Halloween Means Gobbling Candy
Expert offers tips to minimize sweets consumption among trick-or-treaters.
The really scary thing about Halloween can be the amount of candy that children get and eat.
To ensure a safe and healthy Halloween for kids, here are some tips for parents:
■ Give children a healthy snack before they go trick-or-treating so that they'll be less tempted to eat their sweets as they go door-to-door. Make sure your children understand that they can't eat any of their candy until you check to make sure it is safe. Get rid of homemade treats made by strangers.
■ Allow your children to pick out a few of their favorite treats to have right after trick-or-treating. Keep the rest of their candy out of sight and allow them only one to two pieces when they ask for it.
■Consider trading a toy or extra allowance for your children's candy. If they are young enough, say the "Candy Fairy" will substitute a toy for the candy if they leave it out for her.
■ Be a role model by consuming Halloween treats in moderation yourself. Also, it's a good idea to buy candy at the last minute and get rid of leftovers to avoid temptation.
■ Let caregivers such as grandparents and babysitters know the rules on candy, which will prevent children from getting mixed messages.
■ Think about giving out non-food treats such as stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, bubbles, small games or colored pencils. If you prefer to give out candy, choose bite-sized ones and hand out dark chocolate (it has antioxidants) or hard candy (it takes longer to eat).
Source: HealthDay News
- 294 reads
