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Commit to be Fit: Avoid a sugar hangover this Halloween
Kylie Alger
Oct. 20, 2023 6:00 am
As Halloween approaches, you may find yourself mindlessly overindulging in those tempting "fun-size" candy bars. Yet, these seemingly innocent treats can swiftly lead to a monstrous sugar hangover and turn Halloween fun into a not-so-sweet experience.
What is a sugar hangover?
A sugar hangover can best be described as the unpleasant aftermath of excessive sugar consumption. Those who’ve enjoyed one too many sweet treats may find themselves grappling with brain fog, irritability, mood swings, headaches or a sense of fatigue.
Additional negative effects of too much added sugar:
- Too much added sugar in your diet increases your sugar tolerance. Consuming too much sugar wreaks havoc on your taste buds, increasing your sugar tolerance, so you need more sugar to satisfy a sweet craving.
- Too much sugar changes the brain. Research has actually shown that the brains of obese children light up differently when they taste sugar, reflecting an elevated “food reward” response. Having too much added sugar, especially starting at a young age, can feed into a lifetime of intense sugar cravings.
- Too much sugar slows brain functioning. A 2012 study on rats, conducted by researchers at UCLA, found that a diet high in fructose (sugar) hinders learning and memory by slowing down the brain.
Researchers found that rats who over-consumed sugar had damaged synaptic activity in the brain, meaning that communication among brain cells was impaired.
As parents it’s often challenging to manage your child’s sugar consumption. Here are some tricks to help you, and your family, refrain from over indulging in Halloween candy.
- Talk about it. Trick-or-treating provides a great opportunity to talk with your children about being sugar aware. Encourage your kids to notice how they feel after eating too much candy.
I will never forget when my young niece declined ice cream the night before a big soccer game because she said, “Too much sugar will upset my stomach and I want to feel 100% for my game tomorrow.” Wow. What a smart kid! And smart parents for taking the time to help her connect the dots with what she eats and how she feels.
- Eat a healthy meal before trick-or-treating. Have a healthy dinner prepared before the quest for candy begins. If you are going to be out of the house for a while, bring a stash of apples, bananas, nuts or low sugar granola bars. This way your kids won’t be tempted to munch on Halloween candy all night.
- Choose a smaller trick-or-treat bag. Ditch the pillow case idea. Try giving your little ones a smaller bag, limiting how much candy they bring home. Discuss how many pieces they can enjoy each day.
- Out of sight, out of mind. Studies show that when you can’t see sweet treats, you will be far less likely to indulge. Research done with marshmallows proved that simply covering the sweet treats helped the children resist the temptation of eating them.
- Try the “Halloween Fairy.” You’re familiar with the tooth fairy- have your children leave Halloween candy outside their door in exchange for coins or a small gift. I have also heard this referred to as the “Switch Witch!”
Kylie Alger is a certified wellness coach and co-owner of the Well-Woman: Body, Mind & Spirit. Comments: kylie@thewellwoman.org.
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