Additives, and sugar and dyes – oh my. You guessed it. I’m talking about candy.
I’m not here to be the candy police, as I’m all for partaking in the Halloween fun.
But it’s important to know that the American Academy of Pediatrics says kids 2 and older not have more than 25 grams of added sugar per day (and zero for kids under 2).
Adult women should also limit their added sugar intake to no more than 25 grams per day, and under 36 grams per day for men, according to the American Heart Association.
So yes, there is room in our daily eating pattern to indulge, but of course, doing so in moderation.
These sugar recommendations are easy to exceed this time of year, as this equates to just a few pieces of fun-sized candy.
The following examples with their sugar content:
- 16 grams of sugar are in a six-piece package of Starbursts
- 16 grams are in two packages of M&Ms
- 14 grams in two packages of KitKats
- 11 grams of sugar are in one package of Skittles
- 10 grams are in one piece of Reese’s
- 8 grams in one snack-sized Snickers
And all the events in October like Halloween parties, trunk-or-treat events and so on add up to make for a month-long sugar fest. And don’t forget to factor in the other food you or your child consumed the same day (soda, flavored yogurt, sweetened applesauce, etc).
There’s no getting around it, but there is a way to make nutrition more appealing this time of year: crafting with fruits, vegetables and other healthy food. During this month of excessive sugar intake, here are some ways you can make nutrition part of the Halloween festivities that are easy for the non-artistic parents, inexpensive and require minimal cleanup:
- If you have a clementine or an orange, and a marker, then you can simply draw a jack-o-lantern face on the outside of the peel.
- Take an apple and a peeler or spiralizer, then peel/spiralize it to make it into a snake, and put mini chocolate chips dipped with honey to use for eyes.
- In addition to carving pumpkins, carve a face into an orange or grapefruit: Simply carve out a face with the segments still intact, or slice the top of the fruit, remove the segments by running a pairing around the interior and then carve out the face. You can add the segments back in, along with any other small pieces of fruit, to make into an adorable fruit cup.
- Make apple mummies: Cut an apple in half, remove the core and use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of apple peel. For the eyes, press chocolate chips (pointy end first) into a part that was peeled. Honeycrisp and Pink Ladies won’t brown as quickly.
- Pumpkin-face oatmeal: After making oatmeal, either in a bowl or in a slow cooker, simply add cinnamon or pumpkin spice into a face (triangle eyes, nose and a mouth)
- Boo-nana (ghost banana): Peel and cut a banana in half, press in three mini chocolate chips for eyes and an open mouth and insert a lollipop stick, popsicle stick or skewer.
- Monster smoothies: Turn a fruit smoothie into a green monster or goblin by adding spinach or kale. Pour into a clear plastic cup and draw a face with a marker. You can repeat this on St. Patrick’s Day, minus the scary face.
These are just a few ideas to have some non-candy fun with your kids or to offer at your Halloween party.
Candy is highly visible and accessible this time of year, so switch things up a bit and get creative with something that has more natural sugar than added.
Shari Bresin is the Family & Consumer Science Agent for the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension Pasco County, An Equal Opportunity Institution.
