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Home | Health & Fitness | Diabetes So what can we do as parents to help our children make better choices during the annual onslaught of sugar? We can suggest alternatives to traditional Trick-or-Treating and contribute to an exciting, safe, and healthier Halloween: • Have a costume party for your child where you can plan the treats. • Involve your child in making the ghoulish decorations, planning the party games, and setting the table. • Help your child bake and decorate sugarless cookies with Halloween cookie cutters that he can share with his classmates and friends. • Dunk for apples, play musical chairs, or twist balloons for prizes • Offer party favors instead of candy to the children. Here is a list of delights that you can give out in lieu of candy: • Halloween theme stickers • Pencils and erasers • Small stuffed animals, • Pocket-sized games • A Disney movie • Coloring books, crayons • Sugar-free lollipops and chewing gum • A children's magazine or comic book. If the kids do get sweet treats, taking an inventory of their candy and discussing the nutritional facts and carb counts for each piece can be a fun and educational activity. Help your child work the treats into his eating plan, set limits, and stick to them. Here is a list of the carb content in some typical Halloween candy: Hershey Kiss 3g each Jelly Beans 1g each Hershey Miniatures 5g each Juju fruits 2g each Gummy Bears 4g each Starburst 4g each Tootsie Rolls 5g each Crunch (fun size) 7g each Jawbreakers 5g each Twix (fun size) 10g each Smarties 5g/roll Kit Kat 10g/half Jolly Rancher 6g each Snickers (fun size) 12g each Dum Dum Lollipop 6g each Mars (fun size) 12g each Bazooka Gum 7g each 3 Musketeers (fun size) 13g each Chuckles 10g each Milky Way (fun size) 14g each Tootsie Pop 12g/pop Butterfinger (fun size) 15g each Lemonhead 14g/10 pieces Goobers 20g/1.4oz bag Candy Corn 18g/12 pieces Reece's Pieces 24g/1.7oz bag Cracker Jacks 29g/1.25oz box Peanuts M&Ms 30g/1.7oz bag Twizzlers 30g/1oz pack Fun Size 13g/0.7oz bag Good and Fruity 35g/box Raisinettes 33g/1.7oz bag Junior Mints 38g/1.6 oz box M&Ms 34g/1.7oz bag Skittles 39g/1.5oz bag Table used with permission from The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center Besides being empty calories, the sugars and carbohydrates feed the bacteria in the mouth and encourage tooth decay. Have them brush both teeth and gums and floss especially well just before bedtime. Buy your youngster a colorful new toothbrush and include it as part of their Halloween treats. Those sugars can be ghastly on your child’s teeth. Happy Halloween! Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
Sheila Wolf, known affectionately as “Mama Gums,” has been practicing dental hygiene since 1971. Working at the leading edge of non-surgical periodontal care, her mission is to educate and empower people to take control of their own mouths. She has brought her message to places as far apart as California and Connecticut, Israel, Africa, and the hills of Kentucky. Her books, Pregnancy and Oral Health, and Your Mouth Could be Killing You are available on her website, through Amazon, and at finer bookstores everywhere. Sheila would be happy to answer your oral health questions at www.mamagums.com. She is currently researching and writing on the dual relationship between diabetes and oral health.
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