You At Your Best

14 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | NWADG.COM/YOUATYOURBEST OCTOBER - DIABETES | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2017 If you are a parent of a child with diabetes, you may be trying to figure out a way to handle Halloween festivities. With all of the large quantities of sugary candies given out for Halloween, it is hard to manage blood glucose levels. One way to curb the excitement over the candy that comes with the holiday is to put more emphasis on other traditions associated with the season. Plan a trip to a pumpkin patch to pick out a jack-o-lantern that you can carve as a family or make arrangements to visit a haunted house. Finding a hayride in your area, planning a party, or creating costumes together are all great alternative ways to get into the Halloween spirit. Other diabetic friendly activities could include toasting and eating pumpkin seeds or bobbing for apples, both of which can be enjoyed by everybody — not just those with special dietary needs. While it could be easy to just eliminate the trick-or-treating aspect altogether, there are other ways to still let a child with diabetes join in on the fun and not feel excluded. For starters, there is usually a fair amount of walking involved in trick-or-treating which can provide a great dose of physical activity. Once the candy has been collected, there are multiple ways to handle the dispensing of it. Allowing the child to pick out a few of their favorites to enjoy one or two pieces of candy for dessert for several nights a week is great way to let them feel included. Candy is high in sugar while lacking in other nutrients, making it especially bad for diabetics and bad for everyone else as well. You can implement carbohydrate counting which could make it possible to incorporate occasional treats into a child's meal plan, as long as you did the extra planning. You can do this by serving the candy instead of another carbohydrate-containing food, so the total amount of carbohydrates consumed in the meal stays the same. By consuming consistent amounts of carbohydrates on a day-to-day basis, this can help with overall blood glucose control. If you don't adjust the carbohydrate intake, you could also adjust the insulin dose according to how many carbohydrates were eaten. If you'd rather your child avoid the sugary concoctions altogether, you could come up with a bartering system. By trading their candy for a special prize or trip — a night at the movie theater or a day trip to the zoo — your child can still enjoy a fun activity without the risk of consuming too much sugar. This can also help instill a healthy lifestyle in any siblings they have without diabetes, teaching them that there are ways to have fun or be rewarded that aren't associated with foods high in sugars or fat. With a little extra planning and patience, children with diabetes can still have a fun-filled Halloween with a focus on the season's traditions. How your child can still participate Trick-or-treating with diabetes: BY SARAH HANEY NWA DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Halloween is Tuesday, October 31

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