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” “That traditional American Santa is 195 years out of date,” says Sustainable Santa®. “We’re anxious to have Santa be the counselor who, in collaboration with the parents, urges kids to eat healthy and live a sustainable lifestyle.”

Eckfield and wife, Helen Nielsen, have developed a three-step plan to encourage fellow “real bearded contemporary Santas” to introduce healthy living concepts to kids.

Step one encourages Santas to share three “Food Rules,” inspired by both food journalist Michael Pollan and the lifestyle practices followed by families in Europe.  Eckfield says it takes just seconds for a Santa to teach a child these simple rules, such as “If you are hungry, eat an apple. If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you’re probably not hungry – in other words, don’t eat just to have something to do.” Collectively, the 3 Food Rules helps children break the habit and pattern of eating fast, snack, and processed foods which have become the staple of the SAD (Standard American Diet).

Step two is to encourage kids to “Eat Real Food” by placing “Healthy, Happy Santas” into farmers’ markets where it’s easy to embolden kids to try new fruits and vegetables (eat the rainbow!) and even fermented foods. The farmers and Santas team to present what they call “Garden Bites” tastes of real food for the kids to sample at the markets.

Step three is to recognize that if America’s goal is to “be Great again,” then first we must become healthy again. The Santas believe they can play a productive role in reversing the past three decades long trend of consuming unhealthy food-like substances in favor of consuming nutritious fresh, whole, real foods which will make kids “Healthy, Happy and Fit for Life” – the goal which the Santas share with the parents.

The passion Sustainable Santa®. feels for his mission is apparent in his voice when he talks about the positive effect a few words from Santa can have on a child. “The bottom line is Santa is still Santa, and the Real Santas United for Healthy Kids clearly care about kids. If Santa says ‘try this,’ kids are likely to try it with an open mind.” He says the aha moment he sees most frequently is when a child bites into a raw vegetable, often to the astonishment of mom and dad. “I see the child eating it, turning around and saying ‘Wow, this tastes good!’” 

Sustainable Santa® has attracted the attention of global health leader Dr. Robert Lustig, who states: “The true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with eating sugar laden processed foods. Richard Eckfield is leading a movement to retake our holidays back from the processed food industry.”

The Real Santas United for Healthy Kids are no longer a sugar Santa marketing tool.

Santa has been used to sell junk food & sugary beverages.

The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation and other groups concerned with children’s health support this important movement to take back Santa from ambitious marketers who want you to believe Santa is a jolly purveyor of sugary beverages and processed foods. The current image of Santa was shaped by soda pop marketing.

Today the 21st Century American Real Santas United for Health Kids together with their equal partners, the members of the Corps of Lady Santas (CLaS) who are modeled after the freestanding Women Christmas Icons found in Europe want to change that.  “Our country’s future depends on having a new generation of children who are healthy, happy and fit to live a sustainable lifestyle” say the Santas. “All of our systems, from health care, to social security, to paying for and balancing our national budget depend on avoiding the unnecessary health care expenses created by the current SAD (Standard American Diet).  Plus, by eating wholesome Real Food our children will experience true happiness and lifestyle satisfaction. What better gift can Santa help give than that?”