Ask the Experts Blog

It’s that time of year again. Shopping for costumes, buying candy, planning out routes, trick-or-treating, coming home with armfuls of candy, waiting until parents are asleep, gorging on candy, then waking up the next morning too sick to get out of bed. It’s tradition right?

Well you should know that there’s a lot more going on in your body when this happens than just a tummy ache. Candy is what we call “empty calories,” meaning that it has no nutritional benefit. This is why consuming candy in large quantities can often lead to weight gain.

Furthermore, that nauseous, tired, dizzy feeling you get in the morning? That’s called hypoglycemia. Your body is trying to compensate for the amount of sugar in your blood stream with insulin. But when your sugar rush ends and all the insulin is still there, your blood sugar becomes too low, and that’s around the time you want to curl up in bed and sleep until Thanksgiving.

And we haven’t even started to talk about the cavities that start growing while your pearly whites are being bathed in sugar and left that way over night. Pediatrician, Anne Dudley, DO, and registered dietitian, Heather Rudnik share seven tips to help parents and kids, alike, enjoy Halloween without the candy hangover.

1. Eat a Healthy Dinner - Don’t go door to door on an empty stomach. Dr. Dudley suggests to “leave the house with your kids feeling full.” Eating a healthy dinner before you leave to go trick-or-treating will help you, or your kids, avoid the temptation to snack on the candy before you get home.

2. Offer Non-Candy Treats - If you’re expecting some masked adventurers at your door, have something other than candy to give them, that way you and your kids won’t be tempted by any leftovers. And this doesn’t mean you need to pass out apples and carrot sticks. Temporary tattoos, stickers, pencils, and small toys are all fun and acceptable treats.

3. Plan Out How Much Candy To Eat - Parents should talk with their kids before you hit the streets to develop a plan on just how much candy they can enjoy that night and for the days to follow. About 1-2 pieces of candy per day is reasonable. They should be kept as treats so there is no obligation to eat all the candy at once.

4. Be in In Charge of the Candy - From the moment your child’s candy enters your house, you should be in control of it. The first step is to look it over to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. Cases of such a thing are rare, but it never hurts to be safe. After you have portioned out you child’s candy for the day, keep the stash tucked away somewhere they can’t see. “Out of side out of mind,” is the strategy Heather suggests. That way kids have to ask you for the candy, and they won’t be tempted by staring at it all day

5. Find a Candy Buy-Back Program - Everyone has candy they don’t like. And chances are, you’re going to get some of it on Halloween. So why have it sitting there, tempting you or your kids if you don’t even like it? Check to see if your local dentist has a buy-back program, where they give you cash for your candy. This way, you have a couple extra dollars in your pocket, and the candy you didn’t want gets shipped overseas to share with the troops.

6. Brush Your Teeth - We know this is a no-brainer, but sometimes when the day’s excitement is over and the sugar rush has crashed, you just want to curl up in bed. Fight that urge and make sure you brush your teeth first! Don’t let those sugary treats linger in your mouth overnight and put you on the path for cavities later on.

7. Have Fun! - Last, and most importantly, have fun! As a parent, encourage and support your child to have a good time while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Remember that your actions are what your children will reflect.