It's almost Halloween, and the scariest thing out there is...sugar!
Between parties and trick-or-treating, the average child in the US consumes a massive 3 cups of sugar at Halloween.
To put it another way, that’s around 150 teaspoons of added sugar, in addition to whatever they normally consume. The World Health Organisation recommends a safe level of 6 teaspoons a day. Halloween therefore means the average child is consuming enough sugar for around 25 days.
That’s WAY too much. With Australia already in the grip of a Sugardemic that is making our kids overweight and risking their health, we just can’t afford to import yet another sugarfest from the US.
So how can you make Halloween fun without risking your kids’ health?
Here are some fun, sugarfree ideas:
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Dress ups. Kids love to dress up, so whether it’s for Trick or Treat, school dressup day or a party, help them make costumes.
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Scary teeth. Vampire teeth anyone? They’re fun, and best of all they don’t need expensive dental treatment!
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Freaky fruit. Check out these fab freaky fruit treats from Fork & Bean.
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Stationary. Multi colour pens or glitter pens go a long way with most kids.
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Stick on fun. Stickers are always fun. Extra points for the Halloween themed pumpkins or witches.
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Fake it. Fake tattoos are a source of joy for many children. Spiders, ghosts and anything scary goes.
And after Trick or Treat time is finished, a visit from the Switch Witch can help to reduce the empty calories your kids eat, without them feeling deprived.
Have a great Halloween everyone, without scary levels of sugar!