(updated 10-28-24)
Halloween of Days Gone By
Having grown up in an era where it was safe to go trick-or-treating way past dark with no adult supervision, I remember the excitement of receiving not only the usual candy bars of the day, but also those homemade popcorn balls, taffy apples, and occasionally cupcakes or brownies.
We weren’t concerned with germs, unpackaged items, or that someone might try to poison or abduct us. Times have changed, but some things have not - namely, the amount of sugary treats being distributed and consumed, whether they're homemade or not.
How Much Sugar is Too Much?
Halloween candy is just one small reason the kids are eating so much sugar. Other reasons include sugary breakfast cereals, sugar-filled sodas, fruit juices, punch, fruit gummies and roll-ups, processed snack cakes and donuts, ice cream, flavored yogurts, puddings, and candy on a regular basis.
When we throw in the festivities throughout the year which feature lots of sugar, such as birthdays, Christmas, Easter, other holidays and school events, it becomes apparent that sugar has become an all too frequent part of daily life, with the majority of parents totally unaware of the increased health risks being imposed upon their children.
Because strong evidence supports the association of added sugars with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in children, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day for kids and teens; and to totally avoid added sugars for children under 2 years old. But sadly, babies are being fed junk food well before their first birthday, and kids/teens are now consuming about 17 teaspoons of sugar daily on average (with many consuming 20 teaspoons).
By the way, if you think 6 teaspoons of sugar sounds like a lot, keep in mind that a 12-oz can of pop contains 10 teaspoons.
In addition to cardiometabolic risk factors, research published in 2021 indicates other health concerns associated with excessive sugars in a child's diet; those concerns include weight gain, dental decay, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, poor diet quality, and nutritional inadequacies. We also know that overall, refined sugar greatly suppresses the immune system, contributes to depression, is highly inflammatory, and can lead to fatty liver disease, among other conditions.
Celebrate Without Overdosing
The good news is there are Halloween party snacks and hand-outs which will allow you to celebrate and enjoy the festivities without overdosing on refined sugars, and without contributing to your child's possible life-long addictions. You may not know this, but sugar and chocolate are two of our most highly addictive foods.
Check out just one label on a candy bar and read the number of sugar grams. There are 4 grams of sugar in one teaspoon, so find the number of sugar grams and divide it by 4. For example, a regular sized Snickers Bar with 27 grams of sugar contains nearly SEVEN teaspoons of sugar (27 grams ÷ 4 = 6.75 teaspoons).
Healthy Handout Alternatives:
- Halloween-themed Snyder mini pretzel bags, mini Lara-Bars
- Individual raisin boxes, microwave popcorn packets, mini applesauce containers, mini water bottles
- Halloween-themed pencils, erasers or pencil toppers, temporary tattoos, stickers, super balls
- Bracelets or hair accessories, mini toothbrush kits
- Small plastic spiders, spooky false teeth, plastic rings
- Tiny pumpkins or gourds, whole-grain granola bars, matchbox cars, crayons
- Small activity pads, bubbles, and playing cards
- Party stores are a great resource for trinkets, but use caution that any toy pieces aren’t so small they could be swallowed.
Party Food Ideas
- Create your own pizza (mini pita crusts, sauce, veggies galore, sundried tomatoes)
- Home-made Tootsie Rolls
- Homemade granola bars and trail mix (call it Goblin food)
- Apples with almond or caramel dips; Low-fat guacamole with baked chips
- Snack cups of canned mandarin oranges or other fruits
- Here's a website with fun ideas (please note I have not looked at all of the recipes, so choose wisely)
What to do With All That Candy?
For those families/kids who may be transitioning to a plant-based diet - but currently do go trick-or-treating for candy - there are still many ways to cut back on the sugar. Allow the kids to eat one or two special pieces of candy on Halloween night (within reason), and then offer them the choice of trading in all their candy for a trip to the toy store or for something else they’ve been longing to purchase.
Dispose of (or donate) the remaining candy, but get it out of sight and more importantly, get it out of the house. Some area dentists will take the candy off your hands and send it to the troops. Find a participating dentist at the Halloween Candy Buy Back website.
Other options are "Treats for Troops" - and/or "Operation Shoebox" - organizations that send care packages to deployed troops.
Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating
Going forward, however, find alternative ways to let your children don a costume and have fun. Consider hosting your own Harvest Party or get-together for the kids, where you're in the control of the food; ideas include scavenger hunts, a Monster Mash dance, Halloween arts and crafts night, carving Jack-o'lanterns, Halloween bingo, or a Halloween movie night. One year we rented the local skating rink and hosted a costume skating party.
Explain Why This Matters
Take the time to encourage healthy snack eating with your children throughout the year, and explain the reasoning behind it. Always have fresh fruit on hand, and involve them in making nice cream and date-sweetened shakes/ snack balls/ cookies/ cupcakes.
Then, instead of battling over candy on Halloween and other events, your child will have a better understanding as to why traditional sweets are being limited.
When you’re given a box of candy, don’t gulp it all down; eat too much chocolate
and you’ll make yourself sick. (Proverbs 25:16, MSG)
Parents, remember to take care of YOURSELF as well as the kiddos! The AHA recommends no more than 6 added teaspoons of sugar for women, and no more than 9 teaspoons for men (daily). Or better yet, how about foregoing ALL added sugars and instead using fruits and dates to satisfy your sweet tooth. There's no deprivation with delicious desserts such as banana splits, brownies, cookies, and more!
Check out this FREE Training Class: 3 Food Mistakes Which Lead to Painful Joints, Extra Pounds, and Health Issues the Doctors Aren't Solving.
Or order a signed copy of this award-winning book: The "Plan A" Diet" - Combining Whole Food, Plant Based Nutrition with the Timeless Wisdom of Scripture.