Spooked by Sweets this Halloween?
If you are already starting to feel stressed about Halloween turning your little ones into sugar monsters, here’s an alternative approach to dealing with occasions like these which has certainly left me feeling more relaxed around all types of food and my children too.
WHY TREATING CHOCOLATE AS THE DEVIL IS NOT NECESSARILY GOOD!
Firstly, despite best intentions for your child’s health, young children are not likely to fully understand the long-term impact of eating certain foods in excess on their health, so this can be a very confusing message for a little being! As they get older, it can be more helpful to focus on supporting an understanding of inclusion of all foods into a balanced diet overall, rather than restriction or demonisation of certain foods or food groups.
Labelling food such as chocolate with negative connotations or placing food on a hierarchy e.g. to be earnt, can also be unhelpful messages for children to learn around food – remember food is just food. When chocolate and sweets are treated as just another food, it loses much of its appeal and children are able to eat it more intuitively.
More neutral language around this type of food could be, ‘it’s a sometimes food, not an every-day food’. Role modelling yourself is also important! Remember, lots of food behaviours in children are modelled on their family and peers.
WHY RESTRICTING HALLOWEEN SWEETS MAY BE WICKED
When it comes to occasions or celebrations such as Halloween, it’s important to remember that food is part of the fun and enjoyment. Eating more of certain foods than normal on one day is...well normal! Also, if we restrict sweets and chocolate too often, it can create a scarcity environment. If a food has become less available, we tend to crave it more and actually desire more of it!
Why not try planning in Halloween chocolate alongside balanced meals and snacks or if you offer chocolate and your child asks for more, respond with, ‘you can have more tomorrow’, they may start to ask for it less if they know there’s an opportunity to eat it again soon.
HOW TO MANAGE THE QUANTITY OF HALLOWEEN SWEETS
As scary as it sounds, Halloween could be an ideal time to experiment with letting your child have more control around sweets to see if they can naturally decide when they have eaten enough during or after trick or treating. If your child does overeat, how about saying ‘I don't like it when I eat too much either. You'll feel better soon. How do you think you want to handle it next time perhaps?’ We want to remove any guilt or shame around eating too much, especially when children are still learning how certain food feels in their body; a skill most definitely needed going into adulthood. At home, why not try sharing some sweets after a family mealtime (enjoying it all together!) or providing a portion alongside some fruit as part of a planned snack time.
So, this Halloween, why not experiment with enjoying all the ‘treats’ as a family together rather than fearing them, letting your child stop when they’ve eaten enough (scary as it sounds) and save any food labelling such as ‘devilish’ and ‘wicked’ for the costumes!
Who fancies joining me this year in this approach and reporting back?
All the above information has been checked by Specialist Paediatric Dietitian Lucy Upton www.thechildrensdietitian.co.uk
