The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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October 28, 2009

Experts offer tips for limiting candy consumption to avoid a nightmare on your street

By Wally Kennedy

wkennedy@joplinglobe.com

With four children, Tiffany Culp has her hands full at Halloween with costume preparation and trick-or-treating.

But one thing she makes sure of after the festivities conclude is that her children do not have their hands full of candy.

“They get a lot of candy — way too much,’’ she said. “I let them indulge the night of Halloween, but after that I hide it and ration it out. I always put it up — out of sight, out of mind.

“If you don’t put limits on it, it will be gone in two days.”

To help decrease how much candy her goblins consume on Halloween night, she makes sure they are well fed before they go out with their loot bags. She also reminds them to brush their teeth more frequently.

“Sticky candy, caramels and Starbursts leave too much sugar on their teeth. I always make sure they brush their teeth and during the Halloween season for sure,” she said.

Heather Richards, a dietitian with St. John’s Regional Medical Center, and Randall Rohmiller, a Joplin dentist, say that Culp is on the right track when it comes to Halloween candy and her children.

“Moderation is the key to everything with children and adults when it comes to calories and sugar,” she said. “Put that candy away so they won’t gorge. Give them a couple of pieces a day and try to use them to replace chips, pop or cookies that you would give them anyway.”

Hard candies, such as suckers and Jolly Ranchers, are lower in calories, but contain sugar. Chocolate has extra fat, but it does not linger on a child’s teeth like a sugar-rich candy.

Richards said those small bite-size candy bars might look innocent enough but two or three of them can be the caloric equivalent of a whole bar. Most bite-size candy bars contain approximately 100 calories.

She said some people are substituting raisins, pretzels, Goldfish and popcorn for hard or chocolate candy. Some people also are substituting small, inexpensive toys such as yo-yos, tops, tattoos, bookmarks and glow sticks.

Richards said Halloween candy provides a good parent-child learning opportunity about portion control.

“If you’re concerned about your child’s weight, you can talk to them about portion control. They can learn to watch portion size. What they may learn as a child they may do as an adult,’’ she said.

Rohmiller said, “The hard candies, like suckers, Jolly Ranchers, taffy and gummy worms, take a while to dissolve in your mouth. They keep sugars on their teeth longer. Sugar staying on the teeth any length of time is not a good thing.”

Raisins, he said, are a healthy snack, but they contain sugar and can be sticky, too. Mini juice boxes are another option, but they, too, contain sugar. They, however, can provide hydration after a busy night of walking from neighborhood to neighborhood.

“When you’re eating more candy and sweets, which happens more frequently between Halloween and Christmas, you need to pay more attention to brushing. You need to do it a little bit more often,” Rohmiller said.

“It’s best not to put out a huge bowl of candy. Instead, give them a few pieces of candy at a time,” he said. “It’s all about portion control.”

He also suggests that parents encourage their children to eat a good healthy meal before they go out trick-or-treating “so they don’t come home on Halloween night and gorge on candy.”



Candy calorie count

Four plain Hershey’s kisses — 104 calories.

One fun-sized pack of M&Ms; — 88.

Two bite-size 3 Musketeers bars — 128.

One Reese’s peanut-butter cup — 100.

Three mini Reese’s peanut butter cups — 132.

Two bite-sized Snickers bars — 160.

One mini box of Junior Mints — 50.

One Tootsie Roll Lollipop — 60.

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