Halloween is known for many things. Things such as dressing in costume, going to haunted houses, pumpkin carving, fun parties, and candy. Lots of candy and treats. All of that candy adds up to some shocking sugar consumption for Halloween. How shocking? Well, it's not just a couple of tablespoons and it has pediatricians in Southwest Florida offering some health advice.
The average child will eat about three cups of sugar on Halloween. Fort Myers pediatrician Dr. Annette St. Pierre-MacKoul, has a few tips to help cut down while still having fun and enjoying the spoils of the season.
She says an easy way to start is to make sure your kids eat a well balanced meal or healthy snack before trick or treating and other Halloween events. If they are full, they may eat less candy. Especially if they are full with food that is good for them. The pediatrician is also a mother of three, so she has experience on both sides of the coin.
Sugar Consumption For Halloween
Dr. St. Pierre-MacKoul would limit the amount of candy her kids ate after trick or treating to just two pieces that night. Same for the following days. After a week, the remaining candy was donated to a food bank or sent to the troops overseas. "Over the years, we got tons of thank you letters," she says.
Part of the fun of trick or treating is coming home, dumping the bag on the floor and pawing through to see what you scored. Dr. St. Pierre-MacKoul, suggests parents participate. Not just to swipe a piece of candy or two, but also look for things that could potentially be hazardous or that don't look right. She suggests always removing fruit. It might look good but can never tell if it has been tampered with.
Here is another quick rule-of-thumb from Dr. St. Pierre-MacKoul, "You need to brush your teeth within 15-20 minutes of eating candy. Keep those sugar bugs away from the teeth." Happy Halloween.
