Halloween nutrition tips for your little ghost or goblin

Halloween is just around the corner, and with candy sales at this time one year ago reaching almost *two billion, you can bet that your kids are probably more excited about candy than they are about their costumes. Halloween poses an annual challenge for parents —how to monitor your child's candy intake without seeming like the big bad witch. Mary Ann Smith, wellness expert at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club, offers these eight tips for parents on how to allow your kids to enjoy Halloween candy without the terrible tummy aches or extra trips to the dentist.

Let's face it, most kids like candy, enough to put on ridiculous outfits and trek into the cold night, traveling in bands door to door with the greeting “trick or treat!” Before they can reap their hard-earned rewards, remember to follow through with a few simple tasks.

•  Before eating it, inspect it. While some unusual appearances sometimes occur naturally during the making of candy, like the powdery food-starch dusting on bubblegum, abnormal appearance can mean either the candy has been purposely tampered with, or is defective and should be thrown away.

•  Separate all candy and remove duplicates. There are seemingly billions of different types of candy, but as you empty out their trick-or-treat bags, you'd be surprised how many of the same they have received. While Halloween is about enjoying excess, your child does not need 12 chocolate-marshmallow blocks!

•  Once they get their hands on it, tip toe away and remove all the candy that you bought for trick-or-treaters. Each year it seems the pieces of candy get bigger, so what they have in their trick-or-treat bags should be more than enough. (Tip to parents: Try NOT to stash it in your mouth).

•  Monitor the chocolate intake. A 1.4-ounce piece of milk chocolate contains the same amount of caffeine as one cup of decaffeinated coffee. While this might not have a noticeable effect on an adult, for a child, eating too much chocolate can wreak havoc on a child's nervous system, and result in a stomach ache and possibly nausea.

After Halloween:

After the holiday has passed, monitoring your child's candy habits becomes especially important. Says Smith, “Don't treat candy as “holiday leftovers.” While turkey sandwiches and reheated lasagna are pleasant reminders of recently passed holidays, replacing regular meals with sugary snacks after Halloween is not OK.” Here are a few tips on how to manage all that excess loot:

•  Remember, candy is comprised of simple carbohydrates, which, compared to complex carbohydrates that keep you fuller longer, create a temporary sense of fullness and then increase the cravings.

•  Incorporate candy into a well-balanced diet. Make sure your kids eat a variety of foods, and that they're getting enough calcium, vitamins, and protein. In addition to a well-rounded diet, a little added sugar a few days a year isn't so bad.

•  Try to manage the times at which they eat candy. Eating candy, say, before school can cause lethargy, making it hard to pay attention in class. Also, eating before a physical activity like soccer practice can cause a stomach ache and, after the initial rush, a sharp decrease in energy.

•  Brush those teeth! Candies contain fermenting carbohydrates, and can lead to tooth decay. Pack your kids a toothbrush for school, or make sure they give their teeth a quick brush after school at home.

After the candy finally disappears, you can kick back and relax. Well, at least until Thanksgiving, a time when the main sources of sugar in our diets are served in abundance, such as baked goods and desserts.

* As reported by the National Confectioner's Association