A writer who writes health articles contacted me yesterday and wanted to know what ideas I had about what to hand out at Halloween that wasn’t candy. Boy, you can barely shut me up on that subject. I love NOT handing out candy on Halloween.
First of all, I love Halloween and I consider it the beginning of the Holidays ( insert my husband rolling his eyes here). I really get into what I give out to the kids and I actually break it down by gender and age range. I wouldn’t expect anyone to do all that, but there are easy, fun solutions to handing out candy.
Let’s consider what candy or sugar does to your body:
Sugar hinders the body’s immune system and predisposes people to allergies and infections. The number, shape and activity of white blood cells are adversely affected by excessive sugar consumption. Here are just some of the health conditions associated with the over-consumption of sugar: allergies, obesity, eating disorders, eczema, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones and failure, learning disabilities, diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, candida, anxiety, hyperactivity in children, dental cavities, adult-onset diabetes, atherosclerosis, and countless others. Many people struggling with serious health conditions and weight loss make an attempt to reduce the sugar in their diets. This is often more easily done in theory than in practice. They may feel that they’re doing all the right things (e.g., not adding sugar to their coffee), but may continue consuming sugar without even knowing it. This is why it’s essential that we become more aware of the hidden sources of sugar in our foods. Most of us, when we think of sugar, tend to think of the white stuff we put in our coffee. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Three-quarters of the sugar Americans consume today comes from “hidden” sugars found in processed foods.
Don’t fool yourself – this would also include organic sugar.
If you don’t believe me, check this article out: http://rheumatic.org/sugar.htm
146 Reasons Why Sugar Is Ruining Your Health By Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. www.nancyappleton.com
Here’s my favorite out of this article:
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
So back to the solution. I go to Target, the 99 Cent Store and to various party stores and buy little prizes. I don’t do just Halloween themed prizes – the party favor area of stores is great for little things to hand out. The first year I did this, my husband thought the kids would retaliate in a Halloween Trick sort of way. But believe it or not, the kids loved it and ran back to their parents enthusiastically showing them the little prizes I gave them.
So what do I had out? Well, blown up balloons for the infants and children under 4, but that got a little expensive, so this year they are getting bath toys. The others got what ever was age and gender appropriate like:
pencils
erasers
stickers
glow sticks
puzzles
stretchy frogs and spiders,
mini yo-yos
mini playdough not from china
bracelets
barrets
small super balls
guys with parachutes
pre-inked stamps
glow in the dark skeletons
bubbles
The teenagers (yes, I get a lot for some reason) are harder to pick out for. I use to do pretzel packs form Target, but really, with what I know can I hand out bleached flour? So I felt guilty about that and believe it or not, last year quite a few wanted the super balls. So this year they are getting New Year’s Eve Party Popper’s.
What if you have children and they get tons of candy? Let them keep a few pieces and buy the rest from them and then THROW IT AWAY!!!!
These recommendations are for the reduction of stress only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease, or as a substitute for regular medical care.