BEWARE THE SUGAR MONSTERS; EXPERTS ADVISE CUTTING CHILDREN'S INTAKE OF SWEETS.

Byline: Phil Davis Staff Writer

Five-year-old Kaitlin Levinson loves chocolate. But unlike thousands of San Fernando Valley trick-or-treaters this weekend, Kaitlin will be giving away most of her tasty Halloween treats.

It's not an exceptionally refined sense of giving that will inspire the Studio City kindergartener's charitable act. It's her mom.

Lauren Levinson set strict rules about Kaitlin's sugar intake to fend off the onslaught of marketing that urges her daughter to eat Marshmallow Blasted Froot Loops for breakfast, ``have a Coke and a smile'' for lunch and ``break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar'' as an afternoon snack. Truth is, Halloween's candy bonanza is little more than the icing on an already sugar-saturated world.

Levinson doesn't deny Kaitlin's sweet tooth. She just limits it.

``I'm a firm believer in moderation,'' Levinson said. ``I strongly feel that you can't cut your kids - or anybody - off from it because the minute you say no, they want it more. She gets one treat a day and it has some food value to it.''

It's tough - if not impossible - to deny the fun of trick or treat. But Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., said the spooky holiday is a good time for parents to reflect on the sugar that sneaks into their childrens' daily diet.

``We are drowning in sugars,'' Liebman said. ``As a nation, we eat 20 percent more sugar than we did in 1983. Much of that jump in sugar consumption has come from soft drinks. The average teen-ager used to drink twice as much milk as soda. Now it's the opposite, so I think it's fair to say the American sweet tooth is out of control and shows no signs of slowing down.''

On average, Americans take in 20 teaspoons of sugar a day - double what physicians around the world consider healthy.

It's not that hard to do. Consider this from the CSPI:

A serving of Kellogg's Marshmallow Blasted Froot Loops contains about 40 percent of the USDA's recommended daily allowance of sugar.

A single serving of most fruit yogurts contains about 70 percent.

A single 12-ounce Pepsi contains 103 percent.

A Cinnabon, about 123 percent.

A large Dairy Queen Mr. Misty Slush, a whopping 280 percent.

Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, Los Angeles County public health director, said the harmful results of the national sugar overload are not immediately visible in children. Obesity is on the rise in children and adults, but sugar is only one of many culprits in that problem. And the rate of cavities in the United States - the only immediate risk of too many sweets - is going down thanks to fluoride and good dental hygiene habits. But parents who let children gorge on sweets are setting the stage for a lifetime of worry.

``It's very disturbing,'' he said. ``We're making a lot of progress in a number of other areas - in smoking, in controlling cholesterol and high blood pressure - but unfortunately not in obesity. Weight increases the risks for a lot of things, for heart disease or stroke through high blood pressure. Diet may influence the risk of some cancers.''

Added sugars - sugars thrown into the mix to make things taste good - also lurk in surprising places: fruit juices, Jell-O and even those tasty fat-free cookies and cakes that claim to be so good for you.

While there is sugar in fruits, vegetables, milk, and other natural substances, they also contain fiber, vitamins and minerals that can fortify the body against heart disease, osteoporosis, stroke and some cancers.

A Three Musketeers candy bar, on the other hand, is nothing but a shot of refined sugar and fat - tasty, but devoid of any nutritional value. What concerns health officials is that the sweet treats muscle out healthier foods.

``The sugar industry is fond of saying all sugars are equal and once it gets inside your body there's no difference,'' Liebman said. ``Technically, that's true. But there is a difference between eating a food like fruit or milk, which is much better for you than eating a food packed with refined sugar.''

For example, a teen-ager who drinks more soda than milk runs the risk of developing osteoporosis because he or she isn't getting enough bone-fortifying calcium before the body stops building bone density at age 20.

Liebman only allows her own children, ages 6, 10 and 12, to have sodas when they are sick or on special occasions, such as birthday parties. She only allows sweet treats after dinner.

``In general, my kids are only allowed desserts after dinner,'' Liebman said. ``I do let them eat more candy than usual when they get home from trick-or-treating. I think making too big a fuss is counterproductive.''

She said most parents lose control between meals, when an ``anything goes'' attitude tends to prevails.

To raise awareness among consumers as to how big an impact even small snacks can have on a person's overall sugar intake, the Center for Science in the Public Interest is pushing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include ``added sugars'' on nutritional labels so consumers can see for themselves the sources of this sugar overload.

``The problem is Coca-Cola spends $100 million a year to promote Coke Classic alone and the National Cancer Institute spends $1 million a year on its 5 A Day program encouraging people to eat more fruits and vegetables,'' Liebman said. ``It's very hard to combat those pressures to eat sugary foods in large quantities.''

Kaitlin Levinson is no exception. This summer she succumbed to the ready availability of sodas at her day camp. But because her mother started working to control her sugar consumption early, Kaitlin dutifully reported each time she broke her mom's two-soda-a-week rule.

Lauren Levinson let Kaitlin have extra sodas, but cut her off on weekends. After all, it's tough for a 5-year-old to say no when the other children are gulping sodas. But Levinson also went to the camp directors and lobbied them to reduce the number of sweets and soft drinks available next summer.

She uses a similar tactic to avoid pre-Halloween candy snacking: If the favored sweets aren't there, no one can fall into the sugar trap.

Since her husband, Dan, and her daughter are both incurable ``chocaholics,'' Levinson buys a big mixed bag of non-chocolate candies from Costco.

``We get a ton of kids here,'' Levinson said. ``I basically buy stuff she doesn't like so it eliminates the battle.

``There is going to be junk food in this world,'' she said. ``It's a matter of learning how to balance it all.''

Try to make trick-or-treating a little more healthful 

Halloween is the holiday that puts a kid in his or her own candy store. Here are some tips on how to help them handle the candy bonanza:

While inspecting the candy for signs of tampering, help the child weed out candy he or she doesn't really like. Get rid of the less appealing treats.

Limit candy to a few pieces as an after-meal snack.

Feed the kids before they go trick-or-treating. This will discourage snacking while they're out on the candy trail.

Set a good example by handing out healthy treats. Granola bars and single-serving boxes of cereal, nuts and raisins can satisfy a sweet tooth without all the extra fat and calories in candy bars. Also, look for low-fat sweets that are more package than candy, such as SweetTarts.

Halloween is a good time to teach kids about healthful eating habits such as portion control. Just because they have 5 pounds of candy or a huge plate of french fries, doesn't mean they have to eat it all. Healthful eating habits will follow them into adulthood.

Sources: Los Angeles County Health Department, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Weight Watchers International.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, box

PHOTO (1 -- cover -- color) In a nation of sugar-holics, Halloween candy is a scary prospect.

(2) Despite the temptations of Halloween treats and sugary desserts, Lauren and David Levinson help their daughter, Kaitlin, and her friend, Ryan Kort, both 5, to eat healthfully.

(3) no caption (carved fruits)

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box: Try to make trick-or-treatring a little more healthful (see text)