10 Wicked Ideas for a Healthier Halloween

All Treats and No Tricks:

10 Wicked Ideas for a Healthier Halloween

By Crave Health Intern, Sarah Altvater

It’s that time of the year again. Supermarket and drugstore aisles are flooded with sugary sweets in preparation for the scariest holiday of the year: Halloween. But it’s not just the temporary invasion of witches, ghosts, and goblins that makes Halloween a freaky time. The link between excess calorie consumption, obesity, and type 2 diabetes is a frightening fact (1). As the prevalence of these conditions in children continues to increase (2, 3), it’s hard to feel good about distributing empty calorie snacks to every kid in the neighborhood on October 31st.

With these concerns in mind we scoured the stores to locate some healthier candy and candy alternatives for trick-or-treat giveaways.

We used the following guidelines to use in the search for our top ten treat picks:

• Dark chocolate. Numerous studies show that polyphenols in dark chocolate are beneficial for cardiovascular health (4). A higher cocoa percentage correlates to a higher concentration of these antioxidants; the higher the cocoa percentage, the better.

*My fav is the 70% dark or darker - more antioxidants! -Ashley

• No High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Cane sugar and other more natural, less processed sweeteners like evaporated cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, honey, maple syrup, molasses, and brown rice syrup are more desirable.

• Natural colors and/or flavors. Avoiding artificial ingredients is always a good idea. Natural color substances include spices like turmeric and vegetable and fruit juices like black carrot, beet, and currant. Examples of natural flavors include lemon peel and oil of wintergreen.

• “Real food” ingredients. Treats with fruit, nuts, seeds, and/or whole grains like oats and brown rice get a nutritional boost from the fiber, healthy fats, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. The soluble fiber in fruit and oats, plus the protein and fat in nuts actually helps slow down the rate at which sugar enter the bloodstream, preventing sugar “highs” and “lows,” which can be of benefit, especially on Halloween night.

With all this in mind, here are our top ten treat ideas for Halloween 2011. We’re confident all of these items will make your house the hit of the block:

1. Endangered Species chocolate. Kids will love the taste of these heart-healthy dark chocolate squares and, as an added bonus, 10% of the net profits go to a good cause. $6.99 for 20 individually wrapped squares; available at Whole Foods Market

2. Disney Character Playing Cards. Treats don’t have to be sweet, but they do have to be fun! These adorable playing cards featuring the most popular Disney movie characters will do the trick. Available at Costco.

3. Yummy Earth Organic Gummy Bears. These bears aren’t as nutritionally lacking as other gummies as they’re sweetened with real fruit extracts and contain no artificial colors. yummyearth.com; $5.99 for 30 individual packs; available at Whole Foods Market.

4. Organic Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats. Unlike the conventional puffed rice treats which contain nutrient-void white rice and HFCS, these bars contain whole grain brown rice and are sweetened with brown rice syrup and evaporated cane juice. $2.99 for 5 individually wrapped bars; available at Trader Joe’s.

5. 100-Calorie 70% Dark Chocolate Bars. One of these bars is a great small portion alternative to a full size candy bar. $2.99 for a 5 individually wrapped bars; available at Trader Joe’s.

6. Archer Farms Wild Berry Real Fruit Strips. The first ingredient is real organic fruit and the berry color is from carrot and blueberry juices. $5.99 for 24 individually wrapped strips; available at Target.

7. Halloween-themed School Supplies. Kids can put these fun pencils, erasers, and notepads to good use at school and will have fun showing them off in class the next morning. $1.00 for each package or pencils, erasers, and/or notepads; available at Target.

8. Erin Baker’s The Original Breakfast Cookie Minis (Peanut Butter). The whole grain oats and prune puree give this healthier cookie 2 grams fiber while the peanut butter adds to the 3 grams of protein to each one. $3.35 for eight individually wrapped cookies; available at PCC Markets.

9. Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut Fruit and Grain Bar. This crunchy, high fiber granola bar has a layer of dark chocolate that makes it taste like a candy bar. $3.98 for eight individually wrapped bars; available at Fred Meyer.

10. Play-Doh Fun-sized Cans. Around since the 1950’s, it’s still a blast to play with. $6.99 for 20 mini canisters; available at Fred Meyer.

We wish you a safe, happy, and healthy Halloween and welcome any questions, comments, or concerns you may have about the information in this article.

One last thing: if you’re wondering what to do with leftover Halloween candy, you might be able to bring it to your local dentist’s office and score some loot. Information about the “Halloween Candy Buy Back” program can be found here: http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/ Enter your zip code in the upper right-hand corner to find a participating dentist.

Sarah

References:

1. Mahan LK, Escott-Stump S. Krause’s Food & Nutrition Therapy. 12th ed. St. Louis, MO: Saunders; 2008: 236

2. Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health. Childhood Obesity Facts. CDC Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm. Updated September 15, 2011. Accessed September 24, 2011.

3. Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Diabetes Translation. Diabetes Facts Page. CDC Web site. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/projects/cda2.htm. Updated May 20, 2011. Accessed September24, 2011.

4. Corti, R, Flammer AJ, Hollenberg NK, et al. Cocoa and Cardiovascular Health. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2009;119(10);1433-1441.

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7 Bone Health Facts (Guest Post)

Flaunting that killing look all through the year will never be a possibility if you do not take care of your health. After all, good health is fundamental to looking beautiful.

Osteoporosis is one of the most common diseases faced by aging women nowadays, though men may also have it is found to be more rampant in women. Though this bone disease affects older people, it is what your diet that you take when you are young that determines your future.

Begin eating foods rich in Vitamin D and calcium to ensure that you age only externally with no signs of this dreaded disease. Be physically active and be informed. Read on to know more facts about osteoporosis that you may not have known before.

1. When you reach your 30s, you bones begin to lose density. The process is slow but gains momentum when you reach menopause. Your life from 30s to 60s will see a rapid loss in bone mass and will slow down again after you reach the ripe age of 60.
2. However, you can prevent this loss by eating food rich in Vitamin D and Calcium. Milk, soybean and green leafy vegetables are good sources of these. Remember that though you need calcium for strong bones, you body will not be able to absorb it unless it gets a supply of Vitamin D. Maintain an optimum body weight and good health.
3. Though loss of bone mass decreases after 60, your body needs a lot of Vitamin D after 70. You can get this from Vitamin D supplements and sunshine.
4. In women, irregular periods are one of the major causes of osteoporosis. This can happen in younger women too. Therefore, if you have irregular periods, get treatment immediately for a healthy future.
5. Being physically active is another way to keep your bones stronger. Include brisk walking and other exercises in your life.
6. It is a common belief that osteoporosis is a part of the aging process but this is a myth. If you lead a healthy lifestyle when you are young, you can prevent this disease. Avoid alcohol, take a healthy diet and include vitamin D and Calcium, make exercise a part of your life and get a lot of sunshine for strong bones. You will surely beat the disease.
7. It is the loss of bone mass that makes older women look as if they are shrinking. The human body cannot shrink but reduction in bone density can make you look tiny and as if you will collapse anytime.

Osteoporosis affects bone density and the bones can crack or break any time. When it begins to heal, you must take precautions to ensure that the healing is complete. A little care will go a long way in ensuring a strong future.

Brenda Lyttle is a health expert who began writing for publications in her community in 2005 and now commands an authority in writing on healthy living, fitness, and anti-aging related topics. She is also a strong believer of the goodness of 

a popular HGH supplement, but insists that exercising can never be replaced by any supplement whatsoever

.

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