Photo courtesy Pixabay
by Elizabeth Magee, LRD
Halloween is finally around the corner, however I swear the decorations have been out since the 4th of July. I was contemplating buying candy last week, to soften the blow of the cost – we go through a lot of ‘lil trick or treaters in the neighborhood. But then I decided that candy wouldn’t be safe from kids, and chances are super great that if I hid it, I’d find it in time for Valentines Day. Guess I’ll be taking a financial hit on Halloween.
When people know you are a dietitian, they think you would never even want to eat anything “unhealthy” and that your family definitely eats a perfect, well-rounded diet – perfect amounts of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, beans, low fat dairy, and ONLY whole grains and the healthiest fats.
This may disappoint some people.
It definitely may disappoint some dietitians.
But that isn’t the kind of ship I’m running here. Do I hope the kids make healthy choices more often than not? Do we provide excellent choices full of the nutrients their growing bodies need? Yes and yes. Does this happen? Hmmmm. Not always, usually not without a fight from at least one person, or someone else acting like they are eating poison.
Halloween can be a nightmare for parents. Treats on treats on treats everywhere you go. I’ve never said no to a bowl of candy. I’m always taking a piece!! I can’t expect a kid to walk by without taking a piece!
Trick or treating is one night a year. The candy could last forever. The faster it’s out of my life, the better. I honestly don’t have rules about Halloween candy. Ok, ONE rule. The wrappers better end up in the garbage. And I don’t want to find melted candy in the couch, carpet, bedding. So, I guess TWO rules. I actually just asked my daughter if she remembers me having rules in her younger years of Halloween – she said no! I’m very excited about this. But clearly even the wrappers in the garbage didn’t stick.
Most kids aren’t going to have too much self-control when sitting on the living room floor that’s now covered in hundreds of pieces of freshly organized candy. Who would? I made it known that if you didn’t feel good or threw up, that’s on you and poor choices. I haven’t had to deal with this consequence so far!! I always made sure to serve a solid supper (probably a pumpkin-shaped pizza) so there was a solid base and no one felt like they were starving. That might be rule number THREE, I guess. Solid supper.
One night of too much sugar isn’t going to do too much in the long run. Might make for poor sleep, belly aches and some hyperactivity, but no one is developing diabetes from a night of indulgence. Which brings me to rule FOUR…
You better brush your teeth before you go to bed!! The no cavity club is a big deal!
Elizabeth Magee is a licensed registered dietitian. Her posts appear monthly on OYT.
Other popular posts from Elizabeth:
Snack Wars (or how to survive feeding teenagers)
Weighing in on fruit consumption