You want to hear something scary?
The amount of sugar the average child consumes on Halloween can be downright frightening.
Industry reports suggest the average trick-or-treater consumes three cups of sugar on Halloween, or about 7,000 calories worth of candy, according to a report in Fortune.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with kids wanting to join in on the fun of the holiday — and a few pieces of candy for a couple of days isn’t going to lead to childhood obesity.
In fact, studies show that banning candy or other certain foods altogether increases the chances of a child overindulging in the “bad” food once they have access to it, compared to kids that don’t have such restrictions.
But keeping a few pounds worth of candy in the coming days and weeks around the house, creates too much of a sugar-accessible environment.
For those who know that their children (or themselves) might not have the self-control, this can have an unhealthy impact.
Kids, and adults for that matter, can fill up on candy throughout the day and can skip the healthy snacks or actual meals needed for adequate nutrition.
Plus, those sweets can result in an excess intake of calories.
So what can you do?
Here’s an idea: Introduce your kids to the Switch Witch.
The Switch Witch is similar to the tooth fairy and Santa.
The Switch Witch is a good witch who needs candy to heat her home and keep her broomsticks going, and is willing to swap a toy or prize for your child’s candy.
After your child (and you) sift through the candy and decide on how many pieces to keep (best to discuss this number in advance), you leave the rest of the candy out in a common area for the Switch Witch.
The Switch Witch will take the candy while your children are asleep and will replace the candy with a prize.
You can then donate the candy to a food pantry or other charitable cause, or take it to work as a treat for your colleagues.
The Switch Witch provides an easy way to get rid of the excess candy, it may minimize temper tantrums with your children, and can help you teach them about limiting their candy intake.
There’s a story and a doll that’s available for purchase (check Google), which can help you build excitement for the Switch Witch’s upcoming visit. But much like Santa and the tooth fairy, it’s not necessary to see the Switch Witch to engage the imagination of a child.
What else can you do to make Halloween fun and food-centered, while trying to keep the excess sugar to a minimum?
You don’t need to be a food-crafting expert to have fun with your kids and impress party guests. Here are a few ideas:
- Jack-o’-lantern cheese quesadillas:
Either ‘carve’ free-handed or trace an image from your pumpkin carving kit onto a tortilla shell using a toothpick and then carve it with a paring knife.
Next, put cheese (or other ingredients) onto the bottom tortilla shell, then top it off with the shell with the carved face.
Place in the oven for about 10 minutes, and the melted cheese makes it look lit up.
- Jack-o’-lantern orange peppers
A pepper that can stand on its own and has a smooth surface for cutting is best to use for this.
Make a cut at the top stem of an orange pepper, and scoop out the seeds and the membrane.
Carve free-handed with a paring knife to cut out small eyes and mouth, or draw out a face using a gel pen, and cut slightly beyond the pen markings.
Put a thick dip inside the pepper, such as ranch or avocado dip. If the dip is too thin, it will come out of the eyes and the mouth.
Or, simply use the pepper as a ‘veggie’ tray, holding carrots and celery sticks.
- Apple teeth
Make 12 to 14 thin apple slices. Take two slices and spread peanut butter on one side of each, to act as a glue. Place miniature marshmallows on the peanut butter sides, and sandwich together to make a mouth.
- Monster mouth
Cut an apple into quarters or halves. Remove the seeds. Make a wedge in the skin to create a mouth, then add peanut butter and items such as sliced almonds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts, raisins and so on, to make the teeth and eyes. You can create the effect with a sliced strawberry for the tongue. (Be sure to add lemon juice, if they won’t be eaten right away.)
- Candy corn skewers
Use pineapple for yellow, cantaloupe for orange and banana for white. Places the pieces through a skewer to create a treat that looks like candy corn and is just as sweet.
- Pretzel spiders
If your kids like protein peanut butter energy bites, make them a little more Halloween-spirited.
Break up regular-shaped pretzels and insert them to create legs, and attach two pine nuts for eyes
- Edible eyeballs
Slice carrots, and add a little bit of cream cheese on the top and place a sliced olive to make an eyeball.
Remember, you don’t have to be the sugar police, but there’s plenty of candy going on around
this time of year, and it’s important to find the right balance.
By Shari Bresin
Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County.
Published October 20, 2021
