candy

As any good parent can sense in her bones, Halloween is near. Along with costume anxiety and yard-decorating drama, the issue of candy consumption may haunt you this time of year.

What can a parent do? Unless your child is very young or you resort to Draconian methods (ie: taking away all the candy), children will eat candy--often large quantities of it.
 
But parents wouldn't be parents if they didn't at least try to direct kids towards healthier choices.

Not All Candies Are Equally Bad
The worst candies for your health are the ones that pack the largest amounts of fat, sugar and calories in the most deceptively small packages. A fun-size Butterfinger Bar, for example, packs more bad-for-you stuff (twice the fat and 30 percent more calories) than a fun-size 3 Musketeers, notes David Zinczenko, editor-in-chief of Men's Health.

This is a good reason to read the nutrition label before you let your kids munch--especially when dealing with those bitty, bite-size candies (as they say: bet you can't eat just one).

Teach Portion Control
Serving size is key, as most Halloween treats are loaded with sugar or high fructose corn syrup. All that extra sweetness can create a craving for more sweets--and that can lead to obesity--especially troubling given the sheer volume of candy doled out on Halloween. It might be tempting to let kids eat to their heart's content, but it's probably wiser to ration out the loot.

(Find out how to spot hidden sugar in food.)

"The major issue with all the candy they get is quantity," says Dr. Janet Silverstein, chief of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida. "It is important for children to learn reasonable portion sizes, so parents can follow a rule of thumb of giving their children one candy a day."

Don't Forget to Brush
All that sugar has another effect too. It can cause cavities. Candies that dissolve slowly and linger in the mouth or treats that stick in nooks and crannies are the real horrors, according to Chicago Tribune writer Julie Deardorff.

Another no-no: Constant snacking. It keeps teeth exposed to acids in foods. Eat the treat after a meal and then brush.

Substitute Something Healthy
Of course, the easiest way to avoid all the extra sugar is by substituting fruit or homemade treats for candy.

"Children will eat what is offered to them," says Silverstein. "If vending machines are full of water, children will drink water. So, it is good to feed them healthy foods at all times; fruits are great treats for Halloween."

Related Links:

Why our brains crave donuts.

Why you should keep the candy dish out of sight.

We've all heard the usual explanations for Americans' expanding waistlines – everything from too many carbs to too little exercise. But might hardware stores and hair salons also be responsible? The idea isn't as farfetched as it may seem.

Virtually everywhere we go these days – pharmacies, bookstores, banks, airports, auto repair shops – there's food. And much of it is in the form of high-calorie snacks like sodas, candy, cookies, muffins, frozen sweets, and chips, all of which can be hard to resist.

A new study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, provides startling evidence of just how ubiquitous these temptations are. The researchers sent volunteers to visit more than 1000 retail stores in 19 U.S. cities. They found that snack foods were available in 41 percent of businesses, often close to the cash register.

Some of the stores were places you'd expect to find food, such as pharmacies and gas stations. But many others were not. More than one in five furniture stores sold snacks, as did 16 percent of clothing stores, 54 percent of car dealerships, and 55 percent of home and garden stores.

Let's assume you're exposed twice per week to these temptations and succumb just 10 percent of the time, buying a typical snack containing 250 calories. The researchers calculated that this would add up to 2600 extra calories a year. Keep doing this for several years, and before you know it, you're packing on pounds.

As this video shows, the more accessible that snack foods are, the more we tend to eat. Unfortunately, steering completely clear of them isn't an option (unless you're willing never to leave your house). One solution is to become more mindful of what and how much we're eating and to think twice before we buy. If that big muffin at the bookstore is beckoning you, try counting to ten and asking yourself "am I really sure I want to eat this?" Often the answer will be no, and you can summon the willpower to skip the snack.

It's also a good idea to carry healthful, lower-calorie snacks with you. That way, when the sight of an oversized cookie gives you the urge to eat, you can grab an apple or a handful of nuts. And by not blowing money on snacks in the store, you'll have a little more to spend on what you came to buy in the first place.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so I don't take kindly to the killjoys who try to scare us about all the calories and fat in candy. After all, it's just one day a year.

But now comes the post-Halloween candy glut, and we need to heed their warnings. It's that time when people take their leftover candy (and perhaps part of their kids' loot too) to the office to unload on, er share with, co-workers.

For many of us, that big bowl of candy by the water cooler can be impossible to resist. If you're like me, every time you walk by it, you grab a piece or two, thinking "These are tiny. What's the harm?"

Well, the answer is that the calories in those mini candies can quickly add up. My pal Hungry Girl has done a little digging and compiled some scary stats. Eat just eight Hershey's Kisses, three Nestle Crunch Fun Size Bars, or a couple of Reese's Snack Size Peanut Butter Cups, and you'll instantly get 200 calories. Do that a few times a day, and you'll soon be packing on pounds. Check here for the complete list.

Research shows that, not surprisingly, we consume more if the candy is in a clear container that allows us to see the goodies. As this video segment reveals, the candy's location can also make a difference. The easier it is to reach, the more we tend to eat.

Unfortunately, if it's candy I like--meaning pretty much anything chocolate--putting it out of reach still doesn't seem to deter me much. My only hope is that my co-workers will come in with treats that don't tempt me. Bring on the Skittles and Sweetarts!