Halloween hand-outs: It's as easy as taking candy from babies

The number of overweight children has tripled in the past 20 years, and tooth decay remains the most common chronic disease of childhood. Candy is the last thing many children need. So what's a responsible person to do when small ghosts and goblins ring their doorbells on Halloween?

Jean Clarkson-Frisbie might hand out popcorn balls, fruit or homemade goodies that are more nutritious than candy if trick-or-treaters made their way to her door. A Kansas State University Research and Extension agent who advocates fitness and healthy eating, she lives outside of town. A few parents bring their children to visit, but they know her, so they don't worry about food that isn't prepackaged.

That's the way it should be, she believes. Parents should know where their children are going and only allow them, or take them, to call on friends and neighbors they trust, rather than canvassing the town for candy.

Stephanie Becker, a dietitian at Pratt Regional Medical Center, always has small packages of raisins and little juice boxes in addition to candy, and sometimes nonfood items like bubbles, bracelets, beads and pencils that she finds in the toy aisle at a discount store. Kids also like temporary tattoos and stickers.

"I'm amazed at how many kids will take a toy over the candy," Becker said.

She's not totally against candy but said it's a good idea for parents to monitor how much their children eat. She allows her kids to have a couple of pieces a day, just before tooth-brushing time.

She keeps a candy bowl out at her home so the children don't feel that it's a forbidden item. They usually don't go near it unless there is company in the house.

Parents can go overboard in forbidding candy, she said, and when their children do get it, such as at Halloween, they eat it until they're sick.

Becker checks the fruit, popcorn balls and cookies her children gather carefully, but because she takes them on their trick-or-treat rounds, she knows where those items came from.

Candy is the traditional Halloween treat, and Glenda Houdyshell, a registered nurse for USD 382, allows her children to eat what they collect, but not all at once. All the candy is put in a bowl, and the children must ask when they want a piece.

"It's OK to have some candy, just not all day every day," Houdyshell said.

Easy access to the candy stash not only contributes to overweight, but exposes teeth to bacteria that form when the candy breaks down and causes cavities. It's better to eat a piece or two once a day than several pieces throughout the day.

It's a parent's job to teach about healthy choices and also provide healthy food on a day-to-day basis, Houdyshell said.

There are no restrictions on refreshments served at class parties in the Pratt school district, but Houdyshell does make some suggestions for healthy treats. Kids like fruit kabobs, peanut butter and cheese crackers and sliced fruit with a dip. Lowfat baked goods can be purchased, and if juice is to be served, she suggests 100 percent fruit juice, rather than a punch which is just sugar with no nutrients.

The children at Beyond The Bell after-school program readily eat the vegetables and fruits they're served as snacks.

"I think the more you expose kids to healthy foods, fruits and vegetables, the more they will accept them, Houdyshell said. "That's true for adults, too."

Pratt Tribune