Happy Halloween sugar highs

With Halloween right around the corner, diabetics have a lot to be on their toes for. Unfortunately for children suffering from Type 1 Diabetes, Halloween and its mountainous amounts of candy, can be very depressing. Trick or TREAT, as they say. Treats=sweets, and that is not a friendly equation for those of us who cannot produce insulin. Now, most of the candy distributed on Halloween comes in the pint-sized pieces. I will not go so far as to say we shouldn’t eat any of those (I’d be a huge hypocrite); we diabetics just have to limit the amount of them that we eat. Further, maybe we should eat a more vegetable filled dinner before having some scary goodies.

Pictured below are some of the more famous Halloween goodies. I have listed the amount of sugar in grams (same as carbs) right next to the names. Notice that the grams of sugar listed are usually for the regular sized candy bar or bag, not the fun size. So it’s probably safe to assume that the Halloween portion has about 1/3 that amount.

Starburst Fruit Chews: 34 grams

Snickers: 30 grams

Skittles: 47 grams
(These things are like little sugar ovals- but good for bouts of low sugars)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup: 25 grams

Nerds: 15 grams/tablespoon
(more like little sugar pellets)

M&M's: 31 grams

KitKat: 22 grams

Hershey's Bar: 31 grams

3 Musketeers: 40 grams

Milky Way: 35 grams

Milk Duds: 20 grams

I think Halloween and Easter have to be the downright hardest Holidays for people, especially children with diabetes. There is candy EVERYWHERE. Two healthier alternatives that pop into my head if you are looking for something a little healthier are caramel apples and peanut butter spread on top of individual hershey bar segments. I hope all of you fellow diabetics are careful this Saturday and Sunday. Be sure to monitor those sugar levels!!!