Digestive Disease Specialists, Inc.

View Original

Halloween Candy – When a Treat Becomes a Trick to Your Tummy

Candy is an all time favorite for children. Why are children the only ones to take the blame? Do we adults keep away from them? No. Because this crunchy, colorful, sweet delights serve our tongue pretty well. Candy manufacturers make candy according to upcoming occasions. The candies are different for Christmas, New Year, Halloween, Thanksgiving and many more to lure the crowd and Oklahoma City is no exception when taking part in the event. But are all candies good for your digestive system? Here are some filters from the gastroenterologists in OKC based on the celebration of Halloween.

The Candies Best To Be Avoided

  1. Milk chocolate candies are the main ones to cause digestive disorders. Chocolate has caffeine, which has a diuretic effect. Eating lots of chocolate may cause diarrhea and similar issues. Without the nuts, there wouldn’t be any nutritional value. So, our gastroenterologists in OKC suggest to avoid it.

  2. The candies with sugar substitutes have sorbitol or other sugar alcohol. These play significant role in gastrointestinal diseases as the sugar alcohol is basically a type of laxative.

  3. The Halloween candies that have several lesser-known ingredients that may be responsible for the digestive disease. Licorice is made using flour which is a big no-no for Celiac patients. Apart from that, there is corn syrup, soy lecithin, coloring agents and preservatives and many other things that cause allergies and GI issues.

The gastroenterologists in OKC do not ask you to avoid all candy and chocolates completely. That would just be a punishment. Here are some treats that can satisfy your taste buds, without damaging your health.

  • Dark chocolate with nuts are good for any Halloween event and it also has nutritional value over the above-mentioned ones. The nuts provide fiber and helps the digestive system eliminate waste. Moreover, there are health benefits to dark chocolate including controlling blood pressure and creating gut bacteria and enzymes to decrease inflammation.

  • Jelly Beans altogether have no nutritional value, contain less calories as it has only 1 gram of sugar. So, they are safer than the others.

  • Gummies have a lot of sugar, so watch how much you eat, but the gelatin, on the other hand, has various benefits for gut health. It is good for your skin and maintains a healthy stomach lining. You can make them at home to control the sugar content.

Broadly speaking, no candy is healthy to be consumed, still, we can’t just deprive ourselves from having fun with these tasty treats. As excessive consumption of any of these can cause problems to your health, it is better to control the intake and enjoy in moderation. If any problems occur after taking these precautions, you can come to Digestive Disease Specialists, Inc., where experienced gastroenterologists in OKC are there to diagnose and treat your problems. Don’t delay, call them now.

**Disclaimer: This blog content does not offer a doctor's advice and creates no relationship between any patient and care provider.