It’s my favorite time of year! I absolutely love everything about the fall but especially Halloween and the Day of the Dead. We actually greet the first day of October by saying “Happy Spooktober” to friends and family! Unfortunately, we have all been brainwashed by commerce into giving horrific, sugary treats to trick-or-treating children. But, it’s ok because it’s only Halloween, right? Problem is that it’s not just at Halloween. They get a stash at Halloween, another stash in December, another for Valentine’s Day, and yet another for Spring. Plus, candy used to be as a treat and now kids eat it all the time (and some adults, too because it’s so addictive and easy to get). I remember holding onto my kids’ Halloween/Christmas/Valentine’s/Easter candy and just letting them have a few pieces at a time when they were little but when they got older? Heck, I’d come away with a bloody stump if I tried to take away their stash.
In the way back past, these things were not an issue. Factory food making didn’t necessarily exist to the scope of where it is now. People made their own treats to hand out. But, I don’t think we can get society to accept that we should go back to the old fashioned treats of homemade origins that were the backbone of the “trick-or-treat” tradition. There are way too many urban legends and myths involving this night of fun that people still believe.
I started considering my treat giving options this year way more closely as I walked past the aisles of huge bags of high fructose, chemical-laden fake foods being marketed as “candy”. Unfortunately, this is the stuff most kids want but, can I hand this stuff out in good conscience? It’s been a dilemma for me every year but this year, I’m going to do something different. I’m not one usually on-board with that treacherous m-word (moderation) but maybe I can hand out both a little of what the kids want and some stuff that has less of the crap. Who knows? Maybe 1 out of 20 kids will find something that they like that’s less poisonous to their health. (I know I’m being way too hopeful because those mainstream treats are addictive as hell but I can still try.)
So, I headed to Amazon (don’t judge me, LOL). My guidelines were to keep the sugar content below 20g per serving and try to keep the chemical additives to a minimum. The first thing that I virtually threw into my cart was “Kathy Kaye Halloween Popcorn Balls” – who doesn’t like popcorn?!? And, this is such as throw-back that I may even call it “retro”.
The next item that I tossed in was “YumEarth Naturals Gummy Bears” and “YumEarth Naturals Lollipops”.
“Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Kisses” was a surprise. Not the healthiest of the bunch but it wasn’t horrible and fit into my criteria.
“Enjoy Life Halloween Chocolate Candy Minis Variety Pack” was a nice choice as well and I will hold onto these if I see a child trick-or-treating with food senstivities or allergies because they are a bit pricey.
The “Russell Stover Dark Chocolate Marshmallow Pumpkins” was the next item that I found.
Who doesn’t love graham crackers, right? So I added “Annie’s Halloween Bunny Whole Grain Graham Snacks”.
Let’s get some more saltiness crunch in the mix by buying “Garden Veggie Chips Halloween Treat Bags – Shapes of Ghosts & Bats”.
Hart Health 