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| Manage Your Kid's Sweet Tooth |
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| Nobody likes to spoil post-Halloween fun, but facts are facts: Most candy is nothing more than sugar and fat. Consuming too much can lead to a greater risk of obesity, heart disease, tooth decay, and malnutrition. How can you avoid the sugar rush and still satisfy your child's sweet tooth? Try these tips: |
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Fill 'em up first.
Make sure they get a hearty meal before heading out for trick or treat. In the days that follow, avoid giving them candy for snacks. Allow it after dinner or lunch to make sure they've eaten something nutritious first.
Work out a system.
Let your children choose five pieces of candy to eat during or immediately after trick or treating. Allow 10 more that they can eat whenever they want in the coming days. Afterward, allot one piece each with afternoon and evening meals, at your discretion. Talk about the system beforehand so they understand it and are prepared to follow through.
Buy it back.
Offer your kids a quarter for each piece of candy they are willing to sell you. (If you're worried they might use the money to buy more candy, have them put it in a piggy bank for savings.) Or, create coupons that children can trade in with a few pieces of candy for non-food-related rewards, such as a trip to the zoo or a new football.
Keep it in the kitchen.
Don't let kids stash candy in their bedrooms. Keep it in a kitchen cabinet or on top of the refrigerator to minimize temptation and allow you to keep tabs on how much is being eaten.
Show them sweets don't have to be candy.
Have lots of healthier snack choices on hand, including sweet, juicy fruit. Blend strawberries and bananas, and then freeze the mixture and eat it like ice cream. Keep lots of easy-to-eat berries, grapes, and pre-cut apples in the fridge for grabbing on the run.
Maintain those healthy habits.
Make sure your kids brush their teeth after eating Halloween candy. The mint flavor of toothpaste will help take out the taste for more candy. And encourage your kids to stay active. Exercise will help them use up the energy from all that sugar instead of storing it in their bodies as extra fat.
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