Reduce the Halloween sugar

Halloween is the time of year when sweet children can turn into sweet-toothed monsters; that is, when they have too much sugar. That's why it's important to implement strategies to keep them out of the candy jar.

With the prevalence of child obesity and diabetes, it's important to keep children on a healthy diet, even during holidays that focus around sweets.

Here are some tips to help out this Halloween.

*Set limits. If children are allowed to have an entire bag of trick-or-treat candy, parents can't control how much they eat or when they eat it. Divide up the candy into sandwich bags for each day of the week. Parents can tell children to make each small bag last them an entire day.

*Don't leave the candy out. If a bowl of candy is out in plain view, children will surely sneak a few pieces. Store candy in a high cupboard or other place where they won't have easy access.

*Steer the focus of Halloween onto something other than candy. Get children to help decorate the porch or work on a special costume. Encourage them to eat healthy snacks such as fruit slices.

This story is provided by NewsUSA.