Is It a Treat or Trick?

It’s getting scarier and scarier every Halloween. No, I don’t mean the ghosts and goblins–I mean the so-called “treats” we are feeding our children.

Don’t exclude the adults from this feeding frenzy, as most of us have been caught dipping into that candy bowl.  In fact, how many of us bought bags of candy way back in the beginning of September, only to realize that by now, the candy has magically disappeared despite them being hidden away from the kids in a closet?? The “scary” part is that candy is not the same as candy was years ago.  The candy is not just filled with sugar, but with unidentifiable chemicals, dyes and preservatives.  Check out the chart above compiled by FoodBabe.com

Most of the above are filled with Genetically Modified ingredients, with other ingredients linked to increased risk of cancer, asthma, allergies and dermatitis, hyperactivity in children and more. Are these little bites innocent treats?

You be the judge.

You could say that it’s only one night a year, but these days Halloween tends to be a month-long celebration in our schools and socially where so many of our children are stuck in a sugar/chemical coma during the whole month of October. First, there are alternatives.  Buy candy that is NOT Franken-candy, but is made with real ingredients that you can pronounce and understand.

Many stores are now carrying the healthier candy versions.  (Did I just say “healthier candy”?).

In fact, I just noticed Rite Aid had a candy section dedicated to cleaner versions of candy (see below) that do not contain all the toxic chemicals and dyes!  Wow.  Not so for our local Walgreens but I’ll take that as a win.  You can also find more natural and cleaner versions of chocolate in Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods and of course, online.

Check out great brands such as OCHO Minis (variety of chocolates with caramel and other fillings), Justin’s Organic Peanut Butter Cups, Unreal Candy Coated Milk Chocolate (similar to M & M’s), or YumEarth Organic Pops (lollipops).

Second, you don’t always NEED to give out candy. Hello, Jill??  Isn’t that what Halloween is all about? 

I personally learned long ago when my daughter was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease over 10 years ago, that every holiday does not need to revolve around food.  In our family, we needed to change our lifestyle from what a typical American family ate of pizza, pasta and ice-cream to more wholesome one-ingredient foods.

While we made our share of healthier versions of delicious cookies and treats, we started to emphasize togetherness and little games or thoughtful trinkets.  Why not give out stickers or little toys that can be found at the Dollar Store?

Last year and this year I’ve given out little LED toys, and stickers and glow sticks along with the above “clean version” candies. The kids were delighted and had so much fun picking out the fun blinking and wind-up  little witches, ghosts and more!  I even overheard one of our trick-or-treaters last Halloween, say to another, “I told you, they give out the best stuff…”

Let’s face it, these kids will get boatloads of candy anyway. You may as well get a “healthier” alternative that lasts more than the 2 seconds it takes to devour the normal Halloween treat.  Their parents will thank you, too:).

Finally, check out these really scary Halloween statistics.

Love and health.

Jill

“It is our choices that show what we truly are
far more than our abilities.”  ~Louise Hay