Food, Fitness and Holidays
Managing Halloween and the candy monster
Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., former Nutritional Sciences Specialist, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri Extension
Think of Halloween as a great occasion to play dress-up extraordinaire, and try to take a moderate stand on the candy. Candy is mostly sugar and fat so we have to realize that it contributes calories with few nutrients, but it is a part of the holiday and it is fine in moderation. Preference for sweet foods is not a human failing — it's simply human nature.
In general, candy should not be forbidden and restricted. Children must learn about moderation and frequency so that we don’t teach patterns of hoarding or becoming obsessed. As parents we must make sure that children know when sweets are appropriate in their diet, and that should be adhered to throughout the holiday season.
Here are some suggestions for managing a happy and healthy Halloween:
- Wait and buy candy later rather than sooner. With
Halloween candy on the grocery store shelves two months
prior to the event, it's difficult to resist the fun-sized
treats, but we can't eat
what we don't bring home.
- Feed kids a healthy meal before they go out trick-or-treating
so they won't replace dinner with candy.
- Host a pre- trick-or-treat Halloween dinner with spooky background
music. Hand out a printed menu with gory descriptions of kids'
favorite foods. For example, spaghetti and marinara sauce with
shredded cheese becomes "brains with blood and pus."
Nutrient-rich cranberry juice mixed with apple cider
and orange juice becomes "murky blood." Kids really
love the idea of eating gross food on Halloween, and parents
are satisfied knowing that their kids are actually just eating a healthy dinner.
- If you're hosting a Halloween party, make it a seasonal
festival. Serve pumpkin muffins, spiced apple cider, and have
the kids dunk for apples. There are plenty of games and activities
that don't involve candy — decorate little pumpkins, hold a
costume contest, visit haunted houses or show a spooky movie
with some fresh-popped popcorn.
- Offer alternatives. Hand out pencils, rings, bracelets,
stickers, plastic snakes, sugarless gum — the items that
we typically give kids in birthday goodie bags. Just be aware
of choking hazards with young kids.
- Limit the houses that children visit. Give them a two to
three block radius, so they are able to gather a moderate amount
of treats only from known neighbors and friends.
- Emphasize that brushing and flossing our teeth after
eating sweets or any foods that stick to the teeth is
extremely important. Candy does far more damage to our teeth
than it does to our diet or behavior.
With a no-big-deal approach and the emphasis being on moderation, candy can be enjoyed without being considered a "forbidden fruit."
This article includes contributions from an article written by Karma Metzgar, C.F.C.S., Nutrition Specialist, Nodaway County, University of Missouri Extension
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Last update: Tuesday, October 25, 2011
