Every year the nation’s children chow down on Halloween and while obesity is an ongoing problem in the USA this should be more carefully monitored. In this article, we look at the hard facts about how much sugar our trick-or-treaters are consuming and what measures we can take to reduce their refined sugar intake or stop it altogether.

Around 40 million eager children will head out trick-or-treating this October, pumpkin buckets and tote bags at the ready. It is estimated that each child’s bag of goodies contains about 4,800 calories and has 3 cups of sugar and 1½ cups of fat. This is a shocking revelation. Refined sugars are exceptionally bad when it comes to liver health. According to the American Heart Foundation, about one in three American children/teens is overweight or obese. The commonness of obesity in children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011. This not only causes severe health complications in children, but excess weight is also associated with earlier risk of obesity-related disease and death in adulthood.
Even if you are a healthy weight, too much refined sugar in your diet can raise your blood pressure and put a strain on your heart and circulatory system, leading to coronary disease, heart attacks, diabetes, kidney damage, and many other complications. Too much refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup also causes a fatty buildup that can lead to liver disease.

Researchers at Yale University did a study that explored whether children would choose toys over candy when offered both choices on Halloween. Seven households gave trick-or-treaters a choice between toys and candy that were equally appealing. The children, who were between 3 and 14 years of age showed that they were just as likely to choose toys as candy regardless of their gender. The implication of this study is that children will not be disappointed by toy treats on Halloween. This raises the questions as to why we insist on continuing to celebrate this holiday in such an unhealthy way.

• Try an Amsety Bar! Amsety Bars contain no refined sugars, are low in sodium, gluten-free, non-GMO and certified organic. They make for the perfect healthy snack or meal replacement, treat not only your liver but your taste buds too!
• Find fun activities to do with the children, for example, making costumes, carving pumpkins or watch a Halloween movie for children, for example, Hocus Pocus, Caspar, Adams Family or Scooby-Doo.
• When choosing what you give out to neighborhood children opt for a small prize instead like a transfer tattoo or fake spider, these are a good alternative to fruit as the children still feel like they received a treat.
• Jennifer Carlson, founder of Baby Gourmet Foods Inc. created a character called the Switch Witch. Her children leave their candy overnight and the Switch Witch replaces it with a gift they have asked for.

Made from high-quality, vegetarian, kosher and 100% organic ingredients, the bars contain Super 16™, a nutrient-packed mix made from 16 plant-based vitamins and minerals beneficial for liver health. The product contains no gluten, refined sugars, lactose or GMOs, and has very low sodium. 98% of liver specialists and other medical professionals surveyed recommend Amsety bars.