Halloween goes hand in hand with candy which can lead to a sugar overload for your kids. The real scary story of Halloween is the amount of sugar consumed in one night. It can lead to tummy aches and kids who are up most of the night. Just when you think it is over you realize your kids brought home enough candy to last until the next Halloween. It is hard to encourage healthy eating with pounds of candy corn, chocolate bars, and bubble gum. What can you do to minimize the sugar over Halloween?
Tips for Lower Sugar Halloween
Limit Halloween night consumption: Kids are excited to go through their bags and see all the candy and even more excited to unwrap and gobble them down. Before the excitement begins set ground rules on how many pieces of candy you will allow that night. Plan ahead for the added sugar by having your children only drink water and eat healthy foods all day.
Sort and Throw Away: Have your kids sort through their trick or treat bags for favorites and then toss the rest. Even candy that isn’t high on the list of favorites will be eaten by the kids or you resulting in unnecessary calories.
Daily Limits: Only allow one piece of candy each day afterwards until you run out or quietly throw it away.
Candy Rewards: Instead of allowing candy at will make rules for earning the candy. You can allow it for doing chores or good grades. Perhaps you can give a piece of candy for taking an hour off the TV and outside playing. While, rewards are positive ways to reinforce good behavior be careful rewarding with food or sweets. Know that some say this association can lead to poor habits before you decide to implement it.