Halloween is here – all the fun (sometimes scary) decorations are out, and the kids are ready to wear their favorite costumes. But are you prepared for the sugar rush? With some creativity, you can find and incorporate ways to avoid the crazy sugar spikes while still having fun trick-or-treating and managing how many pieces of candy you and your family have in the following weeks. Here are a few tips to manage the sugar rush this Halloween.
- Eat a nutritious dinner so kids are not hungry and only want candy for supper.
- Limit the number of treats your child can have each day. (Make sure to decide the appropriate number ahead of time and let children know the limits and why it is important to limit candy.)
- Keep candy out of reach to prevent continuous and mindless eating of candy.
- Let each child keep enough candy to have one or two pieces daily for one or two weeks (long enough for the excitement to wane).
- Throw away, donate, or re-purpose the rest.
- When your child asks for a piece of candy, pair it with a healthy snack: a glass of milk, an apple & peanut butter, or nuts.
- “Buy Back” candy from your child with money or token they can trade in for a fun activity: a day at the zoo, an afternoon playing at the park, going ice skating, or a day at the pool.
- Donate excess candy for troops overseas. A familiar sweet treat from home can be comforting at the holidays.
Tip provided by Patti Miller, RDN
Original Article: October 29, 2020
Updated Article: October 27, 2023
