Halloween is a time of year that can be a bit difficult for the natural-minded parent. I avoid giving my children food with additives such as artificial food dyes and high fructose corn syrup all year long. While I don’t have a problem with sweets in general, I certainly don’t want my children to consume candy that contains unnatural ingredients and refined sugar.
Trick-or-treating is discussed each year on the natural parenting boards. Some parents let their children trick-or-treat as usual, pulling out the “bad” stuff and replacing it with more natural alternatives like organic chocolate and raisins. Others actually make a trade with the child for the candy and offer a new toy instead. A few parents take their children on an extra special family outing and skip it altogether. My husband and I have fond memories of trick-or-treating, so we allow it but trade as necessary when we get home. I explain to my son that certain candies have additives in them that aren’t good for him, and I replace those with similar items that are made with natural ingredients.
In our case, it is particularly important to make the exchange since we follow the Feingold Diet. Consuming artificial food dyes or high fructose corn syrup can affect my son’s behavior for days, so that’s a chance I’m not willing to take. However, I think I’d still trade out his candy even if his behavior was unaffected by these ingredients because I just don’t believe they’re good for growing bodies. Therefore, I plan to buy natural gummy worms as well as organic milk chocolate to pass out to the children who visit our home on Halloween. They may not recognize the brands, but I know they’ll enjoy the candy!
I hope to start a new tradition for our family this year by making organic spiced apple cider as well as homemade roasted pumpkin seeds. Normally, we just toss the seeds, but visiting Earthy Family's Halloween Page has inspired me to rinse, dry, and bake them with the kids. I think we might also try the Devil's Food Spider Cupcakes from the Wild Oats website. They look like a lot of fun.
If you’re planning to provide your children with natural treats this year, now is the time to plan and order online. Your local health food store may also have some good alternatives to conventional sweets, but you‘d better get there soon since supplies may be limited. Please check the related links for more ways to help your children have a blast this year without exposing them to additives and refined sugar. Happy Halloween!
