Tricked by Treats!

Article by healthybalance.com staff
Posted on October 30, 2008

Halloween’s upon us! If you have children, it’s not the vampires, werewolves or Freddie Kruger look-alikes you have to fear. It’s the treats your children bring home in their bags. The dangers lurking there have nothing to do with tainted treats—but the sugar that goes into each and every last candy your child brings home.

Have you ever noticed that kids tend to get sick the first part of November? Well, that may be due in part to their binging on sweets the week before. You see, eating too much sugar can impair your children’s immune systems. This not only means they are more susceptible to bugs going around but also enables allergy and asthma symptoms to crop up.
Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of Lick the Sugar Habit, writes that excess sugar can cause metabolic consequences as noted in a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications. Specifically, sugar can suppress the immune system and impair a person’s defenses against infectious disease.

Outsmarting the candy monster

How can you help your children outsmart the sugar goblin—without seeming like a monster yourself? The first defense is a good offense. Talk to your kids. Help them understand that chowing down on too many treats can make them sick. In addition, do a sugar purge in your pantry. Since kids will be getting way too many sweet treats at school and during Halloween activities, ban soda pop, sugar cereals, cookies and other sweet treats from your home during the Halloween season.

When purchasing Halloween treats, opt for peanuts, pencils or stickers.

Read the labels on so-called healthy treats like granola bars or fruit chews—many of these are high in sugar as well. Stock the fridge with fruits and vegetables. Keep healthy snacks like plain popcorn, whole grain crackers, nuts and seeds on hand.

Flush it!

Water is a perfect sugar-free beverage. Drinking eight, eight-ounce glasses a day will help your child to detoxify and resist the ill effects of too much sugar. Get your kids outdoors into the sunshine, when the fall weather allows. Sun exposure helps the body produce Vitamin D, a nutrient essential to health immune function as well as strong bones.

Last, but not least, get rid of as much of their Halloween haul as possible. Encourage them to share some with the less fortunate. Have them make up treat bags for future months’ activities where they would otherwise buy candy, for example the movies, or sporting events. Stage a candy buy-back where you trade nickels, dimes or coupons for a fun activity for their candy. And, stealthily, throw some of the candy out! Then, treat the kids to a healthy Halloween treat-home roasted pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1.Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you’ve removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)
2.Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3.Sprinkle with salt or seasonings.
4.Bake at 325 degrees until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
5.Cool and store in an air-tight container.