Healthier Halloween
Halloween has a rich history behind it and there are certainly many traditions well worth keeping. This ancient festival has been around for over 2000 years and is attributed to the Celtic people of the United Kingdom, Ireland, and northern France. Originally Halloween was a celebration that took place in the form of a festival that was called Samhain, meaning “summer’s end.” We certainly know from many past Colorado Halloween celebrations that indeed summer is no longer with us on that night. The Christian church established a new holiday in the 800′s known as All Saints’ Day at this same time (around November 1). This day also became known as All Hallows’. The night before All Hallows’ was known of course as All Hallows’ Eve, and eventually became Halloween.
Trick-or-treating and dressing up in costume are what most children in the U.S. and Canada look forward to every Halloween. Children often go door to door reciting their most earnest “trick-or-treat,” holding out their plastic buckets, bags, or pillow cases to gather as much candy as possible. As fun as this can be for kids, we all know they don’t need the candy, and honestly, Halloween can be pretty scary for some of the younger ones. To make the best out of Halloween, here are some ideas for healthy mind and body.
First, if you do choose to go trick or treating, have your kids stick to your neighborhood and only visit homes where the lights are on and they are familiar with the occupants. It should go without saying that younger trick-or-treaters should be accompanied by an adult – not just an older sibling. The candy part is a reality. If you allow your children to eat candy, please limit it to one piece per day. No, this is not torture for your children. This is discipline and this is love. Sugar decreases immunity and is linked to increased rates of obesity and diabetes in children. Let them make a collage with the candy or donate it somewhere where they may want it like the local bank or other businesses that like to keep candy on display.
Set an example by handing out alternatives to the traditional candy and chocolate bars that fill the grocery store shelves this time of year. Consider non-edible treats like stickers, little toys, balloons, whistles, erasers, pencils, crayons. One of the great things about handing out these types of treats is that you can donate the extras to charity and you won’t be tempting to eat the leftovers! If you do choose to hand out edible treats, think about things like fruit leathers, little organic chocolates (where part of the money goes to benefit the rainforest), individual packages of hot cocoa, little packages of cheese and crackers or pretzels and soy nut butter. You can also opt for handing out spare change and coins. Some kids will actually go around collecting money for charity on Halloween night, imagine that!
Another choice is to host a Halloween party yourself so that you can control what the kids are getting. This doesn’t mean compromising the spirit of the holiday. Kids love dressing up and a party in a warm house may be a lot more fun than trudging around the cold and often rainy or snowy streets. You can make homemade sugar cookies in Halloween shapes and have the kids decorate them with some naturally colored frosting. Some nutritious treats to serve at these parties are nut mixes, popcorn, Colby cheese sticks – dotted with raisins for a fun effect, spiced cider, fresh fruit, even pizza would be fun for this night. Dancing Deer bakery has some great cookies and cakes without the bad fats and artificial colors synonymous with traditional Halloween goodies, so check out their website for some fun options.
October 14, 2011
by Optimum WellnessComments
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