{"id":811567,"date":"2024-12-10T21:23:47","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T03:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/10\/the-four-halloween-treats-you-should-never-give-your-kids-and-the-healthier-alternatives\/"},"modified":"2024-12-10T21:23:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-11T03:23:47","slug":"the-four-halloween-treats-you-should-never-give-your-kids-and-the-healthier-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2024\/12\/10\/the-four-halloween-treats-you-should-never-give-your-kids-and-the-healthier-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"The four Halloween treats you should never give your kids \u2013 and the healthier alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ALONG with carved pumpkins and scary costumes, Halloween means kids getting their hands on a devilish amount of sweets.<\/p>\n

You won\u2019t want to dampen your tot\u2019s excitement around the spooky season.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"Rhiannon<\/a><\/p>\n

2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

Rhiannon Lambert reveals what parents should be avoiding and explains why<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"Parents<\/a><\/p>\n

2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>

Parents must be vigilant of the worst offending foods this Halloween<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After all, how often are they let loose on a bucket of jelly sweets, chocolates and lollies?<\/p>\n

But with record levels of childhood obesity<\/a> and tooth decay, parents must be vigilant of the worst offending foods.<\/p>\n

Childhood obesity raises the risk of killer conditions such as heart disease<\/a>, type 2 diabetes<\/a> and cancer in adulthood.<\/p>\n

Registered nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert tells Sun on Sunday Health<\/a>: \u201cUK rates of childhood obesity are alarming, with one in three children leaving primary school overweight, and one in five obese.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE ON HALLOWEEN<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to Halloween treats, it\u2019s important for parents to strike a balance between fun and health<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultra-processed foods contain several unnatural ingredients, such as additives, emulsifiers and preservatives, and often high levels of sugar, saturated fat and salt.<\/p>\n

Chocolate<\/a> bars, for instance, \u201ccombine high amounts of sugar with fats from ingredients like caramel or nougat, creating a calorie-dense product with very little nutrition,\u201d Rhiannon says.<\/p>\n

But UPFs, which also include foods such as chicken nuggets, fizzy drinks, some yoghurts, breads and condiments \u2014 make up a huge portion of British diets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Toddlers get 47 per cent of their calories from UPFs, according to a study by University College London<\/a>, rising to 59 per cent by the age of seven.<\/p>\n

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Stacey Solomon shares her 4-ingredient skeleton pizza recipe – and it\u2019s perfect to make with the kids for Halloween<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Rhiannon warns: \u201cThese foods are now being linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases later in life, such as heart disease, diabetes and others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research has also found a possible link between artificial colours \u2014 which give chewy and gummy sweets their bright hues \u2014 and hyperactivity in children, the NHS<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n

Colourings also draw kids\u2019 attention \u2014 think M&Ms, Smarties and Skittles.<\/p>\n

Rhiannon says: \u201cBright colours and sugary taste can really app\u00adeal to kids, triggering the brain\u2019s reward system and encouraging cravings for more sugary food<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHEW ON THAT<\/h2>\n

EATING sweets causes hyperactive sugar highs, then lows.<\/p>\n

Rhiannon says: \u201cFrequent consumption of sweets causes rapid spikes in blood sugar, followed by energy<\/a> slumps, which can negatively affect children\u2019s mood, behaviour, and focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor children, especially those in school, this rollercoaster of energy can make it harder for them to concentrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just kids\u2019 waistlines that sweets are detrimental to, but their teeth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last month NHS England<\/a> data revealed tooth decay is the leading cause of hospital admissions among five to nine-year-olds, with almost 19,400 in 2023\/2024.<\/p>\n

There were 47,581 tooth extractions in NHS hospitals in England for under 19-year-olds last year, two thirds of which were due to tooth decay, figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show.<\/p>\n

Dr Nyree Whitley, chief clinical officer at Mydentist, says: \u201cSugar interacts with the bacteria<\/a> in plaque to produce acid, which dissolves tooth enamel and create holes or cavities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The worst offenders? \u201cCaramels, toffee apples, lollipops and toffee,\u201d Dr Whitley says.<\/p>\n

Rhiannon says: \u201cChewy candies like toffees are particularly bad for dental health. They stick to teeth and are hard to remove through brushing alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince lollipops dissolve slowly, they bathe teeth in sugar for extended periods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their stickiness means marsh\u00admallows are particularly harmful to children\u2019s teeth, Rhiannon says, while sour \u00adcandies combine high levels of sugar with acidic ingredients<\/a> that can be incredibly harsh on tooth enamel.<\/p>\n

HEALTHIER HALLOWEEN<\/h2>\n

KIDS can still enjoy a sweet Halloween while learning the concept of a balanced diet.<\/p>\n

Healthy recipes<\/a> online include fruit kebabs \u2014 a mixture of nutritious fruit topped with a ghost-face marshmallow.<\/p>\n

Slather a rice cake with peanut butter and use raisins or banana slices to create fun Halloween faces, or use pumpkin fruit for pumpkin brownies.<\/p>\n

Dr Whitley recommends in\u00addulg\u00ading in sugary delights<\/a> only after eating a nutritious meal.<\/p>\n

She says: \u201cThis is when saliva production is at its highest, helping to protect teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fibrous foods<\/a> like vegetables also reduce the blood sugar spike \u2014 preventing your child from a manic sugar high.<\/p>\n

Dr Whitley adds: \u201cKids should brush their teeth twice a day, but wait at least an hour after eating sweets. Bacteria in plaque use sugar to produce acid and their enamel will temporarily be softened.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrushing teeth right after eating sugar will spread the acid around and could cause damage to enamel, which is crucial in shielding their teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Curb your child\u2019s sweet tooth with unprocessed sugar such as fruit, raisins, honey on Greek yoghurt or a trail mix.<\/p>\n

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READ MORE SUN STORIES<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Although sweets are the default for trick-or-treating, you could also hand out Halloween-themed stickers, colouring sheets, temporary tattoos<\/a>, toys or stationery, Rhiannon says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are still exciting without the added sugar concerns, and kids enjoy getting something unique!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Eliza Loukou
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ALONG with carved pumpkins and scary costumes, Halloween means kids getting their hands on a devilish amount of sweets. You won\u2019t want to dampen your tot\u2019s excitement around the spooky season. 2 Rhiannon Lambert reveals what parents should be avoiding and explains why 2 Parents must be vigilant of the worst offending foods this Halloween<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":811568,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3798,30659],"tags":[11948,7550],"class_list":{"0":"post-811567","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-halloween","8":"category-treats","9":"tag-halloween","10":"tag-treats"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=811567"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/811567\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/811568"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=811567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=811567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=811567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}