Around 19% of children are considered obese in America, according to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These numbers are only worsened by holidays such as Halloween, which make large amounts of candy more accessible. Each year, Americans buy nearly 600 million pounds of Halloween candy, which translates to approximately 5,000 extra calories for each person on average.
“Sugar is something that people can get addicted to. Like many things in the world, whether that’s gambling and nicotine, it has things that could connect to the brain. The more you see it, the more you have it,” said nutritionist Natalia Manzanares.
The CDC reports that the daily average sugar intake for children was 17 teaspoons in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins Medicine recommends that children ages two to 19 consume no more than six teaspoons of sugar per day.
Sophomore Amanda Lee* often struggled with eating too much sugar when she was overweight.
“I was hiding candy bars in my room. It was bad. I had three or four without even noticing. I would take them out of my pantry and snack away,” Lee said.
Some teens and parents are unconcerned about the effects of the amount of sugar consumed during Halloween.
“I feel like it’s okay with how unhealthy it is because it’s just once a year,” said sophomore Sara Brittain.
However, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, on average, Halloween candy consumption alone can cause people to gain a pound every year, on top of other potential unhealthy eating habits.
“I think kids are 1,000% having too much junk food, especially in America, where we just press a button and can have that food delivered to our door. I think our society and capitalism have ruined the opportunity to eat healthy. And there’s just not enough advocates for wanting to eat healthy,” Manzanares said.
Not all adolescents are consuming too much sugar. According to the National Library of Medicine, 35% of youth in America meet the standards for recommended added sugars set by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).
Maddie Mitchell, a senior at Notre Dame High School who plays varsity soccer, tries to eat healthy daily.
“I don’t eat that much junk food daily just because I usually have soccer. I just make a sandwich and then maybe add a couple chips on the side. I don’t really have junk food on soccer days, and then sometimes when I don’t have soccer after school, I have a little snack,” Mitchell said.
In the future, families can take precautions to stay within the guidelines set by the DGA for added sugars in youth and opt for healthier options for Halloween treats.
“There’s so many healthier alternatives. For example, you can make a healthy pumpkin pie. You can make healthy pumpkin cookies. I learned how to make a healthy version of cookies with bananas,” Manzanares said.
Ultimately, Halloween can be celebrated while balancing tradition, fun, and healthy eating.
“There are different alternatives. I just don’t think we’ve been taught that way or educated that way, unfortunately,” Manzanares said.
*This source’s name is changed to protect them from social consequences. For more information on Carlmont Media’s anonymous sourcing, check out Scot Scoop’s Anonymous Sourcing Policy.
