A pediatric dietician has an important message for parents who worry about their kids consuming way too much Halloween candy: Stop stressing.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Arielle “Dani” Lebovitz, creator of Kid Food Explorers, tells TODAY.com. Lebovitz shares that her own children have unlimited access to their loot bags.
“When we restrict and we shame food, it leads to some big issues,” Lebovitz says. She notes that some research has shows that children are at a much greater risk of developing an eating disorder than being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
According to a 2023 study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, more than 1 in 5 adolescents around the world struggle with disordered eating. Meanwhile, a 2011 study found that anxiety around body image starts at around age 3.
The term “Almond Mom” has gone viral on TikTok, thanks in part to a comment made by "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum Yolanda Hadid.
In an old clip from “RHOB” Yolanda receives a call from her then 14-year-old daughter, Gigi Hadid.
“I’m feeling really weak. I had, like, half an almond,” a shaky-sounding Gigi tells her mother.
Yolanda’s response? “Have a couple of almonds, and chew them really well.”
Dr. Karla Lester, a pediatrician and childhood obesity expert, previously told TODAY.com that an almond mom is usually “stuck in diet culture,” and likely grew up hearing phrases such as “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips,” and “you’re not hungry, you’re bored.”
Halloween is an almond mom's nightmare.
Lebovitz says it's time to change the way we think about talk about candy.
"We vilify it — we call it 'bad,' and that's gonna backfire," she says. “A majority of parents are like, ‘My kids can’t control themselves around sweets. I need to parcel it out.’ And this creates a scarcity mindset. That’s when they start sneaking and overeating.”
When parents overly restrict access to specific foods, a child will form harmful ideas associated with those foods, Lebovitz says. For example, they might feel guilt and shame after eating a chocolate bar.
“If we can come from from a place of less restriction, and flip that scarcity mindset, kids will begin to listen to their body cues,” Lebovitz explains.
That doesn’t mean there can't be structure and boundaries around candy, Lebovitz says. For instance, she offers her daughters, Shiloh, 6, Elior, 4, and Orlee, 2, a treat alongside meals and snacks. They also play with candy throughout the year (think Skittle art and gingerbread houses). One of the family’s favorite post-Halloween games is “Candy Critic.”
“It’s one of those activities that allows them to learn and explore while having fun,” Lebovitz says. “We unwrap all these candies and they use their five senses. What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like? What sounds do you hear when you’re chewing?”
“They are savoring and connecting with that candy instead of just consuming it like any other food,” she continues. “You’re also creating happy memories.”
Sometimes Shiloh and Elior will ask if they can have a piece of candy or two for breakfast the next day. Lebovitz always says yes.
“Oftentimes they forget about it, or maybe they have that piece, but they know it will be available to them again,” she says. “So instead of having that extra something because they think they won’t have access to it again, they can pause, slow down and enjoy — and then stop when their body feels satisfied.”
Lebovitz warns that kids won't start listening to their body cues overnight. It's a process. The first time they have free access to candy, they might get a tummy ache.
"But if you give your kids more access to candy for a couple of months, you'll see a huge change," Lebovitz says. "By next Halloween, there's a good chance they'll forget about their candy after the first week."
