Bracha’s Bites #10: Purim Candy

How should I handle Purim candy? We generally don’t have candy in our house. But we have plenty of snacks and cookies and other treats. But Purim is crazy! My 11 year old goes collecting with all his friends and manages to stockpile A TON of candy. He hides it in his room and is constantly eating from it, no matter how many times I tell him he needs to save room for dinner, or stop eating before bed. I’ve offered to buy the candy off him, but he’s obsessed!

Purim is an overwhelming day, and the amount of of food and candy available is also overwhelming. Allowing your adolescents to eat what they want on Purim can take some of that pressure off you. (Providing a nourishing breakfast and lunch options can be helpful to ensure they eat something satisfying during the day.)

It sounds like your adolescent may be feeling restricted around candy during the year, and uses Purim to make up for that. 

While you have snacks and treats available at home, your adolescent wants candy specifically, and he can’t access that. When he can access it, he eats it in excess.

This doesn’t mean he’s addicted! Read more about sugar addiction. It means he’s in the restrict-binge cycle.

Restrict-Binge Cycle

When we experience restriction and eventually get access, we tend to overeat. The way to counter this cycle is to prevent the restriction.

This may look like having candy in the home. 

It can also look like more neutrality around candy. “Restriction” can be mental, in that even when a food is available it feels limited. While eating one is thinking “this is the last time I eat it”, “I should really stop”, or feeling guilt or shame for eating. 

So even though the food is actually available, it feels like it won’t be available later and overeating occurs.

Talking neutrally about food means adolescents don’t feel guilt or shame for eating, because there’s no judgement around the food. 

The take-away