When it comes to Halloween, no one wants to take the sweet treats and fun out of such a unique, once-a-year night. Of course as parents, we also worry about how to deal with a massive sugar crash, especially if it leads to a bad night of sleep, dehydration, and so on. We *all* want Halloween to be the most fun it can be.
From our Co-Founder and Strategic Partner Michelle Obama’s perspective, striking a balance is all about the meals and snacks you provide at home.
“I’ve always loved Halloween—especially when my girls were younger. It was so much fun to watch them dress up in their costumes and fill up their buckets with candy. Of course, like a lot of parents, I sometimes worried about how much candy they’d end up eating by the end of the night—and in the days that followed.
So over the years, I developed a strategy for special days like this. Throughout the year, I tried my best to keep sugar to a minimum. Our kids could eat as many fruits and vegetables as they wanted for snacks. I tried to make sure they weren’t eating a lot of added sugars in their diet in general.
Having some simple day-to-day ground rules like this had another big benefit, too: It meant that I didn’t mind letting them indulge a bit on nights like Halloween (or birthday parties or other holidays).
It’s a strategy that worked well for our family, and I know that other families have found other tactics that work. Not every parent will follow the same strategy with their own family, and that’s good — because it means we can learn from one another.”
We put together our favorite tips for managing Halloween candy consumption right here on Nothing to Sugarcoat — and we’d love to hear more from you! DM us @plezinutrition or head on over to @michelleobama on IG to share your thoughts.
Happy Halloween!!
Photo credit: Pete Souza