Easter, except for Halloween, is the biggest holiday of the year for candy. That can be a bad thing — especially since Easter-themed events may stretch out over a week or more.
Overconsumption of sugar by kids can lead to moodiness and hyperactivity — a sugar high can even be misdiagnosed as ADHD.
Regular consumption of processed sugar ties in with a growing problem of obesity, leading to diabetes, among Americans. A child who is overweight is three times more likely to be an overweight adult. It’s been estimated that 40 percent of the U.S. population will either be diabetic or pre-diabetic by 2020. We have to start with the young people to address this growing epidemic.
Easter should be a fun and celebratory time, but it doesn’t have to be all about chocolate. Kids, believe it or not, don’t care about just the candy, they care about getting something. An Easter basket can be filled with inexpensive toys — plastic jewelry, temporary tattoos, a jump rope, and bubbles solution, stickers.
Easter should be a fun time, it’s healthier to emphasize the religious aspects of the holiday over the commercial ones. The stores made it all about candy, but parents do not have to give into this. By spending time with your children during the holiday weekend, playing with them, you’re also burning some calories from whatever candy they (and you!) do end up eating.
When there is a lot of candy around encourage your kids to drink water an stay hydrated, which is important for many reasons but it will also fill them up and make them less hungry. The general rule of thumb is that, whatever your body weight in pounds, you should drink half that number of ounces of water each day. For example, a 60-pound child should drink 30 ounces of water.
Kids should eat normally before attending a party, which will also help reduce their appetite for unhealthy candy or desserts and snacks. Cut up fruits are a very healthy snack and a good alternative that kids really enjoy.
An egg hunt for actual dyed eggs may be healthier than a hunt for plastic eggs with candy inside. Use real eggs, the medical opinion of eggs has been improving, and while they should be eaten in moderation, they are now considered healthier than they were a few years ago.
If you dye eggs with your children, seek out organic dyes. Of course, some candy is inevitable, but if you insist on the sweet stuff, you do have healthier options to choose from.
Dark chocolate generally contains fewer calories than milk chocolate. Lake Champlain organic dark chocolates and Sjaak’s organic chocolates, including vegan and almond butter varieties.
Annie’s Organic products, which can be found in some grocery stores, offers colorful organic fruit snacks that can be substituted for jelly beans or gummy candies.
Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups, which can also be found in milk and dark chocolate and almond butter varieties.
Green and Black’s organic chocolate eggs, can also be found at the grocery store.
Surf Sweets Organic Jelly Beans made with organic juice, dye free non- GMO and gluten free, can be found online or at specialty grocery stores.
Be creative and be mindful of making the holidays about experiences, not treats or gifts. If you have a special treat in mind, remember that you can go online and find several homemade versions with better ingredients.
About the Author:
Dr. Keith Kantor, a leading nutritionist and CEO of the Nutritional Addiction Mitigation Eating & Drinking (NAMED) program.
