biggreenfeet:

bigfatscience:

heavyweightheart:

i guess it’s time to talk about halloween candy again! in short: you should eat it if you want to!

a healthy relationship with food absolutely involves what we call “fun foods”– foods you eat bc you enjoy them (taste, memory associations, celebration, etc.) even if you’re not in need of their nutritional value. pleasure is GOOD and it’s good to experience it thru food! and if you are in need of calories and free candy can help provide them, wonderful.

remember the intuitive eating concepts of unconditional permission to eat and challenging the food police. you get to have as much candy as you want, whenever you want it. that means you can have some now, and you can have some later, too. there’s no need to freeze it or throw it out to prevent yourself from eating it–the candy is not dangerous or “sinful.” this is a great opportunity to practice following your body’s cues, and to trust them. 

if you’ve been candy-restricted in the past, you might eat more than you’re comfortable with. you might even feel sick to your stomach. that’s good data! note it, and reject guilt–you’re learning. and guess what, you STILL have unconditional permission to eat. if you find yourself wanting more in the future, you can have it (this also lets you stop when you want to, bc the candy and your permission to eat it aren’t going anywhere). experiment. observe. trust.

so instead of approaching one of the best parts of this holiday with fear and defensive planning, approach it with curiosity: which candies do you enjoy? how much of them feels good? how does unconditional permission affect your candy-eating behavior, in the short and long term? what’s it like to just eat it sometimes, without doing any mental work at all?? have fun! you’re gonna be okay!

Lemme tell you a story.

The week before Halloween last year, my kids’ school sent out their weekly newsletter. This time, they included an “article” written by a local nutritionist. It had recommendations about how to “help your child learn moderation this Halloween.”

They suggested that parents strictly monitor their kids candy intake. Parents were supposed to put all the candy in a bowl on the counter, and then tell the kids they could have three pieces each day. No more! This method, they assured us, would help our kids learn self-control around food. It would teach them moderation. It would make them good eaters.

Yikes.

See, here’s the thing. I have read a heck of a lot about nutrition and weight science over the years. Do you know what I have never seen? I have never seen any evidence that carefully and rigidly restricting access to desired foods predicts better health and well-being, for kids or adults.

You know what I have seen? Lots and lots of evidence that dietary restriction predicts eating disorders, negative body image, and weight gain. I have seen evidence that restriction leads to reactive over-eating (i.e., eating to the point where you feel pain or sickness). I have seen evidence that forbidding your child to eat certain foods leads to guilt, and shame, and fear around food.

Just eat the Damn Candy Sharon! And let your kids eat it too.

[learn more about teaching kids food competency here. <– CW some weight stuff, but overall, pretty darn good]

Just eat the damn candy sharon.