A Few Tricks To Limit the Unhealthy Treats

By drodriguez Oct 08, 2008

What kid does not look forward to Halloween every year? It is the one day a year that eating loads of candy is acceptable and even encouraged. But not everyone is so happy about a heavy sack of candy becoming a part of their child’s mealtime. With obesity on the rise and parents becoming increasingly health conscious, many want an alternative to the sugar extravaganza we call Halloween.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you will have to hand out raisins this year. Lisa Flam from the Associated Press recently wrote an article on the topic of obesity and Halloween treats. She says experts agree that indulging in a night of candy eating is nothing to worry about, regardless of a child’s weight. But Halloween is a good time to teach children a lesson about portion control by limiting the amount of candy they consume.

A recent AP article offers 10 tips to stop the sugar overload this Halloween. One idea is to sit down with children before trick-or-treating to agree on how much candy they will eat that night. Including them as part of the process will make them feel responsible for their eating habits as well as teaching them a lesson in portion control.

Another tip is to simply feed them dinner before leaving the house. Starting out on a full stomach before trick-or-treating may help to curb your child’s appetite for the sweet stuff. Also, walking rather than driving is a good way to get some exercise in on this indulgent holiday.

Putting a little more emphasis on checking out other children’s costumes and house decorations may help take their minds off the treats for a minute or two along your route. But watch out, the article warns parents not to ban candy or toss some of it out when they are not looking. This will probably just make your child want the treats more.

For a complete list of the Halloween tips you can visit http://www.dallasnews.com/

What do you think of the tips offered above to help kids make healthier decisions on Halloween?

Do you have any tricks that you use on Halloween to curb the candy splurge?