On the evening of December 5th, it's customary to place the largest boots possible outside the door, which are then filled with tasty treats and other small items the next morning, St. Nicholas Day. Many of these may taste good, but they're not healthy at all, make you fat, or even bad for your teeth. Let's take a look at what a St. Nicholas stocking can be filled with that is not only healthy for the body and brain, but also keeps you physically and mentally fit.

The following foods are suitable for Santa's stocking and the Christmas season, as they are also healthy for the brain and body:

1. Nuts

These wonderful fruits consist of a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and valuable fatty acids. Nuts are true brain food: rich in magnesium, vitamins B1, B6, and E, and the important omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are particularly important for the nervous system. Particularly valuable are: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, unsalted peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, and cashews. Avoid buying unshelled nuts in plastic packaging. This can harbor moisture, which promotes mold growth and the formation of toxic aflatoxins. Cardboard, wooden boxes, or nets are better. If the kernel is white and not yellow, the nut is fresh. But be careful: while nuts are very healthy, they are quite high in calories!

2. Fruits

Fresh fruit contains a whole host of substances that are good for the body and brain. These include antioxidants that eliminate free radicals, vitamins, trace elements, and much more. Apples, pears, citrus fruits, bananas, kiwis, lychees, mangoes, and other exotic fruits are suitable for Santa's stocking.

3. Dried fruits

Dried fruits such as raisins, dried apple rings, apricots, pears, figs, prunes, dates, or even pineapples, mangoes, and banana chips are not a substitute for fresh fruit, but they are a good alternative to candy and other purely sugar-based treats. Dried fruits "contain only 10 to 30 percent of the moisture content of fresh fruit, but they are very rich in nutrients," explains Isabelle Keller of the German Nutrition Society (DGE). Even after drying in hot air, known as dehydration, dried fruits still contain valuable minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, and plenty of secondary plant substances and fiber. However, they contain fewer vitamins than their fresh counterparts; vitamin C and folic acid, in particular, are lost during drying. The disadvantage is that dried fruits consist of 50 to 70 percent fructose, making them very high in calories and also highly susceptible to tooth decay. It's also worth noting that most dried fruit is preserved with sulfur dioxide, which can be a problem for allergy sufferers. Unsulfured dried fruit is available at organic or health food stores.

4. Whole-grain cookies

Cookies are sweets, and they should always be considered an extra—regardless of whether they come from an organic store or a regular supermarket. While cookies made with spelt or whole-grain flour may have better nutritional value and more fiber than those made with white flour, they're still in the confectionery league. So, if you do eat cookies, eat them in moderation and, ideally, homemade with butter. If the cookie contains refined vegetable fats instead of butter, it can produce the fatty contaminant 3-MCPD ester, which, according to the magazine Öko-Test, has been shown to damage kidneys and lead to tumors in animal experiments.

5. Chocolate

We recommend chocolate as healthy? Here, too, the answer is yes, but! Some ingredients in chocolate do indeed have positive effects on the body and mind. Dark chocolate, in particular, contains flavanols, which make blood vessels more elastic, have a slight blood pressure-lowering effect, and stimulate blood flow to the brain. Chocolate has also long been known as a "happiness maker"; it is said to raise serotonin levels in the brain. There is little scientific evidence to support the extent to which this sweet treat can actually trigger feelings of happiness in the brain. Above all, it is still unknown how much chocolate is needed for this to happen. Of course, sweet treats provide pleasant and enjoyable moments, but: chocolate contains a lot of sugar and fat. Therefore, there is a risk that the increased calorie intake will soon turn this joy into belly fat.

6. Green tea

If the gifts aren't for children, green tea is a good option, with its diverse effects on mental and physical performance. The components in green tea are said to have anticarcinogenic (anti-cancer), antioxidant (anti-free radical), and antimicrobial (anti-bacterial and anti-viral) properties. Furthermore, theanine, which is particularly present in green tea, can induce a special form of relaxed alertness and mental clarity. A packet of green tea as a Christmas gift for adults is highly recommended.

7. BrainEffect

For adults – from students to retirees – BrainEffect should not be missing from their Christmas stocking. The products in the BrainEffect range contain vitamins, trace elements, and special plant extracts, which, when combined, can activate and promote specific aspects of mental performance. BrainEffect is therefore an excellent supplement to a healthy diet. Numerous experts recommend it due to its natural ingredients and positive effects.