Six Things To Do with ALL of that Candy

I took two of my nephews trick-or-treating on Saturday night. I love Halloween and was excited to share it with the kids. Does it get any better than dressing up in a costume and getting free candy?

Oh, the candy.  As a nutritionist, I was appalled about how much high fructose corn syrup was shuffling around their bags on Saturday. But on the other hand, it’s a once-a-year holiday and there is no reason why they can’t enjoy a few sweets. What concerns me is when children eat candy on a regular basis throughout the entire year. With the amount that they get on Halloween, it’s quite possible that it can LAST the entire year.

So, how do we find the balance in letting them enjoy the holiday without letting them eat candy on a daily basis for months on end? Here are some tips for both kids and adults (many of whom complain that it’s THEM that end up eating all of the Halloween candy because the kids forget about it).

• Give it away. Let the kids pick their favorite 10 or 15 pieces and then box it up and bring it to work, give it to neighbors or donate it to a local homeless shelter. Always allow the kids to keep some of the candy - as long as they get to pick out their favorites, they are often generous with the rest.

• Donate it to soldiers! This is my favorite suggestion - although, our soldiers shouldn’t be eating a lot of candy either, at least they are burning through the calories doing physical labor and they also share the goodies with the local kids. And it’s a sweet way for kids to learn how to be giving to others. Learn more about Operation Shoebox being held between Nov 2-11 or send your own carepackage with letters from the kids via Operation Gratitude by Dec 5.

• Send it to the Candy Fairy. This is another great suggestion I just read about in a Seattle Times article, “The Candy Fairy is similar to the Tooth Fairy…Instead of taking teeth, she takes Halloween candy and gives it to all the children who cannot go out trick-or-treating. Children leave out most of their candy and write a letter. The Candy Fairy visits at night and leaves a gift.”

• Store it out of site. Now, this often works better for the kids than it does for the adults (we know exactly where it is!) but studies conducted by Brian Wansink, PhD, author of Mindless Eating showed that moving candy a mere few feet away means we will eat less of it. In one study, when they moved the candy away from office workers by just six feet, the workers said that the space, “gave them enough time to think twice about whether they really wanted it. It gave them time to talk themselves out of having another chocolate. When a chocolate tempted them from one arms-length away, the interval between impulse and action was too short to matter.” So, put the extra candy in a tupperware in a hard-to-reach cupboard and everyone will eat less of it. [Note: I highly recommend the book, Mindless Eating - easy read and brilliant concepts.]

• Make-Your-Own-Gifts. Instead of spending a bunch of money on Christmas and holiday presents for co-workers and neighbors this year, use the leftover candy for little gifts. Enlist the kids in this creative project and find a supply store like Michael’s where you can pick out little containers that will still be useful after the candy has been eaten. Add ribbons, stickers or other decorations and you have inexpensive holiday presents ready-to-go before Thanksgiving!

• Create art. Build your own candyland game, build a house, create necklaces or save the candy to stuff in a pinata for the next family birthday party.

And if nothing else, remember to only indulge in candy that you actually ENJOY. Last night, I noticed that I started to pick up a piece of candy that I don’t even really like and I stopped myself and put it down. So, this advice goes for grown-ups too: pick out a few of your favorite pieces and get rid of the rest!

This post can also be found on the Savvy Auntie site.