The scariest thing about Halloween could quite possibly be the amount of added sugar Americans consume. It’s sort of the gateway holiday that leads into three months of over indulging before we all suddenly awake from our food comas on January 1st and decide to resolve once again to lose the 15lbs. It’s a terrible cycle for grown-ups and wreaking havoc on our kids’ growing bodies and evolving emotions. Seriously, does anyone else’s kid turn straight into Mr. Hyde about 15 minutes post sugar binge? I never noticed this until recently. My oldest is four and suddenly she goes into hormonal teenager mode very often after eating a treat. Mama ain’t got time for any unnecessary melt-downs, so just the thought of Halloween’s upcoming candy fest is already making me cringe. I do allow my girls to eat the junk on occasion, but I don’t love the fact that our culture has made it so that our kids’ happiness seems to ride on the promise of bodily harm. Sound dramatic?? Here are some stats on sugar:
- Sugar and sugar substitutes are hidden in an insane amount of processed foods. Check the label on your peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, yogurt, and granola bars. See any of the following: aspartame, corn syrup, barley malt, brown rice syrup, cane juice, dextrin, dextrose, fructo-oligosaccharides, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, polydextrose, sucrose, turbinado sugar? They’re all added sweeteners and there are tons more than what I just mentioned. Added sweeteners are not the same as those which occur naturally such as honey and that found in fruit. Our bodies process it differently. Ever hear of a kid being obese because they ate too many apples? Not likely.
- Since it’s basically hidden in everything, it’s hard to regulate. You think that the one cookie a day that you’re giving your kids isn’t a big deal, but since they’re consuming added sugar in soooo many processed items, it simply gets thrown onto the heap. Kids should only have 6 packets (or 24 grams) per day. Women are the same and men are allowed 9 packets (36 grams) per day. The only way to know is to check the nutrition label religiously. It’s amazing what you’ll learn about your “food”.
- Sugar is addictive. When you start binging, your taste buds and brain then begin to crave it. This is why we have a hard time passing it up once we’re full steam ahead on the belly-bulge band wagon.
So what’s a parent to do? I don’t love the idea of deprivation, so the best route is simply to be aware and make smarter choices with the everyday food offerings. If you limit the sugar to simply dessert, you’re doing a hell of a lot less damage. Awareness is key. Here are my tips for consuming less sugar this spooky season:
- Don’t buy candy until the week of Halloween. Even the most disciplined of adults will have a hard time not grabbing for that bowl of chocolate if it’s in sight all month. Keep it at the store….they won’t sell out. Hand out the treats and then freeze the rest for next year…..or simply leave it sitting out. I’ve discovered that the later evening trick or treaters (aka high school students) will gladly take it off your hands.
- Hand out an alternative. Better than buying the candy, come up with alternative ideas. Stickers, treat bags, glow sticks, etc. will all still be crowd pleasers. Amazon has some awesome party packs with trick or treat handouts sans anything edible.
- Implement the Switch Witch. I heard about this idea last year and love it! Allow your kids so many pieces of their trick or treat haul and then tell them the Switch Witch will be making a stop on Halloween night…..I may have to rename this character so as not to scare the bejeezus out of Lyla. The Trick Fairy perhaps…..sounds a bit prostitutey…..I’ll work on the name. The idea is that *insert said tricky creature” will take all of their leftover candy and switch it with a toy. This gets the candy out and you don’t feel like you’re a monster of a parent.
- Bake versus buy. I realize you can’t give out homemade baked goods to trick or treaters unfortunately. But, during the season of treats at school, church, festivals, etc., try to bypass as many convenience foods as possible and make it more fun by making them from scratch. You still get the sugar factor, but far less ingredients that you have no clue how to pronounce.
- Pumpkin Spice and Not So Nice. Allow one latte for the season. Yes, every Instagram influencer around seems to be in a state of constantly enjoying a Starbucks. Don’t fall for it (pun intended). Coffee is not the enemy here, it’s the myriad of syrups and sugary subs that get ladled into said coffee. Better yet, create one at home using some spices, organic whipping cream, and REAL sugar.
- Buy Better Candy. If candy is a non-negotiable, then at least take into consideration that not all sweets are created equal. But, don’t trust the label and assume that “natural” means better. Always look at the ingredient list. For example, check out the ingredients for this sucker versus these classic ones and this chocolate candy versus the traditional. You still have sugar of course, but no synthetic dyes which are a nightmare on their own. Hershey’s has now come out with an organic version of many of their candy bars, which is an awesome step in the right direction!
Any tips on avoiding those tricky treats this year??
Please note that this post contains affiliate links. You can read more here.
