The Candy Season starts at Halloween and runs all the way through Easter. Take a look at some healthy, nutritious alternatives that can be used instead of sweet treats.

Each year starting in November with Halloween and ending in April with Easter, consumers are bombarded with candies and treats that overflow store shelves tempting adults and children alike with sweet, fat and high calorie confections and other treats. These empty calorie-, limited nutrition candies and sweets entice people to buy the treats for themselves to eat and to share.

More concerning is the ever-growing tradition of buying sweets and treats as a way to demonstrate “love and affection” to friends, family, teachers and others.

Finding alternative healthy and nutritious choices or no calorie ways to demonstrate affection can be challenging but not impossible.

Tradition of Sharing Food

Sharing food is a part of being hospitable. In most cultures the host gives food to guests and social customs dictate accepting the food to be polite.

Somehow this tradition of sharing food has mistakenly evolved into sharing sweets and treats as a way of showing affection to our family, our friends, our co-workers, our students and our children. Giving sweet treats was more special in the 'olden' days when people would only get sweets at Christmas or birthdays. Now with the abundance of sweets and treats available, potentially on a daily basis, we need to work on separating the tradition of giving sweets as a sign of affection.

No where is this sweet sharing tradition more evident than on Valentine’s Day, where people go out to buy a big box of candy as a way of expressing love and affection; but there are a host of other holidays where giving sweets is also a tradition.

The Candy Season

The "Sweets & Treats Holidays" include Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas and any child’s birthday. For schools, the candy season tends to be a year ‘round event. Any holiday, birthday or other event turns into a reason to share sweet treats with others.

On the actual holiday party affections are shared at home, at work and at school in the form of a box of candy, a big pie, a sheet of cake, cupcakes, cookies, a goodie bag, or an Easter Basket.

During Candy Season children, schools and parents celebrate the given holiday by passing out sweets and treats. Well-meaning friends, family, teachers, room mothers and ancillary staff bring in cookies, candies, cupcakes and a variety of treats to share with the students.

Unfortunately, everyone is under the impression that "just one won’t hurt anything." If five people bring in treats to a party, the children get five treats, not just one. Health-conscious parents find themselves in the frequently awkward position of having to say "NO!" to most of the extra sugary sweets to moderate the number of sweets their children eat or drink.

Healthy Food Alternatives to Sweet Treats

One way of promoting health during the Candy Season is to find healthy alternatives to all of the traditional sweets and treats.

The American Dietetics Association provides many recommendations for non-traditional, nutritious goodies for holidays and other occasions.

Healthy food suggestions include packages of trail mix or nuts, small boxes of raisins, small boxes of dried fruit, trail mix or nuts, mini bags of healthy popcorn, sugar-free gum, cheese and cracker packages, granola bars, 100% juice boxes or chocolates with nuts.

Non-Food Alternatives to Sweets

Another way of promoting health during the Candy Season is to find healthy non-food, no calorie alternatives. There are many non-food treats available that can be used for parties and goodie bags.

Party treat bags can be filled with healthy no-calorie alternatives such as pencils, pens, notebooks, stickers, water bottles, sports bottles, maps, kites, visors, magnets, sun screen, lip balm, oranges, apples, nuts, balls, bubbles, squishy items and other items that go with the party theme.

No Calorie Ways to Show Affection

Some of the easiest ways of demonstrating affection do not involve giving food at all. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends many different "Ways of Showing Love" with a child, but the advice works well with friends and other family members.

• Use positive words of praise.
• Give a hug or pat.
• Tell someone you are proud of him.
• Find a secret sign, signal to a child or loved one.
• Tell someone you love her.

Find a special, secret way of demonstrating affection, a pat on the head, a secret word or signal can be a great no calorie way to show that you care about your child or loved one.

Showing Affection without Food

It may take a bit of time to undo or modify the tradition of giving treats as a way of showing, but with a bit of thinking and shifting focus away from sweet empty calorie treats, finding healthy foods and no calorie alternatives can become second nature.

Remember that the best GIFT you can give to your child is Health for Life.

Sources:

American Dietetics Association. Healthy Halloween Treats.

American Pediatric Association. February 2008. 14 Ways to Show Love for Your Child This Valentine's Day.

© 2008 Kirsti A. Dyer MD, MS, FT.