Picture it: the Halloween candy aisle. You, excitedly stuffing your cart with the classics, depending on your specific flavor of sweet tooth. (Full-size Reese’s fans, come join me!) But then, outta nowhere, you’re stopped dead in your tracks by shelves lined with organic gummy bears or “guilt-free” low-calorie chocolate bars.
You might wonder: What fresh hell is this? Not even Halloween candy is safe from the clutches of diet culture?
Before you rip open a package of M&Ms in a defiant fit of rage, are candy alternatives actually “better” for kids? And frankly, with Halloween being one day a year, does it even matter? How can parents navigate food-policing comments and ensure their child has the absolute best Halloween ever? Fear not, because an eating disorder specialist is here to help.
Where’s the fun in functional fibers?
“Healthier” candy options often have sugar substitutes and functional fibers that claim to boost nutritional value. Low- or zero-sugar candies might include artificial sweeteners (such as sucralose, aspartame, and saccharin), natural sweeteners (like stevia and monk fruit extracts), sugar alcohols (such as xylitol or erythritol), and/or alternative sweeteners like allulose and isomalto-oligosaccharides (or IMO).
Functional fibers (like soluble corn fiber or chicory root fiber) are added to foods like candy for both nutritional benefits and a texture boost.
Even if adult bellies aren’t bothered by these options, kids might not digest them well, as Julie Duffy Dillon, a registered dietitian and eating disorder specialist, tells Scary Mommy. “Foods with sugar alcohols can cause gas and diarrhea — our bodies cannot fully absorb or digest them,” she says. “Functional fibers cause similar issues, particularly if someone has a sensitive tummy. Functional fibers may not raise blood sugar immediately like sugar does, yet it does not provide any benefits to the gut microbiome like fiber from fruits, veggies, and whole grains do.”
Of course, if your child has a health condition like diabetes, you’ll want to take extra caution to monitor their blood sugar levels, just as you would on any other day, says Dillon. Working with your child’s diabetes educator can empower you and your kid to enjoy Halloween without worry. But, generally speaking, she recommends “not skipping meals, drinking enough water, and remembering one meal or snack does not determine a person’s health status” — sound advice we can all follow.
All Treats, No Tricks
That brings us to Dillon’s sage wisdom about swapping your child’s stash with “healthy” alternatives or policing the amount of treats your child eats. “If a child is never taught how to experience candy, they will learn later in life,” says Dillon. “A young adult never exposed to fun food will have a tough time eating them without shame — and shame never promotes health. This shame-based food relationship produces a teen or adult who feels out of control around certain foods. For many, this develops into binging and secret eating.”
Keeping “real candy” out of the house (around holidays or otherwise) only serves to assign moral value to foods, which can contribute to disordered eating patterns and body image issues. In fact, normalizing all foods will help your child develop a far healthier relationship to their own hunger cues and what their body actually needs.
“We don’t need fear-mongering at the dinner table or while teaching kids about food,” says Dillon. “When we are around a novel food, our brains light up with interest. Sometimes even obsess. When we finally allow a bite, it is always hard to stop. Allowing Halloween candy to remain around models how we as grown-ups can navigate different types of food.”
Tips Straight From the Source
Dillon offers her top tips for families this Halloween. “Reframe from negatively talking about the candy, your behavior around it, or how it needs to be limited,” she says. “Remember: It is just food.”
So, as much as it may feel counterintuitive to you at first, “When your kids get home from trick-or-treating, let them have as much as they want.” If they get a tummy ache, “don’t scold them, just help them notice it,” she adds.
“The next day, let them have as much as they want again,” she continues. “Let them sort it and try it. They will love some and others they will not like. Give them permission to throw the ones they don’t like away or give them to someone else. Help them discern which they like and which they don’t.”
A few days after the festivities, she recommends “moving the candy eating to snack time,” adding, “Let them have as much as they want at snack time. Ask them if they want any milk or something else to drink with it.”
Dillon notes that it is your responsibility not to pass your food hangups on to your children: “Remember, if you have any issues or triggers with food, that is something for you to work on.”
Your kids will pick up on not only what you say but also your behavior, as well as what’s written between the lines. It’s all too easy to damage their relationship to food and their bodies, even if you mean well or don’t realize you’re doing it. Seeking support from a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and body image issues can help you navigate these concerns. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it — for both you and your littles.
