Tips for Halloween candy

In northwestern Ontario, nearly 26,000 people are living with diabetes and more than 50,000 have prediabetes and are at risk of developing the disease.

The Canadian Diabetes Association has put out the following tips to ensure that all children, including those with diabetes, can have fun and celebrate with friends and family this Halloween.

“To ensure your little ghosts and goblins have a safe and fun Halloween, it is important to enjoy in moderation,” said Suzanne Sterling, regional director for the Canadian Diabetes Association. “The beauty of Halloween treats are that they are already in small portions, so parents should emphasize how by eating a little over a longer period of time, it will allow their treats to last longer.”

The Canadian Diabetes Association recommends the following “tricks” this Halloween:

- After trick-or-treating, sort through your child’s sack of loot together, allowing them to set aside the candies they like best. Ration those out over time, to ensure they enjoy them at the right times and portions – after supper for dessert, for instance, or after lunch at school.

- Remember there are not good or bad choices when it comes to candy. A gram of carbohydrate, whether it comes from a chocolate bar or a lollipop, affects blood glucose levels in the same way.

- A Halloween candy, which contains between eight and 15 grams of carbohydrates, is a better choice than a big bag of chips, which is full of fat and calories.

- Consider tucking one or two of your child’s least favourite candies in his/her schoolbag to treat hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels).