AFC Urgent Care Springfield would like to wish you a happy Halloween! Halloween is full of costumes & scares & most importantly the candy! We know the spooky holiday consist of a huge binge of candy at the end of the night but did you know that children eat an estimated 7,000 calories on Halloween night? On average children should be eating between 1,500-2,000 calories a day! Within 7,000 calories that children eat on Halloween night, they will consume about 500 grams worth of sugar! The average sugar intake a child should have is around 20-30 grams! We do not want parents to limit their children on the candy they eat this Halloween but we do want parents to be mindful of eating habits!

Is one night bad of binge eating?

Of course, one night of binge eating candy is not bad. We have all had our days where we can’t stop eating mounds of sweets. However, consistent binge eating is extremely harmful to you especially a growing child. If your family has a history of diabetes or other health-related issues involving weight & blood problems it would be in your best interest to keep that in mind! If you feel your child has an addictive personality then you must make sure that every binge eating holiday stays isolated for their best interest!

What the dangers?

Childhood obesity is on the rise in today’s society! The portions that our children are fed are already too much as it is, but not only that obesity can lead to many health problems & complications. If your child continues to binge eat candy they can become pre-diabetic. Pre-diabetics in children has only increased in the past couple of years. A pre-diabetic means that you are on the verge of having diabetes. This means every meal you have has to be correctly ba; and & every day you are at risk of eating too much sugar or sodium & getting diabetes. It is a very difficult way to live life.

How to help

When you are with your children just make sure to make them aware of the dangers. Even if you feel your words aren’t getting through to them odds are they are! Next, this Halloween would be a great time to teach your children about portion control management! Instead of taking away candy altogether just talk about saving some for tomorrow of saving enough candy through the whole week! This can go very far when it comes to healthy eating habits.