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It's a little hard to get all "ginned up" about Halloween candy during a time when there has been so much violence. It's heartbreaking. Let's put that front and center. Still, if you worry about how much candy your kids will consume this Wednesday, you're not alone. And it's not a trivial concern. Halloween isn't just about candy consumption. Halloween is about eating. Healthy eating. Period.
By some reports, kids eat 5 percent of their yearly candy consumption on Halloween and the days following. That statistic can take your breath away. Don't let it. It actually means that 95 percent of candy consumption happens during the rest of the year. Yes, I know that is exactly what gets everyone so rattled because, presumably, candy consumption during the year happens in smaller doses. I get it.
Would you trade one day of crazy candy consumption for a year of healthy eating habits? Also, next year, do you want to still be the candy police, or would you hope to have given up that role?
Now is the time to think big. Change your mindset. Catch the Habitude.
4 Reasons NOT to Get Rid of Leftover Halloween Candy
1) Knowing that the candy has a short shelf-life in your home encourages kids to eat more than they might otherwise on Halloween itself. This is especially true for kids who might feel a little candy "deprived."
If you want to limit candy consumption, try giving your kids a candy bag that is smaller than their body. Or limit trick-or-treating to a shorter time frame or smaller neighborhood radius. Use the "leftover" time for other Halloween fun.
2) Buy-backs and trade-ins teach kids that candy has power.
Allowing your children to trade their candy for something else, such as a trip to the toy store, teaches kids that candy has power. Powerful items are sought after, not discarded. But even if this strategy works for a while, it won’t teach your kids a thing about how to moderate their own candy consumption. What’s more, you’re not always going to be willing to pay their trade-in price. What then? Can you say car?
Instead, neutralize the power candy has by allowing kids to fold the "leftovers" into their regular sweets and treats routine. Eat a candy? Forgo a cookie. It's the right lifetime habit.
3) Demonizing candy teaches kids to feel guilty when they eat it. Don't you feel guilty? Ever said, "I've been bad...?"
Instead, teach kids the difference between plenty and greed. And also the idea that when it comes to sweets and treats, it's better to eat the candy you love than to eat the candy you have.
4. The rush to get excess candy out the door teaches kids that they can't be trusted around candy. If you hear candy calling your name when it is in the house, then you know what I mean.
Instead, teach your kids to control their own candy intake. They'll eat less than you think.
Trashing candy teaches food waste. Sending it to the office teaches kids that candy is alright for other people, but not for them. So does donating candy, unless you make sure you donate it to people who have NO candy.
So what should you do? Think of Halloween as one big buffet. And then teach your kids how to navigate it successfully. That's what they need for a lifetime of healthy eating.
An earlier version of this post appeared on my blog, It's Not About Nutrition.
