Tips to Reduce High Sugar Content in Halloween Treats

With soaring health and dental care costs, as well as dramatic increases of obesity and diabetes in both adults and children, it is no wonder that more and more parents are opting for healthier lifestyles and improved dietary habits for their families. This includes decreasing sugar intake, especially at special occasions and celebrations like Halloween, when sweet treats are often abundantly available and can lead to a child's eating too much as well as experiencing stomach aches and other discomforts later.

In relation to my own family as well as to other parents and children, I have discovered the value of leading by example and the importance of hands-on education. I have learned, for example, that it makes much more of an impact on a child when he or she observes a parent cutting down on his or her own sugary treats or purchasing and giving out Halloween treats with lower sugar content, than to hear the parent tell the child what not to eat. I have also learned that taking a child shopping and showing him or her the different alternatives to sugary Halloween candy and other sweet treats, and then purchasing and letting the child try some of these, helps expand awareness and appreciation of choices that, as individuals, we can make.

Here are some simple, but effective, tips for decreasing sugar content in Halloween treats you choose to purchase and/or give out:

READ FOOD LABELS

Ingredients are listed in order of volume, and while this list is not complete, anything with sugar, corn syrup, honey, malt, glucose, sucrose, or other words generally ending in "-ose" near the beginning contains a high sugar content. Additionally, a gram of sugar contains 4 calories, so that a candy bar with 15 grams of sugar would contribute 60 sugar calories. As an example, one regular size Snickers bar contains 280 calories and 30 grams of sugar. That means that 120 calories of that total are sugar calories alone, something to think about.

TRY CANDY AND OTHER TREATS THAT ARE LOWER IN SUGAR AND CALORIES

Compared to a regular size Milky Way at about 228 calories, a Tootsie Roll Pop has only 60 calories. Other lower calorie candies are hard candies like lifesavers that can be purchased as individually wrapped and gummie bears, licorice, and jelly beans that also come in an assortment of flavors and small packets. Small packages of animal crackers as well as small boxes of raisins at 45 calories each are also good treats that children can enjoy without high sugar content.

TRY SMALLER PORTIONS

Indulging in an occasional regular size Snickers or other candy bar may be all right for many people without medical conditions, but at Halloween, a time when children are getting many candy bars and treats, you can save money as well as do them a tremendous favor by giving them small portions. An increasing number of candy treats come in "fun" and "bite" sizes. If you don't have time or interest in comparing calorie and sugar contents in the stores, you'll at least be certain that they contain significantly less sugar and calories than the regular sizes, whatever brand you purchase.

TRY SUGAR FREE

These may certainly be healthier but it is important to keep in mind that a "sugar-free" food is not necessarily a "calorie-free" food. As a matter of fact, if you compare labels you will see that some of the sugar-free foods at the supermarket contain nearly as many calories as their regular alternatives and may even be costlier. You will want to weigh the pros and cons, or you may want to at least keep some sugar-free treats on hand for possible trick-or-treaters who use them.

MAKE YOUR OWN

Making your own candy can help you control the ingredients and may be a wonderful activity for children to participate in. While there is a multitude of information available from book and craft stores to internet articles and "how to" videos, I have used convenient candy making kits from local craft stores like A.C. Moore and Michael's craft stores with good success.

Children often enjoy participating and being involved in shopping for Halloween. Also, they tend to enjoy helping to create and decorate small bags and other attractively packaged items. An example might be making and filling small bags with a few individually wrapped lifesavers and a box of raisins or fun size Twizzler, an activity that members of the family can work on before Halloween. Perhaps, too, there might be a kind of Halloween treasure hunt or other game that family members and friends can participate in as well. Ultimately, Halloween can still be fun and satisfying, even without the traditional high sugar and calorie treats. We can each choose to have a happy, and possibly a little healthier, Halloween this year.