ORLANDO, Fla. – The American Heart Association recommends children ages 2 and older consume no more than 25 grams, or about six teaspoons, of added sugar daily. Just a few fun-size candies can quickly add up \u2013 they can have about 18 grams of added sugars (about 4 teaspoons), putting many children near or over that limit.<\/p>\n
\u25b6 LISTEN TO ORLANDO\u2019S MORNING NEWS EXPRESS PODCAST ON WDBO<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHalloween is meant to be fun, and candy can absolutely be part of the celebration,\u201d Orlando Health registered dietitian Marsha Woolery said. \u201cThe key is teaching moderation and helping children develop a healthy relationship with treats rather than making them feel forbidden.\u201d<\/p>\n READ: Which Halloween candies are the unhealthiest?<\/a><\/p>\n Woolery listed four \u201csmart ways\u201d to eat candy this Halloween:<\/p>\n Pair candy with protein – Woolery\u2019s recommends serving candy alongside meals, which contain protein. \u201cThink of Halloween candy as dessert, not as a snack that\u2019s eaten all day long,\u201d Woolery said. \u201cWhen candy is eaten with protein-rich foods such as nuts, cheese or Greek yogurt, digestion slows down and blood sugar tends to rise more gradually.\u201dPortion the candy – Woolery encourages dividing candy into smaller portions rather than giving children unlimited access. \u201cI tell parents to create little treat bags with a set number of pieces for each day,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen that day\u2019s candy is gone, it\u2019s gone.\u201dSet a time limit – \u201cTell children ahead of time that Halloween candy is available for a certain period, for example one week or a designated timeframe that works for your family,\u201d she said. Woolery added the goal is not restriction but structure that allows children to enjoy treats and then return to normal eating habits.Get creative with leftovers – \u201cYou still get the fun flavor of Halloween candy, but you\u2019re also adding fiber, protein and other nutrients that help create a more balanced snack,\u201d Woolery said. One example is homemade trail mix made with whole-grain cereal, nuts and dried fruit, with a few pieces of candy mixed in for sweetness.<\/p>\n Woolery also spoke of seeking alternatives to candy that satisfy a sweet tooth while adding some nutritional value. Woolery recommends:<\/p>\n Dried fruit (fiber)Yogurt-covered raisins (fiber)Chocolate-covered nuts (protein)<\/p>\n \u201cThese options can provide nutrients such as fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals while still feeling like a treat,\u201d Woolery said. \u201cOne night of trick-or-treating isn\u2019t what impacts long-term health. It\u2019s the habits we practice every day. When families approach Halloween with balance and moderation, everyone can enjoy the holiday without the sugar scare.\u201d<\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to download our free news, weather and traffic app. And click here<\/a> to subscribe to our daily 3 Big Things newsletter.<\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. – The American Heart Association recommends children ages 2 and older consume no more than 25…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[6029,6030,170666,147,170669,28,503,18541,170667,170668,139,141,6031,140,5597],"class_list":["post-435771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-580am","tag-am580","tag-candy-health-benefits","tag-central-florida","tag-children-with-candy","tag-florida","tag-halloween","tag-halloween-candy","tag-health-with-candy","tag-is-candy-healthy","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-health","tag-orlando-news","tag-wdbo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=435771"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/435771\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/435772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=435771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=435771"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=435771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}