Parents are often reluctant to let their children go for candy. However, depriving them would only make things worse.
As Halloween approaches, parents often worry that their children will eat too much candy, resulting in a sugar binge. 100 grams of confectionery is 350 calories on average. This can in particular lead to cavities or significant stomach aches in young people. And this can create habits and addictions to avoid. However, according to experts, this consumption would not be so harmful for children. Depriving them of candy would even have more harmful consequences.
According to American dietitian nutritionist Natalie Mokari, deprivation of sweets would be more harmful than beneficial for children because it will create frustration and an obsession with succeeding in obtaining them. “Imposing a restriction could make the candy even more precious to them, and create a fixation that may not have been there to begin with,” she tells CNN.
Human beings, whether children or adults, often covet more of what is forbidden to them. Everything that is forbidden becomes even more desirable. Restricting candy could ultimately push the child to overconsumption through its appeal and also through fear of running out. Children could therefore crave sweets if you deprive them of them, pushing them to find a way to eat them in secret. Such a decision can thus hinder the development of a healthy relationship with food.
If the child ever experiences stomach aches after excessive consumption of sweets, this can be an opportunity to explain to him the importance of a balanced diet, thus developing his relationship with food. “That stomach ache can be an important lesson in how to listen to their body’s needs and know when they’ve eaten too much of something that tastes good,” parenting coach Oona Hanson told CNN.
In addition, a child who gorges himself on candy at a specific time, like Halloween, will probably eat less afterwards: the more we eat something, the more we lose the pleasure of it. When a child receives a large number of sweets all at once, it is then recommended to suggest that they spread their loot over several days, explaining to them that this will allow them to keep it for longer. Besides, you have to compensate with a balanced diet.