How to Handle Halloween Candy Without Guilt: A Dietitian Mom’s Guide
With Halloween around the corner, one of the common questions we get is how to manage this influx of foods that often come with emotional attachments or judgements. With all the food messaging most of us have internalized about junk food, treats, and diet mentality, it can be hard to approach this in a healthy way with our kids.
Registered Dietician and mom of three, Dara Gurau, shares her top 5 tips for handling Halloween candy without guilt:
Leading up to Halloween (and year round) don’t vilify candy or chocolate. Instead of using words like “treat” or “junk,” call the food by its name. This helps to keep these foods on the same level as all other foods, making them less special and taking them off of their pedestal.
Serve a balanced meal before trick or treating. This helps your child feel satisfied before setting out for the night and helps them to feel in control around their haul.
On Halloween, let your kid eat as much candy as they want. Avoid micromanaging. You might find they gorge until they are sick or stop after a few. Either way, this helps them to learn how to regulate themselves in the future.
Join in on the fun! Share the different foods with your kids. Talk about which ones are your favourite. Modelling and showing your kids that all food fits in their diet helps them to foster a healthy relationship with all food. Avoid any “diet” talk such as “I’m so bad for eating this.” That will only serve to negatively affect your child’s relationship to their bodies and food.
After Halloween, continue to offer the candy and chocolate at various times. Maybe with dinner or send one or two pieces in their lunch boxes. Don’t make it an off limits or completely restricted food. In my house, I find my kids eventually forget about their candy because it’s not something that is now special. They know they can have it at lots of different times.
By shifting the focus away from restriction and guilt, you’re helping your child build trust in their own body and make food choices that feel good—physically and emotionally. Halloween can be a great opportunity to practice flexibility, connection, and joy around food. When kids see that candy is just candy—not something to fear or earn—they’re more likely to grow up with a balanced, positive relationship to eating all kinds of foods.
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