Candy and kids: What's the connection? - The Orange County Register

Study after study says there's no evidence that sugar makes kids more hyperactive and generally run around like little demons.

Parents and teachers who are around children more often than researchers in lab coats might beg to differ.

A trick-or-treater on Main Street in Seal Beach selects his treat on Halloween in 2010.

JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The week of Halloween is a blast for kids and their parents, but it's also a challenge, especially since Oct. 31 falls on a Wednesday this year, smack in the middle of the school week. Costumes, decorations, parties, staying up late and, of course, mountains of candy can create enough distractions to drive adults batty.

Some schools are using this week to take a couple days off for staff development time. The Newport-Mesa Unified district is closed for kindergarten through 12th grade on Nov. 1, when kids might otherwise show up bleary-eyed from trick-or-treating, or amped up from those Tootsie Rolls that scientifically don't cause rowdiness. The Huntington Beach City district (kindergarten through eighth grade) has staff development days Nov. 1-2.

Huntington Beach City Superintendent Gregg Haulk said concerns about the holiday account for about 50 percent of the decision behind scheduling staff development for this week, "to avoid some of the issues with having students in school the day of or day after Halloween. It just throws them out of their schedules and makes it difficult to focus."

Last year all seven elementary schools and two middle schools in the district took Monday and Tuesday off ? Halloween and that dreaded day after. Even though schools are open this Halloween, costumes, parties and parades are discouraged, with revelry largely confined to fall festivals and carnivals put on by school PTAs on late afternoons or weekends.

"We're trying to stay focused," said Julie Jennings, principal at Dr. Ralph E. Hawes Elementary School in Huntington Beach, an institution named for a physician whose primary focus was the health of young children. It's a school that on Monday started a program called the 100 Mile Club, led by a parent, marathoner Linda Williams, in which kids run a little bit from 8 to 8:20 each day to work toward 100 miles for the school year.

"The health of a person is vital to how well they do in school, and how well they can think and process information," Jennings said.

ADVICE FOR PARENTS

Even the most health-conscious parents shouldn't get too strict about sweets during Halloween "season."

"To make a kid feel bad about wanting to have candy on Halloween is just ridiculous," says Dr. Patricia Riba, a pediatrician who specializes in childhood obesity and nutrition. She likes coconut herself, and on Halloween night, she says: "I will have my Almond Joy."

But families can mitigate the effects by serving healthy meals and snacks leading up to Halloween. It's also OK to be the parents who give out Play-Doh and stickers. "My house hasn't gotten egged yet," Riba says.

Also, parents can explore the other fun aspects of Halloween ? pumpkin patches, haunted houses and the outing itself on the big night. "You don't need to go to a million houses," she said.

And don't nag once the sounds of the drop-drop-drop in the bag or bucket signal the accumulation of piles of Snickers and Skittles. "I hear parents the whole night saying, 'Don't have too much,'" Riba said. "The kids feel restricted, and they start hoarding and hiding the food. Then you're in the position of policing it, and it's a forbidden food, and it gets into all these unhealthy food dynamics. ... You don't want Halloween candies lasting for a month."

THE BIG SELL-OFF

Unless you want to pull a Jimmy Kimmel and lie to your kids by telling them you've scarfed all their Halloween candy (videotaping their reactions is optional), you could participate in what's become a trend the past few years: selling excess inventory to a local dentist. Several practitioners are offering candy buybacks. One of them is Dr. Jeffrey T. Jones of Villa Park, who offers $1 a pound.

Jones also emphasized the importance of not letting candy sit around for weeks, transforming from "sometimes food," as Cookie Monster would call it, to a part of the everyday diet. Here's a tip: Chocolate is easier brushed and rinsed off the teeth than hard, tacky candy like a Jolly Rancher.

It's a good idea to brush and floss (or floss and brush) 20-25 minutes after consuming any food, candy or otherwise, Jones said.

"If you're gonna eat candy, go brush and floss. Don't allow the acid buildup to linger," he said.

Contact the writer: lhall@ocregister.com or 714-796-2221

Source: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/halloween-375466-candy-kids.html

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