I’ve been a registered dietitian for a long time, but I’ve been a person that loves Halloween candy even longer. Some of my best childhood memories are from Halloween — especially the time I wouldn’t let my dad take me home until I trick-or-treated at every house in the neighborhood (thanks, Dad!). That’s why now, as a mom, registered dietitian and candy-lover, I never restrict Halloween candy at my house. You may be surprised to hear this, but my RD colleagues don’t either. Here are a few reasons why.

Our good intentions can backfire

Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, a nutrition expert and author of Everyday Snack Tray, says that when her kids were younger, she’d only let them have a set amount of candy on Halloween and then the bags would get put away. She’d then dole out a little candy each day. “Guess what happened?” she asked. “My son would inevitably find the bags and take candy from both his bag and his sisters’, which caused several ugly fights.”

Why restriction doesn’t work

Most of us have learned the hard way that restriction doesn’t work for the long run. It seems like a logical strategy, but ultimately it tends to backfire. “I’ve found that restriction tends to fuel a deeper, longer-term fixation on sweets,” says Malina Malkani, M.S., RDN, CDN. Instead of restricting, we need to empower our kids, allow them to listen to their bodies and give them confidence to trust themselves.

Tips for how to manage Halloween candy

Consider one of the following ideas to help implement an approach that works for you and your family.

1. Allow candy freedom.

For Halloween and the following week, allow your kids to choose the candy they want. The only caveat is they must brush their teeth frequently. By the end of the week, more often than not, they’re over it, says registered dietitian Barbie Cervoni, M.S., RD, CDCES, CDN. Lauren Manaker, M.S., RDN, LD, a registered dietitian, agrees with this strategy and allows her daughter to eat what she wants from her Halloween candy stash. “Since candy isn't a forbidden food,” she says, “it makes eating it less of a big deal.”

2. Cultivate a healthy relationship with all foods.

Use Halloween as a motivator to help your kids develop a healthy relationship with food. “As parents, we feel pressured to feed kids a certain way and focus on what we feed them instead of how and why we feed them,” says Marina Chaparro, RDN, CDCES, a bilingual pediatric dietitian, diabetes educator and mom of two. Cervoni adds, “Restricting candy on Halloween, creating strict candy rules, or labeling candy as ‘bad’ usually backfires. Allowing them to have regular access to candy when it's around takes away the novelty, and they will be less likely to overeat it.”

3. Give candy less power.

Candy isn’t only available during Halloween, it’s always around. That’s why Chef Julie Lopez, RD, recommends creating a food environment where candy doesn’t hold the power of being “good” or “bad.” Allow your kids to have it after lunch or dinner and don’t use it as a reward for a certain behavior or action — in other words, neutralize its power.

(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)

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