Can Halloween be fun and healthy?

Halloween is a fun day where kids, and adults, get to dress up and have some (scary) fun. It’s fun for all ages, but as parents, we have the extra job of making it safe and healthy, as well as fun.

If you’re the parent of a child with severe allergies or food sensitivities, Halloween can be a little stressful. Candy is “everywhere” and a child can open and gobble up a mini candy bar before you get a chance to read the ingredients.

Having been in practice for over 25 years, we’ve had an opportunity to see the post-Halloween blues.

• Do you start eating candy around Halloween and then have trouble resisting sugar all the way through the Holidays? You’re not alone.
• Have your children overindulged to the degree that you want to farm them out to grandma because they’re bouncing off the walls?
• Or maybe they actually get sick from all the “junk” they eat.

It can be a struggle to try to keep the fun alive while keeping your children and yourself healthy and happy.

Below are some ideas that have proven successful over the years.

5 Simple Tips For a Healthy Halloween

1. Feed your children and yourself well before leaving the house to trick or treat or attend a Halloween party. I know, they’re super excited and can get too excited to eat.

Here’s the trick; let them know the day before that this is the “rule” – they need to eat a good meal before they go trick or treating.

The goal is to leave the house with a full stomach. You can even consider giving them a favorite treat that is healthy before leaving the house for the same reason.

One that’s fun to make is Chocolate Drop Almond Butter Cookies or Chocolate Bark.

2. Get your children’s agreement that they can collect all the candy they want but they can’t eat anything until they show it to you, preferably when they get back home. This is a general safety precaution, as well as for safely avoiding any foods to which your child reacts.
3. Learn the safe and unsafe candy companies. Here I have included some links that are specifically gluten oriented but do your homework so that you know what is safe for you and your child.

https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/gluten-free-foods/gluten-free-candy-list/

https://www.verywellfit.com/gluten-free-candy-list-562806

https://urbantastebud.com/gluten-free-candy-list-ultimate-guide/

4. Consider making an agreement with your child about the number of “safe” candies they can consume the night of Halloween and thereafter. It’s also a good time to “bribe” them with a toy they have been wanting. Candy is worth “x” amount, and they can use that dollar figure (budget constraints withstanding) to go purchase what they want. Pointing out that once the candy is eaten it’s gone forever, but a toy they love lasts for a long time, is a good persuasion tactic.
5. Focus on the fun, not the candy. It’s great fun to wear a costume, receive treats from neighbors and friends, and arrive home with a heavy bag of goodies. Eating said the bag doesn’t have to be the focus. Rather, how much the bag weighs or something of the sort is a good game to play. Each pound can translate into money or healthy treats that are safe to eat.

Lastly, I would be remiss to not include this word of caution. Simply because candy is gluten-free or dairy-free doesn’t mean that it is good for you.

Candy is still junk

The types of candy purchased for Halloween are particularly bad because they are cheap and really the worst of the worst. They are loaded with high fructose corn sweeteners, GMO ingredients, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, rancid nuts, and more.

Sugar is GMO

Did you know that when you see “sugar” on any label, that means it’s GMO? Sugar beets are a crop that is over 90% GMO. If you are avoiding GMO, as you well should, the label would need to say “cane sugar” or better yet “organic cane sugar”.

But of course, it’s still sugar and that is a problem in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Safe sweet sources are dates, date syrup or sugar, coconut sugar, stevia. In moderation, these are a much safer option.

Bottom line: Sugar is a culprit in creating metabolic syndrome including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Eliminating added sugar in your diet and that of your children can go a long way towards reducing your risk of two diseases killing millions of Americans each year.

The fruit is not sugar

By “added sugar” we do not mean fresh fruit. There is some confusion on the fact that fruit contains “sugar”. In moderation, fresh fruits such as berries and citrus, pomegranate, etc are very healthy and loaded with anti-oxidants. Eat your fruit; don’t drink the juice.

There is no reason not to have fun with your little ghost or goblin and there’s also no reason for Halloween to turn into a sugar battle or result in illness. With a little planning, it can be a happy AND healthy experience.

These rules go for you too, Mom and Dad!

Don’t cheat on your healthy eating plan either. Get that bad candy out of the house fast – temptation can be vicious.

If you find yourself or your child not doing well after Halloween, come see us.

Are you frustrated with your health or that of your child?

Do you know there’s something wrong but just can’t figure it out? Does having symptoms, does your doctor keep telling you you’re fine or your child is fine?

We have a simple mission here at Root Cause: regain, retain, and reclaim your health by identifying what’s truly at the root of your symptoms. Your body gives you symptoms for a reason. We figure out what that reason is.

We won’t just drug you to mask symptoms, but rather will get to their true cause and reverse them through dietary, nutritional and lifestyle means – drugs are only a last resort, and usually temporary when needed at all.

If you’re not feeling your best, don’t put up with it. Let us help you and your family.

Discovering your ideal diet is a mainstay of our program, as is the evaluation of nutrient levels, food sensitivities, infections, toxins, genetic predispositions, and hormonal imbalance.

Our programs address the exact imbalances creating your symptoms.