Search Weight Loss Topics:




Nov 4

HEALTH AND FITNESS: The Halloween candy problem | Features – Charleston Post Courier

Fitness Comments Off on HEALTH AND FITNESS: The Halloween candy problem | Features – Charleston Post Courier

This weekend marked the end of several weeks of Halloween preparation, events, and celebrations. But even after the lights in the jack-o-lanterns have been extinguished and the costumes have been packed away, the Halloween horrors continue. Its not ghosts or witches or black cats you need to worry about, though. Its the leftover candy.

If your home is like mine, you have probably been accumulating candy for several days now. Despite our best intentions, most of it will get eaten, probably in the few days after Halloween. There are several ways in which a Halloween candy binge could be bad for our health.

First, it can add up to a lot of calories, which could contribute to weight gain. As a rough estimate, a typical fun size candy bar has about 75100 calories. Look in your kids candy bags or the bowl of leftover candy at your front door and think about how many calories that adds up to.

Second, eating lots of candy could replace healthier foods. Candy is considered empty calories, meaning that there is little nutritional value beyond caloriesno vitamins, minerals, or fiber. And if you eat less at meals because of the extra candy you are consuming you may not be getting enough essential nutrients. However, since the candy binge will probably only last a few days, this shouldnt cause long-term health problems.

Third, the high sugar intake can contribute to cavities. Bacteria in the mouth produce acid when they come in contact with sugar, and this acid erodes tooth enamel to cause cavities. Sticky candy like gummies or hard candies that are in the mouth a long time are of particular concern. Obviously, brushing after eating can reduce the risk of cavities and chewing sugarless gum may help, too.

Many parents try to reduce some of these potential health concerns by limiting how much candy their children can eat at a time. This makes sense since spreading out the candy consumption a few pieces each day means less sugar intake at any one time.

Others solve this problem by letting their kids eat as much candy as they want on Halloween, then taking the rest away or letting their kids keep just a few pieces. Many times kids dont even miss the candy when it is gone. This is probably a smart approach, but it does require some creativity to get the candy away. Replacing the candy with books, toys, or other gifts might help.

For many people, the real problems begin after Halloween when the leftover candy ends up in a bowl at home or in a dish on a desk at work. While there are some people who can resist reaching into the bowl, most of us cant. Its just too tempting to grab a piece of candy as we walk by, and we likely do it more often than we think. In fact, sometimes the candy dish is set out for the purpose of getting rid of the candy.

As the end of the Halloween candy season nears we will probably find ourselves eating more candy than we should. The good news is that as long as we get back to a routine of healthy eating and regular exercise, a Halloween candy binge shouldnt do any lasting harm our health.

See the original post:
HEALTH AND FITNESS: The Halloween candy problem | Features - Charleston Post Courier

Related Posts

    Your Full Name

    Your Email

    Your Phone Number

    Select your age (30+ only)

    Select Your US State

    Program Choice

    Confirm over 30 years old

    Yes

    Confirm that you resident in USA

    Yes

    This is a Serious Inquiry

    Yes

    Message:



    matomo tracker