{"id":2181,"date":"2017-10-26T06:56:42","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T20:56:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/happy-healthy-halloween\/"},"modified":"2021-10-18T12:21:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T02:21:13","slug":"happy-healthy-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/happy-healthy-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"Have a Happy, Healthy, Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"

Halloween can decline from the promise of allowing just one or two treats, into a spiral of sugar-laden, hyper-active, children. Whilst it is commonly understood that an occasional treat every now and then is unlikely to do any harm, Halloween can often be a challenging time for parents trying to limit their children\u2019s intake of sugar and food additives.<\/p>\n

Hold off the sugar\u2026 where possible<\/h3>\n

Based on the WHO Guidelines, Australian children\u2019s free sugar intake should range between 320kJ\/day and 440kJ\/day, depending on age and gender \u2013 this is the equivalent of 19g and 26g of sugar a day [1]. It\u2019s easy to consume 2-3 times this amount in one Halloween party alone; after all, a single serving of popular confectionery contains 12.4g and that\u2019s just 2 sweets!<\/p>\n

In young children it is well known that a high sugar intake leads to a greater risk of dental cavities, particularly if consumption of sweets \u2013 both jelly and hard \u2013 is high. A high intake of sugar, albeit over time, is also linked with a number of health concerns including type 2 diabetes, obesity, dental cavities and heart disease, amongst many others. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 23% of Australian children aged 2\u20134 are overweight or obese [2].<\/p>\n

Steer clear of artificial additives<\/h3>\n

Many of the traditional Halloween treats come in array of different colours and are laden with artificial additives \u2013 be it colours, flavourings and preservatives. However, it has been found that some additives have some side effects in children in particular. A study concluded in the United Kingdom found that a mixture of colourings and the preservative sodium benzoate (211) could be linked to increased hyperactivity in some children. The colours studied were tartrazine (102), quinoline yellow (104), sunset yellow FCF (110), carmoisine (122), ponceau 4R (124) and allura red AC (129). Within the EU, foods containing these colours are now labelled with a mandatory warning: \u201cMay have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children\u201d [3]. What\u2019s worrying is that these colours are completely unnecessary in food products, yet they can still be used in Australia. In fact, FSANZ say dietary exposure to added colours in food and beverages doesn\u2019t pose a public health and safety concern for children in Australia [4]. Therefore, it is best to steer clear of products full of artificial ingredients for the night.<\/p>\n

Thinking ahead and having some tricks up your sleeve may alleviate some of the pressure on the night. A few tricks to help your little ones consume less sugar are:<\/p>\n