Halloween

Not everyone celebrates Halloween, however, I am often asked about a way to make it healthier and avoid all the candy. I know it can be a very frustrating time for parents. Kids are typically given an overabundance of candy wherever they go, and for some reason the quality of most candy sold this time of year leaves much to be desired. Not that candy is ever good for you.

Here are a few different ways Halloween is handled by different families.

·      Kids get a ton of candy and are given free reign to eat it whenever 
       they want and as much as they would like. I’m sure everyone has 
       heard of kids who have made themselves sick by eating too much candy.

·      Candy is withheld and given as a treat or a reward for being "good”. Click here for a post on dishing out the            control and you might also be interested in the post different kinds of pressure that will be coming soon. 

·      Avoid Halloween and hope that if kids don’t know about it or participate then everyone can avoid the issue. This,          however, usually only lasts for so long.

·      Work with the kids to use this as a teaching opportunity about balance and moderation.

·      Parents allow the kids to go trick or treating and collect candy- when the kids get home with the loot the      
       parents cash it in for something else that the child enjoys ie/ book, toy, etc. or they cash in the candy for some            type of food that is a treat for the kids but not necessarily quite as full of empty calories as the candy would be          ie/ a special home made dessert, store bought candy made from better ingredients - for example no dyes (still    
       candy but a bit of a better option), etc. 

These are only a few methods of dealing with Halloween that I have seen and I am sure that many of you have heard of more. I often see families doing a combination of these methods as well. Whatever you choose for your family I think the most important thing to focus on is the opportunity to discuss, educate and teach kids at a time like this. During the course of a year there are many times when people typically get overindulgent with food. Talking to our kids about the best ways to handle this can be a very important skill they will carry with them into many social settings throughout their lives. If you choose to celebrate Halloween try not to make it a time that creates more stress and strain for everyone in the family. Instead, decide as a family what works best and use that method.

Wondering how to incorporate some of these ideas into your family? Contact Jill, Nurture The Future’s Registered Dietitian @nf.nutrition@gmail.com  

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