Part of parenthood is balancing what's "healthy" and letting "kids be kids." And Halloween seems to be the pinnacle of this. We want our kids to enjoy the candy they get from trick or treating but we don't want them to overdo it. Parenting tips about Halloween candy include:
- talking about healthy choices
- allowing your kids to trade candy for something they want (15 minutes extra iPad time)
- store the candy (out of sight, out of mind)
- be a role model of healthy eating (hahahahahaha)
Halloween is the beginning of the season of sweets. Is this a big deal? Let's consider some facts.
- American adults typically increase their weight by 4% from October to January. That means a weight gain of 6.64 pounds every year.
- The Dietary Guidelines for Americans says that less than 10% of daily caloric intake should come from sugar.
- Bingeing on sugar can wreak havoc on your body. Here's a great LINK to read more about that.
Yikes.
But all is not lost. Combat those stats:
- Exercise (30 minutes a day is a great start)
- Limit sugar (less than 10% of total caloric intake a day...read your labels)
- Healthy, balanced diet (eating as a family as often as possible at the dinner table)
Ah, but for some of you, here's the problem.
You provide a healthy, balanced diet. Your kids just won't eat it.
Kids today have access to a lot of delicious-tasting super-flavor foods that are loaded with sugar and salt and added coloring to make them super-attractive (and addictive?).
You cannot compete with that.
But you can have kids who eat what you make without tears and meltdowns. And your kids will behave at the table, too ;)
I teach a method for parents of picky eaters to follow that works. Schedule a time with me to find out more.
Enjoy Halloween. Tell yourself it's okay to eat what you want. Add a few extra minutes for exercising each day. Drink plenty of water and eat more vegetables these next few weeks (until the candy is gone or keep that up). And my dentist gave me the best tip: drink a glass of water right after eating candy. It will wash away the sugar and prevent cavities from forming (and reduce the chance of bad breath).
