Restricting Halloween Candy for yourself and your kids… why I think it’s a bad idea!

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Well this has been the most beautiful fall and lead up to Halloween! Halloween is both of my girls favourite holiday and they get so into designing their costumes, decorating the house and of course are so excited for the CANDY!

Last year I decided to not eat ONE SINGLE HALLOWEEN CANDY! It was so hard and although I didn’t miss the candy hangover… I did feel like I had missed out on the tradition of Halloween. So this year I’m allowing myself a few and same goes with my kiddos:) 

I believe that restricting yourself from something you enjoy sends a message to yourself that you can’t be trusted. Or it means that you still are scared of the consequences of your actions (example weight gain!). Of course I’m not talking about food sensitivities or allergies. In those cases you should absolutely restrict those foods.

I’m talking about Halloween candy! This year I’m going to enjoy a few mini chocolate bars mindfully and in the Halloween spirit:)

MY HAPPY HALLOWEEN CANDY STRATEGIES 

  1. Don’t make candy the forbidden fruit. It only makes kids want it more! Allow it in small amounts when appropriate. We know as adults that the deprivation almost always backfires.
  2. Feed them a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner that day (and perhaps the next couple of days afterwards). Lots of veggies, clean protein and healthy fats so that they’re blood sugar is fairly stable:) This goes for you as well. 
  3. Talk about what a reasonable amount of candy is for the night of Halloween. We have found that allowing them to have 10 the night of, and then 2 each day for the next week and then it’s gone. And we don’t make a big deal about it being gone! We quietly, like gypsies in the night, make it magically disappear.
  4. Encourage them to enjoy their bounty MINDFULLY. Ask them which ones they like best, why, and do fun things like organize the candy by categories like chocolate, candy and lollipops (for example). 
  5. Don’t allow them to eat it for breakfast or take it school. Keep those sugar highs (and crashes) at home. 
  6. Allow yourself to have a few of your childhood favourites.