At the farmers market in Napa, California,
Sustainable Santa introduces the young Adam
Abrinko to the joy of eating a fresh picked bell
pepper as his father, Dr. Paul Abrinko, Adam’s
brother P.J. and Mrs. Claus look on.
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Sustainable Santa:
Hunting & Gathering Ways
to Keep Children Healthy
e calls himself “Sustainable Santa,”
and he’s anxious to draw a line
between the Santa he knows is
needed in contemporary society
and the fellow described in Clement
Moore’s 1823 poem “The Night
Before Christmas.”
“That obese, jelly-bellied, likely
diabetic old guy who smokes and blows smoke rings around
his head is 191 years out of date!” says Sustainable Santa.
Sustainable Santa and Mrs. Claus spend each
summer and fall—their “off season” while the elves
complete their toy-making tasks—traveling the country
advocating healthy eating and sustainable living, and
encouraging patronage of healthy food sources such as
farmers markets.
This summer, the GMO labeling proposition on the
November Oregon ballot caught their attention, and
they want Oregonians to understand the importance of
knowing what they eat, and the potential benefits or harm
that can come from the things they consume.
While the unique-to-America image of the portly
1823 Santa is now far out of sync with the needs of
contemporary society, Santa and Mrs. Claus point out
that the eating and exercise habits of two centuries ago
in America do have some lessons for our contemporary
society.
8 October 2014 eNewsletter
First, like the first consumers of a Paleo diet, the
pioneers in 1800s America did a fair amount of hunting
and gathering, and in the process they enjoyed a healthy
amount of exercise. Second, there were no artificial
chemicals or unpronounceable additives in their daily
fare. Unlike today, when it’s difficult to decipher what’s in
the processed foods being offered up for consumption,
American parents of the 1800s had a good idea of what
they were serving their children.
Key to this modern American Santa’s message is
knowing what you eat. And this Santa lives what he
advocates, having lost 73 pounds in recent years simply
by embracing what he calls a “flexitarian” diet: whole
foods—not too much—mostly plants, all organically and
sustainably grown, using no GMO seeds. With regard to
protein, he prefers seafood and poultry in moderation.
The only other meat he consumes is from four-legged
animals whose diet has been both natural (as in grass
fed) and organic.
The Clauses start each day with a breakfast consisting
of a blended vegetable and fruit smoothie, and they shun
potatoes and most wheat products, not just because
they’re so un-Paleo, but because they turn to sugar
inside their bodies.
In short, this contemporary Santa is a senior citizen
who is active and energetic, who exercises by walking,
biking, hiking and even surfing, and eats healthfully.
This Santa is currently working with his fellow “Real
Santas,” helping them focus on what he calls “the real