Scariest thing about Halloween could be the stomach ache
Posted October 31, 2017 7:16 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The temptation to binge all of that Halloween candy is great, but there is a price to pay.
Registered dietitian Diana Steele with Vancouver’s Eating for Energy has some tips on how to keep kids healthy, and it’s advice you can follow, too.
She says eating a proper meal before candy will make you or your kids less likely to over-do it.
“I don’t believe in restricting and saying you can only have two or five pieces, because that feeling of restriction just makes them crave more,” she says. “If they’re older, they’ll likely find ways to get their candy some way or another, and it’s not really teaching them to self-manage. Self-regulation is really important for kids and if you can teach that at an early age, I think that works best.”
She also suggests limiting the amount of candy kids take to school and sticking to healthy snacks. And with all that sugar and running around, it’s important to stay hydrated to avoid a stomach ache.
Steele explains that the average tiny candy bar may only have 45 to 60 calories, but those bars add up.
She says kids can learn from the experience of a stomach ache that there is a cost to overdoing it.
“Hopefully they’ll choose to eat less next time, and that’s the conversation you can have with them,” she says. “‘If you’re not feeling well, how much did you have? Do you think it’s a good idea to have that much next time? Maybe it’s a good idea to space it out a bit better’, and then they learn.”
To stop yourself or your kids from eating too much, she suggests eating a proper, healthy meal before the candy, or even a healthy snack.
