Halloween is over, and kids everywhere now have ginormous stashes of candy to hoard away for months… Or gulp down in a short period of time, if their parents permit it! But that begs the question: should parents be stepping in to control their kids’ sugar intake? Common sense seems to dictate that would be a wise choice.
But some in the medical community disagree!
Dietitian Maude Perreault told the Huffington Post that parents should let kids “experiment with their food intake.” It’s a “good life skill,” she added. Parents should let kids learn for themselves how their bodies react to eating 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 piece of candy in a row. It’s not a pleasant feeling, to be sure - but once mistakes are made, parents have more leverage to step in with advice about how much candy is healthy to eat.
In other words, let kids learn the hard way!
Other specialists chimed in, saying that if parents “ban” certain foods, that may make them seem more appealing. Children will then feel the need to binge those foods when parents aren’t watching… Moreover, too much strict control over what a child choses to eat can lead to an unhealthy relationship with certain foods down the road. It’s best to let kids discover how their own bodies react to overeating.
Listen to Vinny and Nikki’s discussion on this topic from this morning in case you missed it!
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Should parents limit how much Halloween candy their kids are eating? Some professionals say NO
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