October

It’s that time of year again.  The official launch of the holiday sugar craze season begins with Halloween.  It’s a tricky time because we think it only comes around once a year.  However the trickiness of sugar intake gets sticky because often times it can lead to a cascade of "sweet treats" consumption.  If you are like me you may find yourself making excuses to consume tempting forms of sugars and “treats” convincing yourself, “Oh, it’s Halloween, just one snickers won’t hurt me, and besides they are so small!" 

Well, unfortunately, the trick is on us because most of the candies floating around pack a negative punch on our immunity, blood sugar regulation and waistline.  Why?  Well, most candies these days are filled not only with high amounts of refined sugar but also with High Fructose Corn Syrup.  This is a false form of sugar and your body can’t process it efficiently so it puts excessive strain on your liver and is likely stored as fat.  On top of that, the high sugar content weakens your immunity making you more susceptible to the common flu or cold bug floating around.  Additionally, most candies are filled with some form of Genetically Modified soy, wheat, trans fats and various food colorings and preservatives.   All those factors combined are what I call “spooky”!

So, instead of settling for the average spooky Halloween treat this year here are a few fun and healthy alternatives to make a healthy treat into a fun treat.

1. Hand out Emergen-C KIDZ packets at the door.  These are deliciously flavored high dose Vitamin C powders to make tasty beverages.  Vitamin C boosts your immunity unlike sugars that deplete it.
2. Go for raw organic dark chocolate.  Raw dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants and magnesium and can satisfy that Halloween sweet tooth that hollers for chocolate.
3. Make baggies of homemade “Healthy Kettle Corn Popcorn”.  It’s super easy and you can see a video of me and my niece whipping up our own here.  The video is a bit wobbly at the beginning, but you'll get the gist of just how good this popcorn is - kids love it!

Well, those are just a few quick tips for you this Halloween season to take the “spookiness” out of your sweet treats.

Have a healthy & happy Halloween!
Sarah