ATTACK OF THE HALLOWEEN SUGAR MONSTERS!!!

Trick or Treat time is Sugar Time, but thanks to some helpful parents, your child doesn't have to be carried off by the Sugar Monsters this year.

KidsHealth asked parents to share how they handle Halloween. Most mom and dads — 82% — set limits using a variety of strategies to keep kids from going overboard on the Halloween treats.

Many parents said that after letting kids indulge in some treats right after trick-or-treating, they limit their kids to a certain number of pieces each day or put the candy stash out of reach and out of sight. Then kids have to ask for it — that is, if they remember that it's there!

One parent tried to limit the amount of sweets while also making sure that it was served up alongside something healthy. "They are allowed to select three items per day from the bag stored in the refrigerator, and they must have a glass of milk or water for each treat. After a week, they usually lose interest in the candy — maybe just coming from the fridge it doesn't taste as good or is harder to chew with the item being cold. Or by the time it comes to room temperature, they've gotten full!"

Of parents who try to limit treats, most said that they successfully kept their kids from overindulging. Those who said that their efforts failed cited a variety of reasons — from kids finding parents' secret hiding places to kids creating secret hiding places of their own. Other parents said that a big obstacle was having different caregivers for kids, from grandparents to babysitters, with different rules for the candy.

Just 15% of parents said that they offered trick-or-treaters healthy non-candy alternatives, ranging from bags of pretzels to small toys like yo-yos and temporary tattoos. About 37% said that they offered toys and candy. Nearly half of all parents just gave out candy.

Parents had a number of good tips to share about candy-limiting schemes that had worked in their houses, ranging from using the candy for craft projects to trades with their kids' dentists for small toys.
Here are some other tips from moms and dads:

• "Feed them before they go out to discourage snacking while out."
• "Tell them about the Halloween Pumpkin that will come by and leave a toy in place of the bag of candy."
• "Toss out the most brightly colored candy!"
• "Let kids know ahead of time the limits and reasons for those limits."
• "Remind the kids that if they don't eat it all now, they'll have more for later. Encourage sharing the candy with friends. Not only does it thin out the candy supply, it enforces sharing."

More Tips and Tactics

Use your best judgment given what you know about your child's personality and eating habits. Before kids go trick-or-treating, try to serve a healthy meal so they're not hungry when the candy starts coming in.
Kids who generally eat just a couple of pieces and save the rest might be trusted to decide how much to eat. But if your child tends to overdo it, consider setting limits.
Other insights for handling Halloween treats:

• Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Candy and snacks shouldn't get in the way of kids eating healthy meals.
• If a child is overweight — or you'd just like to reduce the Halloween stash — consider buying back some or all of the remaining Halloween candy. This acknowledges that the candy belongs to the child and provides a treat in the form of a little spending money.
• Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself. To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.
• Encourage your kids to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten, and to stop before they feel full or sick.

Here are some ideas for alternatives to candy to give to trick-or-treaters who come to your door:

• non-food treats, like stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, false teeth, little bottles of bubbles and small games, like tiny decks of cards (party-supply stores can be great sources for these)
• snacks such as small bags of pretzels, sugar-free gum, trail mix, small boxes of raisins, and popcorn
• sugar-free candy
• small boxes of cereal

Steer clear of any snacks or toys — like small plastic objects — that could pose choking hazards to very young children.
And remember that Halloween, like other holidays, is a single day on the calendar. If your family eats sensibly during the rest of the year, it will have a more lasting impact than a few days of overindulgence.

"Mom I'm FAT!"

Nobody needs to tell your dear child that he or she is overweight.  They already know, and they are already trying to process it any way they can.  Unfortunately, without your help, the way they process it could lead to further problems like secret eating and low self esteem.  So go ahead and talk about it.  More importantly, LISTEN about it.

We went through many of the same things.  There’s nothing new under the sun.  Being picked last for teams, being teased at school, struggling in sports, being ridiculed or having difficulty fitting into clothes are just a few of the pains overweight children may have to endure. 

You are the absolute best person to talk to your child about his or her weight because nobody loves your child more.  Therefore, nobody else can empathize as you can.  These frustrations and pains need to be expressed by your child and then validated by you.  Don’t shrink back; it’s the right thing to do.  Encourage.  Listen.  Validate.  Empathize.  RELATE.  Be available.

Unconditional love and acceptance are the life-blood of a child who struggles with weight problems.  You are the primary source of this love, so pour it on with reckless abandon.

Don’t do anything too harsh or rash like super strict diets…they will backfire.  Rather, make small adjustments here and there to put the right things to eat and drink in front of your child.  The last thing you should do is to highlight the fact your child is overweight by over-reacting with harsh diets.  That could spell rejection to them, which is the opposite of unconditional love.

Kids come in all shapes and sizes, and genetic pre-disposition can be a hard taskmaster.  That’s why good habits and small steady adjustments are the best defense against the propensity for your child to be overweight.

Luna and Lara speak about water a lot, for obvious reasons.  However, we are not concerned about kids drinking more water because we’re in the water business.  We’re in the water business because we’re concerned about kids drinking more water.  That disclaimer said, ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO DRINK MORE WATER!  It will greatly aid metabolism, it will help them to process their meals, and it will “fill the gap” with something healthy and life-giving rather than something fattening like sugary soda, sweets or even juice.

Your example is the absolute best thing you can offer your child.  If you want him or her to develop good eating and drinking habits, exhibit good eating and drinking habits.  Show more than tell.

Resist the urge to set a timetable for weight loss.  In fact, weight loss is not the issue at all…good habits are.  Rather than a timetable, make a LIFE change.  Over time, you will begin to see the benefits not only in your child’s weight but in their overall good health.  The good news is, kids learn fast.  It may not seem like it, but it’s true.   

Go for “possible”, not for “perfect”. 

Pick Five:  Choose five realistic goals, such as substituting fatty foods for healthy ones; serving water instead of soda; buy flavoured water instead of juice (shameless but true); buy complex carbohydrates instead of simple ones.

Finally, be patient.  Be patient.  Be patient.  And above all, pour on the unconditional love and affirmation…it’s better to have a slightly overweight child who knows they are loved than a skinny one who doesn’t.

Luna and Lara

"I Can't Concentrate!"

W-O-W Part Three:  Attention and Concentration

Wiseup-On-Water!  Poor hydration adversely affects a child’s mental performance and learning ability.  Symptoms of mild dehydration include light-headedness, dizziness, headaches and tiredness (18), as well as reduced alertness and ability to concentrate.(19,20)Once thirst is felt, mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by about 10 per cent. Mental performance deteriorates progressively as the degree of dehydration increases.(19,21,22)  Thirst is usually felt when dehydration reaches 0.8-2 percent loss of body weight due to water loss.(18)  For a 10-year-old child weighing 30kg this is the equivalent to one or two large glasses of water (300ml each).

Water consumption also has an immediate “alerting” and “revitalising” effect.(19)  In schools taking part in the Food in Schools water provision pilot project, teachers reported that “enhanced water provision contributed to a more settled and productive learning environment, as well as helping instill good habits”.(23)

18 Kleiner SM. Water: An essential but overlooked nutrient.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1999:99:201-7
19 Rogers PJ, Kainth A, Smit HJ. A drink of water can improve or
impair mental performance depending on small differences in
thirst. Appetite 2001;36:57-58
20 Sherriffs SM, unpublished data, as quoted in Maughan RJ.
Impact of mild dehydration on wellness and on exercise
performance. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2003;57
(Suppl 2):S19-23
21 Gopinathan PM, Pichan G, Sharma VM. Role of dehydration
in heat stress-induced variations in mental performance.
Archives of Environmental Health 1988;43:15-17
22 Sharma VM, Sridharan K, Pichan G, Panwar MR. Influence of
heat-stress induced dehydration on mental functions.
Ergonomics 1986;29:791-99
23 Food in Schools: Water Provision Toolkit.
http://foodinschools.datacenta.uk.net/home.asp?idTopic=0&id
Page=1
1996;5:161-166

 

W-O-W! (Part Two)

It's time to Wiseup-On-Water!  Obesity in children has increased significantly and continues to rise.   The high sugar content of soft drinks has been identified as one of the factors involved in childhood obesity. (10)  Replacing soft drinks in the diet with water (which has no calories) can help with weight control.(11)

Fifteen per cent of preschool children consume just under half their recommended daily energy intake in the form of sugary drinks. These drinks are nutritionally poor and can reduce children’s appetite so that they miss eating valuable nutrients at mealtimes. (12)  In addition, sugary drinks may not quench thirst as much as water, which encourages children to drink more of them. (13)

One theory linking mild dehydration to obesity suggests that low fluid intake may stimulate a preference for a high fat diet. Of all the nutrients, fat generates the most metabolic water when it is broken down by the body. By providing maximum metabolic water, a high fat diet could be part of a compensatory mechanism to deal with perpetually low water intakes. (14)

Obesity in childhood is a risk factor for other serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes (15), heart disease and increases the chance of being overweight or obese as an adult.

Good Hydration helps your child to:
Maintain a healthy…	Weight
Improve…	Attention and concentration
Resolve…	Toilet problems such as constipation
Increase	Exercise capacity and fitness levels
Reduce the	Risk of chronic disease

11 Levine B. Role of liquid intake in childhood obesity and

related diseases. Current Concepts & Perspectives in Nutrition

1996;8(2)

12 Petter LPM, Hourihane J O’B and Rolles CJ. Is water out of

vogue? A survey of drinking habits of 2-7 year olds Archives

of Disease in Childhood 1995;72:137-40

13 Rolls BJ, Kim S, Fedoroff IC. Effects of drinks sweetened with

sucrose or aspartame on hunger, thirst and food intake in

men. Physiology and behaviour 1990;48:19-26

14 Stookey JD. Another look at fuel + O2 -> CO2 + H2O.

Developing a water-oriented perspective. Medical Hypotheses

1999;52:285-290

15 Drake AJ, Smith A, Betts PR, Crowne EC, Shield JPG. Type 2

diabetes in obese white childen. Archive of Disease in

Childhood 2002;86:207-8

2003;57 (Suppl 2):S19-23