Are you more of an M&M or a Skittles person? Swedish Fish or Sour Patch Kids? Chocolate or gummies?
It’s October, which means it’s time to perfect your costumes and hit the store to stock up on candy for trick-or-treaters. It’s a season of spooky decorations and silly Halloween jokes, but some parents may feel Halloween is overshadowed by battling sugar-hyped kids and rationing leftover candy.
If you’re dreading the candy aspect of the annual spooky season, we’ve got some expert tips to make it a bit easier.
Halloween candy doesn't provide much – if any – nutritional value. But these options rank above others, says Rose Britt, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching.
The “healthiest” Halloween candy is Peanut M&Ms, Britt says, or a similar complex candy. When it comes to choices with multiple components, like peanuts, you’re getting at least a bit more substance than just corn syrup.
If we're really getting into the nitty-gritty, a serving of Peanut M&Ms contains a little less than 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein and 9 grams of sugar. A similar-sized serving of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups contains around the same nutritional value but a touch more added sugar and Snickers contain no fiber, 1 gram of protein and 9 grams of added sugar, according to nutrition labels.
“It’s not a whole balance, but it will give us a little more sense of fullness compared to our more traditional, straight-sugar type candies,” Britt says.
Peanut M&Ms are also made of mostly milk chocolate. Almond Joys, for comparison, are also made of nuts and chocolate but are mostly made of corn syrup. Looking at the first ingredient, which is the candy’s most abundant, is a good way to compare candies, Britt explains.
Candy with nuts is your healthiest option, but if you’re into sugary sweets, Smarties are the healthiest option. One serving of Smarties contains just 25 calories and 6 grams of sugar. For comparison, Sour Patch Kids contain 110 calories and 24 grams of sugar in one serving.
In general, candy provides little to no nutritional value and isn’t considered a "health" food. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of total daily calories. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children over 2 limit their daily added sugar intake to less than 25 grams.
But Britt says this is more important for context rather than counting. Allowing yourself – and your children – to splurge on Halloween can help cultivate a healthier relationship with food.
“I would not count the grams of sugar, I don’t recommend counting grams of sugar day-to-day anyways but don’t stress about that on Halloween night,” Britt says. “Going forward, if you’ve got one or two servings (of candy) with dinner and then best you can limiting our sugar intake throughout the rest of the day, it puts it into context.”
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Britt, whose focus is pediatric feeding, says the most important thing to remember is to make memories and enjoy spending the holiday with your family. But if you’re overwhelmed with how to set limits and keep your kids’ candy intake in check, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Having a game plan before the trick-or-treating begins is the best way to prepare. Britt recommends letting your kids “go crazy” on the night of and imposing limits in the days that follow – maybe one or two pieces per day.
She also recommends coming up with a deadline depending on the volume of candy your household rakes in.
“Maybe if they don’t have a ton of candy, ‘We’re going to do this until your Halloween candy runs out,’ or if they’ve got a ton of candy, ‘We’re going to do this until November 15,’” she proposes.
Parents may not be able to control a free-for-all Halloween night, but they can control the balanced meal their family eats beforehand.
Britt recommends a protein and fiber-rich meal, even if it’s not a big one. Fiber contributes to balanced energy and reduces blood sugar spikes that lead to energy crashes. High-fiber foods include brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta, pita bread and fruits and vegetables. Protein can help little trick-or-treaters stay fuller longer, and you can get lots of it from animal products like meat or plant-based foods like quinoa and soy.
“At least you’re packing some nutrients,” she says. “Those bites that they’re having at dinner can balance out a little bit of the sugar rush that’s going to happen later on in the evening.”
And even as the candy lingers in the following weeks – or months – parents can stay in the driver’s seat by stocking the fridge with fruits and veggies, whole grains, plant proteins and high-quality meat sources so balanced, nutritious meals are the focus of household eating.
Parents may be familiar with the Halloween “parent tax” from a candy-hoarding standpoint – what parent doesn’t want to snag a few Milkyways for themselves?
Britt makes another argument: levy a toll on candy that isn’t safe for young children to eat yet.
“Up until the age of four, we want to be careful with nuts, hard candies, really sticky candy and gum,” she says. “That’s a nice way to weed out what might not be safe for those really younger kiddos, especially if parents think they might not be able to absolutely supervise them.”
It’s easy, and typical, to see candy as a treat or reward for good behavior. Britt argues against this tactic and recommends eating the allotted candy pieces with dinner instead of after it. It helps kids see their whole plate as good – veggies aren’t just something gross to get through to get to the good stuff. It also destigmatizes candy or sugar as “bad” or “junk food,” which can contribute to an unhealthy relationship with food. It may even help you avoid a pestering kid who can’t wait until after dinner to eat their candy.
“We can set ourselves up for that binging behavior if we internalize the shame of ‘I ate this bad candy so now I’m a bad person,’” she says.
If you’re having candy outside of a meal, she recommends putting screens and distractions away. Use your five senses to experience and savor the candy, which will have you feeling more satisfied after even just one piece.
You may not have thought of candy as a way to expose picky eaters to new foods, but there’s a way you can. Britt uses Almond Joys as an example, which can help introduce coconut or almond flavors. In the coming weeks, try a weeknight meal that uses the same ingredient – a coconut curry, perhaps – and have a conversation with them about the flavor across both foods.
“It’s a nice bridge versus … something that might be totally foreign to a kid who’s maybe a little more reserved or a little picky with trying new foods. When we see it in candy form, it’s a little more exciting.”
Repeated exposure to unfamiliar foods and creating a positive social experience during meals are proven methods for alleviating or avoiding picky eating behaviors, a journal article in the Centre for Academic Child Health found.
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