"Feeding a child's sweet tooth excessively could lead to the development of metabolic syndrome," warns holistic health expert Loree Taylor Jordan, CCH, ID, "which now afflicts nearly one million American teens."

This sugar-based syndrome is associated with being overweight and makes children unusually prone to diabetes and premature heart disease.

"The biggest monster lurking this Halloween might be in your child's goody bag," warns Jordan, the author of a new book, Fat and Furious: Overcome Your Body's Resistance to Weight Loss Now.

"Well-meaning friends, neighbors, and relatives may not realize how the sugar in your child's junk food will slowly contribute to a severe decline in health," adds Jordan. "Parents need to limit their child's sugar intake in order to make sure he or she enjoys balanced nutrition."

The nation is in a health crisis as two in three adults are overweight. Many are obese. Researchers determined that at least 4% of US adolescents have developed metabolic syndrome, a constellation of risk factors for subsequent health problems.

"You can't expect to be a prison warden and completely eliminate sweets from your child's life. That would only set them up for failure," says Jordan, a self-professed reform junk-food junkie. "Constant deprivation is a set-up for children to hoard sugar (when they are finally exposed to it) or to completely overdo it by binging on it. I am proposing that we should teach our children balance and moderation."

Jordan suggests giving your children sugar-free snacks this Halloween—or at least limiting the amount of candy he or she comes home with.

Jordan points out your child may already suffer from sugar addiction. The symptoms include the following:
» A frequent focus on eating
» A sense of fatigue, tiredness, or sluggishness
» An unexplained feeling of anxiety or anger—or nervousness or irritability
» A heightened emotionality
» Eating sugar compulsively

"Feeding our children sugary sweets on a daily basis may seem loving because they want it," says Jordan, "but we are setting them up for a lifelong sugar addiction. Teaching children when they are young about the value of healthy food choices will give them a good foundation as adults."