Experts: Limiting treats can make for healthier kids this Halloween

Mom was wrong about a few things. Swallowing chewing gum won't make your insides stick together. Crossing your eyes won't make them stay in that position. And ... well, no, apparently that won't make you go blind.

Then again, she was right about plenty -- including that eating too much candy may indeed give you a stomachache.

"If you fill up on junk, there's no real fiber in any of that," said Dr. Ellen Fitzpatrick, a pediatric hospitalist with Sunrise Children's Hospital. "A lot of times, that causes constipation. I see a lot of it in school-age kids in Las Vegas."

And that's not the only horror that too much Halloween candy can pose for kids, and, therefore, their parents.

"In the short run, if you eat too much sugar, what happens is all that sugar in your bloodstream makes you hyper," she said. "But it's empty calories, because then you crash."

But she and the other experts we talked to aren't playing the role of the Halloween equivalent of the Grinch. Candy's dandy, as long as it's consumed in moderation.

Fitzpatrick said the first salvo parents should fire in the too-many-treats battle is to ensure that the kids eat a good dinner. She also suggested setting limits -- either by how long of a period they can trick or treat, or by how many houses they can visit.

"And then when they get home, Mom or Dad is going to look at the candy, obviously," Fitzpatrick said. "Ration it out, like maybe two pieces a day." Maybe specify that they have to earn it, like by eating an apple first.

Mary Wilson, a registered dietitian and extension nutrition specialist with University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, said one mother told her she freezes the candy, then rations it.

"Do it within three or four months or the candy's going to be unpalatable," Wilson said.

Another option: Have the kids stop at home midway through trick-or-treating, take out what they don't want and give it to other people's kids. Or take the rejected candy to work to foist upon your co-workers.

"I actually think that that's kind of a smart move -- 'What candy do you really want to have?' " Wilson said. "They get rid of it and don't just eat it because they're bored." (We're pretty sure she's talking about the kids, not the parents' co-workers.)

Fitzpatrick said parents also may want to let their kids exchange their candy for money, or things such as stickers, temporary tattoos or pencils.

"Somebody talked about the Halloween witch -- kind of like the tooth fairy," she said. "The Halloween witch comes and takes some of their candy and leaves a surprise."

Whatever you do, don't get the idea that a one- or two-day binge isn't a bad thing.

"I think no one should ever encourage bingeing," Fitzpatrick said. "The ones that do are probably already at risk for bingeing at other times as well. Obesity is obviously a problem in this country, but in Las Vegas it has increased quite a bit in the last 10 years."

Transient stomachaches and long-term obesity aren't the only possible hazards of Halloween-night candy attacks. Las Vegas dentist Peter Balle practically shudders as he remembers that his four daughters used to squirrel their treat bags away in their rooms, munching on the sly.

"The problem is the change in the pH of the mouth," Balle said. Candy makes saliva very acidic, which erodes tooth enamel.

"Sugar and acid are what's really damaging," he said.

Balle also suggested limiting kids' access to the candy. In addition, he recommended having them rinse their mouths to wash off their teeth, or drink milk, which raises the pH, after consuming it. And, he said, be sure they use a fluoride rinse at night.

"That should be the last thing that hits their mouth before they go to bed," he noted.

Try to limit their candy consumption, he said, to things that don't stay on the teeth as long.

"Caramels and gummy bears are the worst kind because your saliva doesn't wash them off the teeth," he said. "Lollipops that are acidic are bad."

Sticky sour candy, which is both acidic and sweet, is particularly harmful, he said.

And if you want to help other people's kids, consider what kinds of treats you hand out tonight. Balle said gum containing xylitol actually confuses bacteria, and reduces decay because the chewing action increases saliva flow.

Wilson said she has given out sugarless gum, pencils and stickers.

"You can get a box of pencils a lot cheaper than you can get candy anymore," she said. "And you can get Halloween pencils, which is really fun."

Wilson said she recently saw a recommendation to give out low-fat treats such as Life Savers, lollipops, licorice, jelly beans, gumdrops, granola and cereal bars.

"Well, that was the crap we threw out," she said.

But she sees progress, such as the Halloween-sized pretzel packs she recently saw at Costco.

"Somebody's getting the message," Wilson said.

"You don't want to take all candy away and not have any fun, either," Fitzpatrick said. "There are other things you can do to make Halloween fun."

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0474.