Ask Dr. Jenn: Can I Leave Treats for Santa's Reindeer?

Like all other mammals, reindeer drink their mother’s milk when they are first born. However, reindeer milk is very low in lactose, the main sugar component of cow’s milk. Their body does not have the enzymes needed to break down lactulose, so cow’s milk and cookies filled with butter would be very upsetting to a reindeer’s stomach and intestinal tract.

Reindeer are ruminants. Their diet consists mainly of grasses, leaves, plants, and lichen. They have a four-part stomach and like cows, they chew their cud. Occasionally, they may eat other things, such as small bird eggs or insects, but sugar is not part of their diet. It is best to avoid high amounts of sugar, even on special occasions like Christmas.

Instead of milk and cookies for the reindeer, leave out some carrots or an apple. You could also leave out some special reindeer snack mix, as long as it has the right ingredients, such as oats, unsweetened cereal (cheerios), nuts, and dried cranberries.  Add some wild birdseed to the mixture to make it extra tasty. Some of the “reindeer food” recipes call for adding glitter so the reindeer can see it, but this is not a good idea. Their bodies can’t digest glitter, and they can get sick if they eat too much. They have great noses and can smell their special snack mix, so glitter isn’t necessary and it’s best to leave it out.

A somewhat surprising, but especially loved treat for reindeer is a banana. They aren’t going to find any wild bananas growing in the frozen tundra of the north, but maybe Santa’s reindeer discovered these tasty treats during a Christmas Eve stop in the tropical rain forests of Costa Rica.

Santa’s reindeer work hard on Christmas Eve, and they really appreciate special treats. Just make sure the treats are all-natural, healthy, and low in sugar. Leaving food for his reindeer is a great way to make it onto Santa’s nice list!