Ah, the sights and smells of autumn are soon approaching: potted mums in colorful array, orange, reds, yellows and browns, and later, costumed children running from door to door, excitedly garnering as much “loot” as their pumpkin buckets will hold. I recall my childhood memories of chowing down on loot, stuffing as much into my mouth as fast as I could chew.
Thirty-two years later as a mother of two children – and one with special-needs - I see those colorful, attractive “treats” much differently now. Knowing what they do to the human body makes them the opposite of attractive for me. This Halloween, instead of handing out candy to the children of my fellow military families, I’m going to look for fun alternatives, and encourage others to do the same. There are much better options out there, and creative folks could go nuts with fun, safe alternatives: stickers, pencils, Halloween party favors, just to name a few. (All alternatives and ideas are listed at the bottom of this article).
“What’s Halloween without candy?! You sound paranoid and extreme,” you may be thinking. As stores have already geared up for candy sales, I will gladly share with you a few facts without lecturing. Years of searching for answers for the health of my autistic child have forced me to learn - from health experts who are changing lives – why what you put in your mouth really does matter. My intent here is not to spoil fun for people but instead perhaps gird them with knowledge and hopefully provide them with better alternatives. So let’s take a look at candy in general and break down what it really is.
Thirty-two years later as a mother of two children – and one with special-needs - I see those colorful, attractive “treats” much differently now. Knowing what they do to the human body makes them the opposite of attractive for me. This Halloween, instead of handing out candy to the children of my fellow military families, I’m going to look for fun alternatives, and encourage others to do the same. There are much better options out there, and creative folks could go nuts with fun, safe alternatives: stickers, pencils, Halloween party favors, just to name a few. (All alternatives and ideas are listed at the bottom of this article).
“What’s Halloween without candy?! You sound paranoid and extreme,” you may be thinking. As stores have already geared up for candy sales, I will gladly share with you a few facts without lecturing. Years of searching for answers for the health of my autistic child have forced me to learn - from health experts who are changing lives – why what you put in your mouth really does matter. My intent here is not to spoil fun for people but instead perhaps gird them with knowledge and hopefully provide them with better alternatives. So let’s take a look at candy in general and break down what it really is.
Refined, White Sugar. It certainly isn’t cavities that I’m concerned about – that’s the least of worries. Candy is heavily comprised of sugar. Well of course, so what’s the big deal? For one thing, sugar suppresses the immune system in too many ways to count. One well-known result of sugar-induced immune suppression is that it causes many - and feeds all – cancers; this can be observed beneath a microscope as cancer cells aggressively attack sugar.
Most sugar is genetically modified; we know that GMO’s not only cause cancer and birth defects, but are also triggering new diseases.
Approximately eighteen million Americans are on anti-depressants for mood disorders, much due to our over-consumption of sugar. Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., details these facts in several of her books; you may have seen her list “141 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.” From mood swings to addictions to behavioral issues, there is no place for refined sugars in our diet. Store-bought candy isn’t a “snack”, it actually poisons both body and brain. It should be viewed, I daresay, as “poison”.
Food Coloring and Corn Syrup: Candy is almost always accompanied by food coloring and/or sugar’s “evil twin” high fructose corn syrup. Food coloring has been linked to leukemia, allergies, and behavior problems in children. The development of non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver due to frequent ingestion of sodas has been observed in some older children. Sodas are heavily sweetened with corn syrup.
Furthermore, research conducted in the 1930’s already showed the downward decline of American health, partly due to over-consumption of sugars. In searching for an answer to cavities in his patients, one of the greatest health researchers of the 20th century, Dr. Weston A. Price, produced some of the most compelling, scientific evidence reflecting the direct impact of nutrition on health, recorded in his book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”. Dr. Price, a dentist, studied primitive, isolated tribes, comparing them to post-industrialized peoples like Americans. In an excerpt from his book, he indicates:
Most sugar is genetically modified; we know that GMO’s not only cause cancer and birth defects, but are also triggering new diseases.
Approximately eighteen million Americans are on anti-depressants for mood disorders, much due to our over-consumption of sugar. Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., details these facts in several of her books; you may have seen her list “141 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.” From mood swings to addictions to behavioral issues, there is no place for refined sugars in our diet. Store-bought candy isn’t a “snack”, it actually poisons both body and brain. It should be viewed, I daresay, as “poison”.
Food Coloring and Corn Syrup: Candy is almost always accompanied by food coloring and/or sugar’s “evil twin” high fructose corn syrup. Food coloring has been linked to leukemia, allergies, and behavior problems in children. The development of non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver due to frequent ingestion of sodas has been observed in some older children. Sodas are heavily sweetened with corn syrup.
Furthermore, research conducted in the 1930’s already showed the downward decline of American health, partly due to over-consumption of sugars. In searching for an answer to cavities in his patients, one of the greatest health researchers of the 20th century, Dr. Weston A. Price, produced some of the most compelling, scientific evidence reflecting the direct impact of nutrition on health, recorded in his book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration”. Dr. Price, a dentist, studied primitive, isolated tribes, comparing them to post-industrialized peoples like Americans. In an excerpt from his book, he indicates:
"These primitives with their fine bodies, homogeneous reproduction, emotional stability and freedom from degenerative ills stand forth in sharp contrast to those subsisting on the impoverished foods of civilization - sugar, white flour, pasteurized milk and convenience foods filled with extenders and additives.”
My own sugar addiction of course began in childhood as I was given juice at a very early age, and unknowingly became “dependent” upon sugar up through adulthood. Part of my email address acknowledges this addiction as I was very interested in consuming little bags of fruit snacks every day for a month during one of my splurges.
Again, my goal in informing you is not to squelch your child’s fun, but to improve the quality of their fun. It’s no secret that our beloved country has a national health crisis: diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, allergies, cancer, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, Autism, ADD/ADHD, ad infinitum. Prevention and the turning around of most chronic illnesses always begins with a foundation of the consumption of nutrient-dense foods. Many changes need to be made to our daily diets and the way we think about food in order to accomplish this. So from one parent to another, here’s one step towards that goal.
For further information and resources, click HERE for my website page on sugar.
Again, my goal in informing you is not to squelch your child’s fun, but to improve the quality of their fun. It’s no secret that our beloved country has a national health crisis: diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, allergies, cancer, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, Autism, ADD/ADHD, ad infinitum. Prevention and the turning around of most chronic illnesses always begins with a foundation of the consumption of nutrient-dense foods. Many changes need to be made to our daily diets and the way we think about food in order to accomplish this. So from one parent to another, here’s one step towards that goal.
For further information and resources, click HERE for my website page on sugar.
Alternative Ideas For Halloween:
This is a 720-piece package candy alternative purchased on Amazon for only $24, which will last 2-3 Halloween seasons.