TRICKS PLEASE, NOT TREATS, THIS HALLOWEEN
Halloween of course means sugar, sugar, sugar. Ever wonder how much is spent on halloween? Dr. Joe Mercola cited in 2003 that second to Christmas, the most money is spent on Halloween: $7billion, and $2billion of that is on sweets and candy.1 Those of you with kids know that huge party-bowl of candy sticks around until Thanksgiving. Go to any supermarket and you are bombarded with 'seasonal' displays of halloween candy. If you work in an office, well-doers fill the bowl on their desk for themselves and fellow employees. We blame the holidays for weight gain, but it all starts with halloween.
Why dies sugar end up in weight gain? Let's look at what happens to sugar in the body:
"In the liver, excess sugar is stored in the form of glucose (glycogen). Since the liver's capacity is limited, a daily intake of refined sugar soon makes the liver expand. When the liver is filled to its maximum capacity, the excess glycogen is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids. These fatty acids are then taken to every part of the body and stored--as fat--in the most inactive areas: the belly, buttocks, breasts, and thighs."2
So what can you do in this day and age? Dr. Joe Mercola listed these ideas in a past newsletter3:
1) Plan a Halloween party so that your kids won’t miss trick-or-treating. Center it around Halloween-themed activities like decorating pumpkins, having a costume contest, telling scary stories or putting on a haunted house.
2) If your kids insist on trick-or-treating, offer them the choice of ‘trading in’ their candy for a small toy or special outing.
3) Don’t give candy to trick-or-treaters. Instead, hand out Halloween-themed pencils, pens, erasers or notepads, whistles, bouncy balls, small toys and games or coins.
4) Pumpkin seeds are a great Halloween food.
Well, giving out pencils and seeds may get your house egged--remember they're just ideas.
Here are comments from an informal survey on how you can control the sugar your kids will get this halloween; thanks to all who wrote back:
1) REALLY bad stuff gets taken out at 1st inspection. Kids get 1-candy a day, then about 5 are thrown out when they're at school.
2) Kids get two pieces, dad gets rest. (who else but my brother would contribute this one).
3) 1-3 pieces each night after dinner.
4) Kids can eat as much as they want halloween night, then 1-piece a day.
5) Lesson in socialism: all candy put togther in pot then the "government" (mom and dad) doles out as seen fit. : )
6) Money for candy. (which they'll probably use on more candy)
7) As far as not contributing to the cause: give out pennies, nickels, dimes, gift certificates to local store(s).
Well, be creative and good luck parents. Bottomline for everyone: watch that sugar intake, you're body will pay for it.
References:
1These Treats are all Tricks: How to Overcome the Sweets-asReward Trap, Newsletter #477, October 29,2003, by Dr. Joe Mercola with Rachel Droege
2How to Eat,Move,and Be Healthy, by Paul Chek, p.75
3These Treats are all Tricks: How to Overcome the Sweets-asReward Trap, Newsletter #477, October 29,2003, by Dr. Joe Mercola with Rachel Droege