The Real Horror of Halloween
Trick or Treat
Smell My Feet
Give Me Something Good to Eat!
At the risk of sounding like a party pooper, I’m going to be a party pooper.
Halloween is fast approaching. Scary decorations are going up, spider webs, tomb stones, black cats, and words of warning for those entering a house may not live to see another day.
Of course, we are all stocking up on a variety of candy to hand out to young and old alike on October 31. I’ve noticed in recent years that I have more big kids with pillow cases than cute little Disney princesses with tiny plastic pumpkins.
These pillow cases are often loaded down with all kinds of sweet morsels to be snacked on over the course of days or weeks.
“Go ahead,” I say. Just don’t bring that junk into my house.
While sugar tastes good, the lasting effects aren’t so great.
Just as little as 2 teaspoons of sugar, or 8 grams, can cause the body’s micronutrients to change radically according to Nancy Appleton, author of Lick the Sugar Habit. Micronutrients are things like vitamins and minerals. Sugar requires a lot of minerals for digestion.
So, when you eat a candy bar, let’s say a Snickers, you’re eating 20 grams of sugar. Important nutrients like magnesium, zinc, and others are depleted.
When you read zinc, I hope you think of the mineral you take when you get a cold and want to reduce the duration and severity. If not, think about that now.
We need minerals to keep us healthy. You eat candy. You lower your minerals. You weaken your immune system. You get sick.
It’s no coincidence that flu season comes at the same time as candy season!
There’s also research that shows a direct connection between the impaired action of our white blood cells and sugar intake, but I won’t keep preaching.
What can you do to make Halloween fun and not wreck your health?
Make a fun, healthy meal! The grosser looking the better! Check out these ideas I put together on Pinterest!
Make guts and blood for dinner (brown rice pasta with tomato sauce)–or try making a Mummy Meatloaf, like the one I made for my family below
Dessert can be creepy fun when you eat eye balls (peeled grapes)!
Make treats that are lower in sugar! How about serving hot apple cider from a big, black pot sitting on a dry ice? Just the “smoke” makes it more fun.
When your kids bring home a year’s worth of candy, let them pick a few of their favorite pieces and throw away the rest or sell it to your orthodontist! Let your kids use the money to buy a treat such as a game to play with the family on Friday nights.
And Halloween doesn’t have to be all about candy. Play games! Kids love it when their parents take time to play with them. How about a game in the park with the neighborhood kids? Tag, a game of monster mash, or corn hole are all great.
Use one or several of these tips and have a Spook-tacularly Healthy Halloween!
