Melissa Joy Dobbins, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics, and her 12-year-old daughter Sarah went to the ABC7 studio in Chicago on Sunday to share tips for managing your sweets and how you can keep your kids from overeating their candy bounty.
Melissa's Tips:
1. Treat yourself, but don't let the small sizes trick you.
Don't hide the evidence!
According to Brian Wansink, Cornell University professor and author of Mindless Eating, study participants ate about half as much candy when they kept the wrappers in sight.
2. Is moderation in the eye of the 'candyholder'?
When it comes to candy, some groups define moderation as 50-100 calories a day (see list below for calories).
3. Kid-friendly alternatives to offer when trick-or-treaters ring your doorbell:
pretzels, raisins, silly putty, stickers, erasers
Want to have your candy and eat it, too? Try these tips:
1. Have kids sort their candy into 3 piles: really like, sort of like and don't like.
2. Put the "really like" candy into 100-calorie snack baggies to help control portions.
For leftover "sort of like" and "don't like" candy consider:
- Placing in the freezer or cupboard for "out of sight, out of mind" strategy
- Giving your kids the option of an "upgrade" - after they've had some time to enjoy their loot, let them trade in their candy for money or a toy, or keep the candy if they prefer.
4. Donate the extra candy - but NOT to food banks!
They need nutrient-rich foods! (Here's a link to the Houston Food Bank's list of most needed items: www.houstonfoodbank.org.
Instead, consider the Halloween Candy Buy Back program (www.halloweencandybuyback.com/) in which many local dentists are participating. They buy back candy from kids and send it to the troops overseas.
For more information about nutrition visit: www.EatRight.org, and follow Melissa on Twitter at @MelissaJoyRD
Candy Calories:
1 Hershey's Kiss 26
1 Dum Dums sucker 20
1 Hershey's nugget 45
1 mini (Three Musketeers, Milky Way, Twix) 38
1 Reese's mini peanut butter cup 44
1 Tootsie Roll midge 23
1 Jolly Rancher 23
1 small tube Whoppers 30
1 Smarties roll 25
1 Laffy Taffy 32
1 Twizzlers twist 32
1 fun size Nestle Crunch, Twix 50
1 M&M's mini box 70
1 fun size Charleston Chew 45
1 fun size Milk Duds 54
1 fun size Hershey's bar 67
1 fun size Kit Kat 73
1 fun size Heath bar 74
1 fun size Mounds 83
1 fun size Mr. Goodbar 90
1 Tootsie Roll bar 50
1 pkg (2 pc.) Starburst 40
1 fun size Snickers 80
1 fun size Almond Joy 80
1 fun size Payday 90
1 pkg Hot Tamales 50
1 small box Mike & Ike 50
1 box Nerds 50
1 roll Life Savers Gummies 52
1 York Peppermint Patty 53
1 fun size Junior Mints 50
1 fun size Reese's peanut butter cup 100
11 pieces candy corn 70
1 Tootsie Pop 60
1 box Dots 70
1 small pouch Whoppers 100
