|
Don’t Spook Kids
By Giving Non-Nutritious Candy
This
Halloween!
Hand Out Fun,
Glow-in-the-Dark Objects,
Stickers, & Other Party Favors
Instead
Adults,
don’t fall into the candy-giving
trap this Halloween when those
adorable, costume-clad
kids ring your doorbell. Handing
out those traditional
blood-sugar bouncing “treats” is
a “tricky” proposition. All that
candy could send your neighbor’s
kids into Sugar Shock!—which
means you could contribute to
their getting all kinds of
health and emotional problems.
You
certainly don’t want to do
anything that could help make
these innocent children become
angry, moody, depressed, tired,
wired, sleepless, unfocused, or
fat from those sugary foods,
right?
This
Halloween, choose fun
alternatives instead. There’s no
limit to the options. You could
give out all kinds of fun,
age-appropriate doodads and
gizmos, such as:
-
Glow-in-the-dark insects,
spooky fingers and other
objects
-
Halloween-themed stickers,
pencils, temporary tattoos,
or other toys
-
Holiday chalk, crayons,
colored pencils, pens or
animal-shaped erasers
- Rubber
worms, spiders, or other
creepy figures
-
Non-Halloween-themed party
favors such as hair clips,
hair bands, scrunchies,
plastic bracelets and rings
(for girls).
- Party
favors such as engine
whistles, key chains, pens,
and stickers. (For boys or
girls).
Rest
assured, too: Kids will like
your creative Halloween-giving i deas.
In fact, researchers found that
these non-candy favors can be a
big hit.
One study
from Yale University revealed
that half of the 284
trick-or-treaters aged 3 to 14
didn’t want lollipops,
fruit-flavored chews, or hard
candies. Yeah, instead they
preferred such toys as
glow-in-the-dark insects,
stretch pumpkin men, or
Halloween-themed stickers and
pencils.
If you
still insist on giving out food,
try giving trick-or-treaters
small, pre-packaged:
-
Almonds or walnuts (Stay
away from peanuts since some
children are allergic to
them.)
-
Shelled sunflower seeds or
pistachios
-
Raisins (Although these are
high in natural sugar,
they’re far preferable to
candy.)
-
Bottled water (Yeah, kids
will be thirsty from all
that trick-or-treating door
to door!)
So this
Halloween, forego those
nutrient-lacking candies. Decide
to do something nice for your
neighborhood’s kids and instead
give out something fun or at
least more healthy.
*
Connie
Bennett is an experienced
journalist (Los Angeles Times,
TV Guide, cbs.com, etc.) and
former, dedicated “sugar
addict,” who reluctantly quit
sugar and refined carbs on
doctor’s orders in 1998. She now
laughingly pokes fun of herself
as a “Scary Sugar Shrew No
More!” — see her fun cartoons
at http://www.sugarshock.com/cartoons.shtml.
These days, Connie is regarded
as a sought-after “Savvy Sugar
Sleuth,” who playfully and
seriously educates people about
the dangers of sugar and culprit
carbs, which could include mood
swings, depression, anger,
“brain fog,” and, of course,
weight gain, and she helps
“sugar sufferers” to break free
from their dangerous habit.
Connie is author of the
engaging, engrossing book Sugar Shock! (Berkley Books, Dec. 26,
2006); founder of an
international KickSugar support
group; founder of the
award-winning Sugar Shock! Blog
(http://www.sugarshockblog.com/);
a featured contributor to
eDiets.com; a certified holistic
health counselor; and a popular
speaker.
|
