Help Your Child Eat Well

Written by Cassie Vanderwall, MS RD CD CDE CPT

A recent anti-obesity campaign from Children’s healthcare of Atlanta’s Strong4Life movement, released a video that has sparked great attention. This PSA, “Rewind the Future,” features a 300-pound man having a heart attack in the ER as his life flashes before his eyes. The viewer gets a sneak peek into the habits that may have led him to that hospital.

Eating well starts at birth and there are a variety of things that parents can do to help their child develop mindful eating habits.

1. Read Books about Food. Help your child to learn about where food comes from.
2. Play Games with Food. Keep food fun and let it penetrate into different areas of life besides the dinner table. Food can be used to help your child with math, shapes, colors, and a variety of sciences including horticulture, biology and chemistry.
3. Plant a Garden. Get dirty with your kids. Researchers have shown that kids who garden tend to eat more vegetables than those who do not.
4. Invite your child to plan the family’s meal. Children who have a say in what they eat are more open to try new foods and tend to have better diets.
5. Ask your child to help prepare the family’s meal. Don’t stop at meal planning, invite your child into the kitchen to learn how healthful food is prepared.
6. Eat as a family. There are loads of benefits that come from family meals, including better communications skills, healthier meal patterns and a stronger sense of belonging.
7. Avoid power struggles. Keep meal time a peaceful time and learn to trust your child’s choices during meals and snacks.
8. Let your child develop their palate. Help your child to explore a variety of foods, including those that you may not like. Remember, just because you like sweets after a meal, or salt and butter with your veggies your child may not. Allow your child to develop their own nutrition likes and dislikes.
9. Allow your child to obey their instinct. From birth, infants follow their internal hunger and fullness cues. They eat until they are satisfied. Help your child to preserve this intuition.
10. Be a good role model. Kids tend to model their parents eating habits. If you’re reaching for vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruit and water, they will too.

Detox: The Body’s Spring Cleaning

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall, MS RD CD CDE CPT

Tis’ the season for spring-cleaning! Take the opportunity to peruse through things acquired over the last several months. Some people truly enjoy the refreshing nature of starting fresh with the turn of this season, and others dread the time it takes to sort, scrub and discard. The body also has a spring-cleaning process, but it happens more than one time per year; it is constant.

 

The Dispute

There is much debate in the nutrition community whether the body needs assistance in the detoxification processes. Some healthcare professionals state that the body can eliminate any toxins it comes into contact with without assistance. Detox critics warn consumers against fad diets that encourage people to hit their body’s “reset button.” Many detoxification protocols are quite extreme and include unhealthful behaviors that can cause more stress to the body; there are healthful habits that can support this natural process.

 

How it Happens

Detoxification is the physical removal of toxins from a living organism.When the body is equipped with healthy lungs, kidneys and a liver the body is constantly detoxing. In fact, the liver’s main function is to process toxins that we ingest purposefully (alcohol, cigarette smoke, charred meats, etc.) and unintentionally (pollution, heavy metals, etc.). In general, the detox process occurs in three phases:

• Phase I: A family of enzymes, known at Cytochrome P-450, lead a series of reactions that create an unstable form of the toxin. These reactions are known as oxidation, reduction and hydrolysis.
• Phase II: This step continues the process initiated in phase I and creates a water-soluble product that can be removed via bile or urine.
• Phase III: Activity in this phase occurs in the intestines where the intestinal cells (enterocytes) pump toxins, known as xenobiotics, back into the bowel. When the toxin re-enters circulation, phase I and II activities also increase, and the overall detox process occurs at a higher rate.

Source: Carahealth.com

It is important to note that not all toxins cause this up-regulation. In fact, toxins from charred meats and cigarettes only increase phase I activity and not phase II. Therefore, there is potential for these toxins to reach unhealthful levels in the body.

 

How to Help

Research in the area of nutrition-supported detox is well underway, but remains inconclusive. Researchers do know that there are several nutrients, parts of foods that help to support the body’s spring-cleaning. Read on to learn how to help:

Reduce Exposure

The simplest way to support detox is by reducing the body’s exposure to toxins. This would include smoking cessation, consuming alcohol in moderation (0-2 servings per day), and avoiding the “dirty dozen.”

The dirty dozen plus are 14 fruits and vegetables that contain the highest levels of pesticide residues. If a person is interested in purchasing organic foods, these are the best ones to start with:

• Apples
• Celery
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Grapes
• Hot Peppers
• Imported Nectarines
• Peaches
• White Potatoes
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Bell Peppers
• Kale and Collard Greens
• Summer Squash

 

Support the Process

Many of the detox reactions require specific nutrients. Therefore, the theory is that by increasing a person’s intake of these compounds they could support the detox process. These include B vitamins, glutathione and flavonoids:

• B Vitamins are found in dark green vegetables, orange fruits, whole grains, beans, poultry, fish and eggs.
• Glutathione is a potent antioxidant made of three amino acids (glutamate, cysteine and glycine). Milk thistle and curcumin (turmeric) have been shown to increase levels of glutathione in the body, fresh fruit and vegetables, and dairy products.
• Flavonoids are yellow-colored antioxidants that are found in several foods, including parsley, blueberries, tea, and citrus fruits.

 

Pick up the Pace

There are two ways to increase the rate of detoxification processes in the body:

• Choose foods that can increase the phase I and II activities, including cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), onions and garlic.
• Stay hydrated by choosing water as the beverage of choice. When the body is well hydrated it is able to carry out its natural functions with ease.

Focus on the Family: How much does my baby need?

Infant nutrition can be as simple as putting a baby to breast every time they cue, or as complex as navigating the multitude of formulas that your child can tolerate.  Either way it is critical for parents to understand their child’s nutritional needs to promote growth and development.

As we know from a previous post, 2 Simple Acts, breast milk is the ideal food for infants, however there are circumstances where a mother’s milk may not be appropriate for the child, such as in the case of a food allergy or intolerance. Or, some children do not have the enzymes- molecules that help to breakdown food- to digest and use breast milk and thus require formulas that are already broken down, or hydrolyzed.

Once the form of food (milk or formula) is selected, it is then important to configure how much the child needs. Registered dietitians use calculations that utilize a child’s weight to configure their energy needs. Then, the volume of the food is configured using the caloric content of the food (milk or formula). The following will depict the steps in this process:

1. Identify your infant’s current weight.
2. Using your child’s age, choose an appropriate energy calculation:

• < 6 months: 110-120 Calories per Kilogram (kcal/kg) body weight or 50-55 Calories per pound (kCal/lb) body weight
• 1 year: 95-100 kCal/kg or 45 kCal/lb

3. Multiply your child’s weight by the energy requirement.

For example: 9lbs * 55 kCal/lb = 495 Calories per day.

4. To identify the volume, first determine the product: Breast milk and most formulas are 20 Calories per ounce. Therefore, using our example above we divide 495 Calories per day y 20 Calories per ounce to get 24.75 ounces or 25 ounces.

5. Most infants eat every 2-3 hours. Using 3 hours, we determine that this child needs 3.1 ounces or 88ml every 3 hours.

Tada! Now you can be confident that your child is receiving adequate calories for growth!

If you do not feed your child by bottle, no worries. Simply weigh your child before and after breastfeeding to determine the amount consumed. Every gram gained equals one milliliter consumed. So, after breastfeeding for 15 minutes if your child gains 60g they consumed 60ml, or 2 ounces of breast milk.

It is best to continually adjust a child’s volume to insure that they are meeting their needs. This process is called “weight adjusting.” To do so, first confirm an ideal rate of weight gain with your child’s pediatrician. Typically, this is about 1 ounce per day or 20-30 grams. Then, one time per week repeat the calculation referenced above using your child’s new weight. Convert the weight in lbs by dividing by 2.2 (9lbs /2.2lb per kg = 4.1kg).

• Example: Previous weight (4.1kg) + Weight gained (25g/day * 7 days) = New weight (4.275 kg or 9.4lbs)

Happy Feeding!

Focus on the Family: Two Simple Acts

When becoming a new parent, best practices, guidelines, and all of the “must-do’s” flood our mind.  All mom’s and dad’s want the best for their children. I find peace in getting back to basics and focusing on two simple acts: Kangaroo care and Breastfeeding.  Both of these can be practiced whether a parent takes their newborn home shortly after birth or for those trying to learn how to be mom and dad in a NICU setting.

Kangaroo care is an endearing term used to describe skin-to-skin holding.  This snuggle time has benefits for both mom, dad and baby. The newborn benefits from skin-to-skin holding because they learn their parents’ scents. The sense of smell is the first to develop and is quite strong, which is why many encourage the use of scent cloths. Additionally, the baby’s vitals mimic those of the person, which is holding them and can help to regulate their heart and respiration rates.  When mom is caring for her baby this way, the infant can be soothed by the sound of her heartbeat since it is what they heard for many months while in utero. Kangaroo care can foster quality sleep for infants. This is why it is typically done for at least 90 minutes at a time. We know that sleep is critical for a newborn, or preemie because it encourages both growth and healing. If time is of the essence, swaddling and hold the baby is also beneficial and many hospitals have “cuddlers” who are happy to help.

Kangaroo care also benefits parents as a unique bonding experience. One is able to simply hold, love and adore their baby. This is also a great time to sing, read or gently speak to the baby while they drift to sleep. A mother can specifically benefit from this practice because oxytocin is released during infant bonding.

Oxytocin is known as a love hormone, but plays a significant role in building, maintaining and letting down a mother’s milk. It also can cause uterine contractions that help the uterus return to its normal state. Therefore, it is evident how the first act leads to our second- breastfeeding.

The breast is best! Breast milk is often referred to as “liquid gold,” due to its nutritional superiority over other methods of feeding. A mother’s milk may vary in composition of nutrients, but on average it is 4.5 % fat, 7.1 % carbohydrate and 0.8-0.9 % protein. It is produced in the body by the mammary glands by pulling sugar, protein, cholesterol and other nutrients from the mother’s bloodstream. Therefore, good nutrition is also very important during the “4^th trimester.” Most hospitals recommend fortifying breast milk to increase the calories from the natural 20 calories per ounce, to 22-24 calories per ounce. These fortifiers can also supplement the baby with much needed vitamins and minerals.

Breast milk is also unique because it contains IgA, or Immunoglobulin A, which is critical to helping to build the infant’s immune system. IgA is quite high in breast milk from day 10 through the 7th month. Additionally, if the mother is breastfeeding, the child can expose the mother to their bacteria and in turn the mother will create antibodies to fight the bacteria, which in turn will be delivered back to the baby via the breast milk.

The act of breastfeeding is a remarkable bonding experience that also provides an outlet for giving the infant attention. Pumping, with a caretaker present, is also not bad and can grant mother’s a few minutes alone to think, pray, or even grab a quick snack. Another benefit of breast feeding for mothers is that it can foster post-partum weight loss to help the mother achieve a healthier weight after pregnancy. Typically, mothers burn 300 to 500 Calories when breastfeeding or pumping 8 times per day, or every 3 hours. Again, it increases oxytocin which assists the uterus in returning to normal size. For further tips and information on breastfeeding, visit La Leche League.

Both of the acts described above may be simple on paper, but more difficult to practice in daily life. I hope the benefits listed above encourage mom’s and dad’s to explore these ways to attend to, bond and communicate with their baby.

Focus on the Family: A series focused on becoming and staying a well family

As a new mom of five my passion for family and home-based health has been ignited! Yes, that’s right my husband and I gave birth to quintuplets this past August. As I have been on a personal journey to rebuild my body, I have realized what a challenge it is to balance life inside and outside of the home, as well as, to keep your personal health a priority. It is known by many that parents often fall lower and lower on the totem pole due to family demands. I agree that children and family are priorities but think about how much more energy you would have if you were taking care of you, too!

 

I specialize in chronic disease prevention and management and this goes hand-in-hand with my renewed mission to help parents learn how to care for themselves while caring for their families. It truly is a balancing act but it is not an impossibility. I hope to help parents be well, even without leaving their own homes. This is possible with web-based counseling services, in-home assessments and helping families to “construct” home gyms even without any equipment!

 

In honor of this new focus of my practice, I will be launching a blog post series focused on healthy eating, exercise and wellness for new parents and families! As always, if there are any specific questions or areas of interest, please don’t hesitate to contact me. If you are wondering, there’s no doubt someone else is too!

Bump to Babies

Hello followers!

I just wanted to share my new blog entitled Bump 2 Babies found at: http://bump2babies.wordpress.com/

My hope is that it is a resource for parents, health professionals and baby lovers alike. I am open to suggestions on topics of discussion and investigation just as I am on this blog. So, don’t be shy and stop by to join me on my adventure to having quintuplets!

Safe, Simple Strategies for Supporting your Metabolism

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

It’s that time of year when most reflect on the last year and look forward to all that the upcoming year will bring. Many people resolve to quit smoking, exercise more often, eat more vegetables, drink more water, lose weight, and the list goes on and on. The most common of the resolutions is to achieve a healthier weight. Many people look to lose the 10lbs that they gained over the holidays and more. There are a variety of products, pills and approaches to weight loss, but many may be just another fad and provide nothing more than false advertising.

People looking to enhance their weight loss efforts may seek out methods to boost the mysterious “metabolism” with popular pills or even common foods. But, is there truth behind the claims? It’s time to bust the myths and find out how to support a healthy metabolism.

It is important to first explore what the metabolism is and what affects its function, in order to better understand how to support it. Metabolism comes from the Greek word metabolismos, which is basically how the body uses energy it consumes. Metabolism includes two separate processes:
• Anabolism: Building process
• Catabolism: Breakdown process

The metabolic rate, or the rate in which energy is used to build the body or breakdown the body, is affected both positively and negatively by a variety of factors, including:
• Age
• Gender
• Muscle mass
• Hydration
• Meal pattern
• Activity level
• Sleeping pattern

It is evident that a person’s metabolism slows as they age due to losses in water and lean body mass (muscle). Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy weight it is vital to practice simple, sound strategies to support a healthy metabolism.

• Stay Hydrated.

Choose water as your number one beverage and drink up! Practicing good hydration to support your metabolism by replenishing the body, which is 57-75% water, with fresh stores. This cycling process- out with the old and in with the new- will alleviate stress on the kidneys and liver, which help to filter waste from the body and leave the body refreshed and rejuvenated. Strive for the golden rule of eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day. If at the beginning you feel like your new hobby is running to the washroom, no worries your body will adjust over time.

•  Eat often, but not too often.

Small, frequent meals and snacks can help to feed the muscle and boost the metabolic rate for a short period of time. By eating every 3-4 hours, you avoid “starvation mode” and remind the body that food is plentiful. Fasting and skipping meals can slow the metabolic rate causing the body to store calories as fat and may also cause many to overeat late

Healthful meals are composed of at least three food groups (lean protein, whole grains, fruit, vegetable, low-fat dairy, or healthy fats) and healthful snacks include two foods (fruit, vegetable or grain with a source of protein or fat). This intentional composition can provide stable sources of energy to feed muscles throughout the day and night.r. It is important to not eat too frequently, which can cause the blood sugar (glucose) and insulin levels to remain high throughout the day. By waiting 3-5 hours that body is able to utilize energy consumed and prepare for the next eating episode. A healthful meal or snack can help many to bridge this gap without cravings and swings in mood or energy levels.

• Maintain Muscle.

In general, for every 5-10lbs of muscle, the body will burn an extra 100 Calories per day. Regular exercise and physical activity can help to build and maintain muscle. Muscle mass is the primary engine for the body’s metabolism. Muscle building activities focused on the body’s larger, or major, muscle groups can be an efficient way to support the metabolism and increase strength. Identify safe activities that use the back (latissimus dorsi), chest (pectoralis), core (abdominals), and legs (gluteus, hamstrings, quadriceps, gastrocnemius).  An individual can reap the benefits by incorporating anaerobic, resistance exercises at least two days.
Aerobic activities (walking, jogging, biking, swimming, dancing, etc) are also a great way to give a sluggish metabolism a boost. A good initial goal is to achieve 150 minutes of aerobic exercise every week. In addition to consistent exercise, regular physical activity can increase the metabolic rate. A good goal is to try to get up and move at least one time per hour.

• Catch some Zzz’s.

Inadequate sleep can lead to unhealthy changes in the way that the body uses energy. Researchers found that sleep-deprived people had higher levels of blood sugar and insulin and also had difficulties managing their appetite. Adequate sleep allows the body to rest and repair itself from head-to-toe every night. This includes the body’s hormones, which help to regulate how the body uses energy.

Try to forget about the latest fad foods for boosting the metabolism rate. The best practices to achieve and maintain a healthier weight are to choose water, eat well, move more, and to allow yourself time for rest.

Since every body is different, health behavior changes are very individualized. Seek out sound sources for nutrition and exercise advice, including registered dietitians, certified personal trainers, exercise physiologist and your personal physician.

Raspberry Ketones: Fab or Fad?

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall, MS RD CD CPT

Fab or Fad? Are raspberry ketones a fabulous new way to achieve a healthier weight, or are they just another diet fad?

Adiponectin is created by fat cells and acts upon fat, muscle and within the brain to promote a variety of functions:Raspberry ketones were found to increase production of a hormone (adiponectin) that is used to regulate the body’s metabolism. It may play a significant role in type 2 diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, obesity and thus metabolic syndrome.

• Increases the body’s use of blood sugar (glucose) by increasing insulin sensitivity.
• Decreases the creation of new glucose in the liver (Gluconeogenesis).
• Increases the breakdown of body fat and uses this fat and triglycerides for energy (Beta-Oxidation).
• Protects the arteries from plaque formation by decreasing the expression of adhesive proteins.
• Increases metabolism through the up-regulation of uncoupling proteins.

Therefore, it makes sense that researchers have found:

• People with high levels of adiponectin are typically thinner than those who have lower levels.
• People with diabetes tend to have lower amounts of the hormone than those without diabetes.
• In mice, supplementation of leptin (another key hormone for weight management) and adiponectin completely reversed insulin resistance, but again this was a mouse study.

It is evident that there is an inverse relationship between the level of adiponectin and body fat; the less adiponectin, the more body fat.  It has also been shown that weight loss increases the body’s production of adiponectin. This evidence-based research is quite exciting and shows promise to adiponectin supplementation.

The questions remains, will supplementation of raspberry ketones help the body to reach therapeutic levels of adiponectin?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to reach these levels with food alone. According to Dr. Oz, a person would need to eat 90 pounds of raspberries to equal the current recommended dose of raspberry ketones. Now that’s a lot of berries!  But, do not get too discouraged because every bit helps! It has been shown that by eating more dark colored fruits, including raspberries, blackberries and cranberries individuals can increase their adiponectin levels.

Other nutrition-related tactics to up this fat-burning hormone include:

• Make protein a priority. Eating adequate lean protein from lean meat, chicken, fish, beans, peas, legumes and whole grains because hormones are made from protein.
• More Omega-3 please. Increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your day by choosing fatty fish, walnuts or almonds, and flax or chia seeds. It is also important to watch your intake of omega-6 fatty acids from corn, soybean and safflower oils.
• Drink coffee! Coffee drinkers who drank 1-2 cups (6-12oz) of coffee per day had the highest levels of adiponectin among coffee and non-coffee drinkers.
• Move more. 40 plus minutes of aerobic, heart pumping exercises, like brisk walking, jogging, biking  climbing stairs, jumping rope, dancing, or swimming, per day, at least 4 times per week also will encourage the body to make more adiponectin.

All in all, the jury is still out on if raspberry ketones can truly increase adiponectin levels enough to promote body fat losses. But, we do not it is safe to try. In the mean time, don’t forget about the tried and true methods to increase adiponectin and achieve a healthier weight listed above.

Fat: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

Fat is the most dense form of energy with 9 calories per gram; this is more than twice the number of calories per gram found in carbohydrate or protein. Fat helps the body to grow and develop, absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K), and provide cushioning for organs and cells.  Fat is also a great storage space for extra energy in the body. The body is able to find all sorts of places to store fat. When tissue stores max out, the body will often begin storing fat in the organs, such as the liver. High levels of fat in the body also increase the amount of fat that is being transported throughout the bloodstream via lipoproteins, or cholesterol including low-density lipoproteins (LDL), high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglycerides. Over the years, researchers have concluded that intake of specific fats can modify not only fat/cholesterol transportation levels, but also fat storage.

We have designated fats as heart healthy versus not heart healthy. Most “heart healthy” fats are those that are fluid in nature (unsaturated) whereas most rigid fats (saturated) tend to increase levels of “bad” cholesterol and thus are not heart healthy. Unsaturated fats are long carbon chains that have one or more double bonds. Mono-unsaturated fats (MUFAs) have only one double bond, whereas Poly-unsaturated fats (PUFAs) have more than one. The image portrays a triglyceride with a saturated fat at the top, followed by a MUFA and a PUFA at the bottom.

MUFAs are liquid at room temperature and become solid when chilled. Olive, canola, peanut, sunflower and sesame oils, avocadoes, nuts and seeds are all good sources of MUFAs and are quite high in the Western diet. MUFAs are considered a good alternative to saturated fats due to their fluid nature.

PUFAs are liquid at room temperature and when chilled. These essential fats are composed of:

• Omega-9 common in animal and vegetable oils and made by the body,
• Omega-6 from soybean, corn and safflower oils, and
• Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, herring), some nuts and sunflower seeds. Omega 3 fatty acids can be further broken down into DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid).

Americans tend to consume more omega-6 fatty acids from vegetable oils found in fast and processed foods, versus omega-3’s from cold water fish, nuts and seeds. It is important to note that all PUFAs play a significant role in brain function, immunity and growth, but excessive omega-6 intake may increase inflammation in the body, whereas the omega-3’s tend to put the fire out.  Omega-6 fatty acids promote hormones that increase blood clotting and cell growth/division and omega-3’s decrease blood clotting and unhealthy cellular growth/division. This oppositional relationship accentuates the importance of consuming these fats in balance, or lower omega-6 : omega-3 ratio so one function does not over-ride the other.

Saturated fats have been coined the “bad” fat since high intake of saturated fat in the West correlates nicely with cardiovascular disease and high LDL (bad) cholesterol. Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen atoms and do not contain any double bonds. This causes them to be solid and rigid at room temperature. Animal products (meat, poultry skin, butter, cheese, cream, high fat milk, ice cream, etc) are all high in saturated fat. It was thought for some time that saturated fat was only found in animals. But, now we know that tropical oils, including palm (image to the left) and coconut, also have saturated fat. The oil from the palm fruit’s flesh is much healthier than that which is extracted from the kernel. Researchers are now beginning to distinguish the health consequences of the animal versus plant-based saturated fats, because coconut oils do not appear to have the negative effects. Many believe this difference is due to the length of the carbon chains.

According to a recent study on medium-chain fatty acids (MCTs), with 6 to 10 carbons, MCTS differ from longer chain fatty acids. MCTs are more water soluble and are absorbed at a faster rate than longer chains and thus are not as likely to be stored by the body. Additionally, dietary lifestyles high in longer chain fats versus MCTs tend to increase the risk for heart disease and insulin resistance. To make matters more confusing, animals that are grain-fed versus grass-fed tend to be lower in calories and unhealthy saturated fats and higher in omega-3’s, vitamins A and E and other antioxidants.

Trans fats were not discussed above, but it is best to keep these sources of fat minimal at less than 1 gram per day.

Current recommendations suggest that most people allot 30% of their daily calories to fat with the majority of the fat coming from Omega-3 sources (fatty fish, walnuts, flax seeds), a bit coming from Omega-6 sources (other nuts and seeds, vegetable oils) and a growing percentage from MCTs (coconut, olive). The recommendation to keep saturated fat low, 7-10% of daily calories, is still a strong guideline due to the prevalence of atherogenic saturated fats in America.

It does seem that nutritional recommendations change with the direction of the wind. I consider this a good thing because it means we are continuing to research and learn what is best for our bodies and overall health. If there are issues, or questions, that you have, please do not hesitate to ask or send a message. I am happy to explore them with you!

Tactics to Avoid the Trick and Enjoy the Treat

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

Halloween can be a scary time for more reasons than the goblins and spooky ghosts. Halloween seems to kick-off the season of treats. Many parents dread Halloween due to the amount of candy that their child drags home after a long night of trick-or-treating.  This can be unwelcomed, especially if any member of the family is attempting to manage their weight.  Let’s take a moment and spin this into a learning opportunity.

Trick-or-treating is a great time to teach kids about moderation. Remember, Halloween candy is no different than other sweets and desserts.  There is a growing body of research that encourages families to mark no food as forbidden. Ellyn Satter encourages parents to help their children to, “Learn to manage sweets and to keep sweets in proportion to the other food [they] eat.” Moderation can be a difficult concept to grasp, but it is a lesson worth learning. According to research, treat-deprived children often end up weighing more later in life due to hoarding forbidden foods, where as children who are permitted to enjoy treats regularly maintained a healthier weight. Additionally, authoritative food policies often encourage sneaking and hiding behaviors.

Brave parents may allow their children to manage their own stash of Halloween candy and possibly learn the hard way after a few belly aches. Other families may wish to combine the booty and sort through it together; allowing each member to identify the candies that they “love,” “like,” and can “do without.” Most people find it beneficial to throw out the candy that they can live without and enjoy the rest 1 piece at a time as part of a meal.

It is helpful to refer to published guidelines regarding added sugar to identify a healthy way to enjoy candy. Currently, the American Heart Association recommends a certain number of grams of sugar per day based on their age and gender. For reference, there are 4 grams of sugar in every teaspoon of sugar.

• Men: 36 grams per day (9 teaspoons)
• Women: 25 grams per day (6 teaspoons)
• Pre-teen and Teenagers: 20-32 grams per day (5-8 teaspoons)
• Children (4-8 years): (3 teaspoons)
• Preschoolers (2-3 years): 16 grams per day (4 teaspoons)

In order to do your part and limit the extra sugar that enters your home, choose to hand-out the following candy alternatives:

Non-Food Alternatives:

• Stickers
• Glow sticks
• Play dough
• Rings
• Toothpaste/Floss/Toothbrush
• Pencil/Erasers
• Post-it’s
• Bubbles

Food Alternatives:

• Sugar-free Gum
• Granola Bars
• Pretzels
• Crackers
• Trail mix

So, with moderation in mind may, the force be with you as we forge into the season of sweets!