Halloween may be fun and exciting for the kids, but as a parent, your day may come with a range of emotions thinking about your kids overindulging in sugar.

But candy isn't really a big deal. Sugar is just sugar, right? Let’s remove the guilt and shameful feeling of sugar consumption and encourage our kids to eat a wide variety of foods by talking about it like any other food.

The day of Halloween:

On the day of Halloween, it is important to offer balanced meals (consisting of carbohydrate, protein, vegetables, fruit and healthy fats) during the day. Ensure that your child is offered foods to meet their nutritional needs and that their tummies are filled before they go out trick or treating. This will help them to feel satisfied and not hungry, as well as stabilising their energy levels.

Have no limit on sweets:

Have you had a read of our ‘Division of Responsibility in Eating’ blog? Ellen Satter’s theory shows that by restricting food, it actually leads us (and our children) to overeat when we have access to it, in comparison to if the food is regularly available. Use Halloween as an opportunity to let your children listen to their hunger and fullness cues. They may eat more sweets than what you would perceive to be acceptable, but by giving your child the freedom of food, it will eventually take the desirability away from sweets and will reduce the likelihood of overeating in the long run.

Have a conversation:

If your kids have candy left over from Halloween, you can continue to include them in your child's meals until they run out. Pack your child's lunchbox with regular, balanced meals and snacks and allow your children to choose which candy they would like to take with them to school. Do the same for dinner time. This promotes the normalisation of sugar in the home and will prevent the development of food rules and the idea that some foods are ‘good’ and some are ‘bad’.

The following exercise will practice mindful eating and slow down your child by encouraging the thinking process behind what they are consuming.

Sit down with your child and ask them:

• Did you enjoy Halloween?
• What did you enjoy most?
• How many candy pieces did you get? (Count them together)
• Which sweet is your favourite?
• Why is it your favourite?
• What does it taste like?
• How would you describe the texture?

Halloween is a time for your child to have fun, dress up and express their imagination and creativity. Let’s not cause a battle over food and instil food rules, instead let’s trust that our kids will tune into their innate ability to regulate food intake and stop eating when they are full.