Is Intermittent Fasting For You?
Halloween can be a great time of year! Did you ever wonder how the tradition started? Halloween actually traces back to Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the start of winter. The Celts believed that on this very night, the boundary between the living and dead blurred. To ward off harmful spirits people lit bonfires and wore masks and costumes. The Irish and Scottish brought these customs to North America and eventually communities started organizing trick-or-treating in the 1920’s and 1930’s as a way to celebrate instead of causing trouble.
Some of us decorate our homes, we might attend Halloween parties, or our children might dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Most of us want to have fun and participate, but we can all relate to the question of candy and how to manage how much sugar intake our children have during this time of year.
Here are some ideas for managing candy while keeping the experience fun and exciting.
- Organize- make a game out of sorting their candy by type, size or color. Let them decide what to keep and what to share.
- Donate- Involve your kids in donating excess candy to local charities or programs. It’s always good to give back.
- Set candy limits- Let your kids choose a specific number of pieces each day (maybe 2-3) from their stash.
- Trade candy for rewards- Offer your children rewards in exchange for pieces of their candy (like stickers, books, toys, or maybe a small deposit to their savings account or piggy bank). Just make sure that the rewards are items that you know your child would enjoy.
- Use candy for fun activities- Use candy to build fun crafts like jewelry (candy bracelets or necklaces), or to build structures like a house or building. You can also turn the candy into a learning opportunity with science experiments like dissolving candy in water to see how quickly it melts and what color it turns into, or what texture it becomes.
- Balance the focus of candy with other Halloween activities-organize themed games like scavenger hunts or costume contests. Have healthy snacks available before, during or after trick-or-treating to reduce consumption and cravings for processed sugar.
Remember too, to stay in communication with your kids if you are not with them during trick-or-treating. Meet their friends that they are trick-or-treating with, and the parents as well. Make sure they have something bright they are wearing or with them, so they stand out when crossing the street or where cars might be passing. Talk ahead of time about where they will be trick-or-treating, and set a curfew so you know when they’ll be home. Managing candy is key, we just want to note that we understand safety is important as well.
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