A candy story about our son Gabe; reposted from the
Be Well Lifestyle Blog
If your house is like any other typical American home, you woke up post-Halloween to piles of candy from last night’s trick-or-treating extravaganza. Your children are thrilled to have scored so much sweet loot, but you are probably feeling rather concerned about it all. You may find yourself wondering, “How can I hide it or limit it and how long will this much candy last?”
I wanted to share a tip that we implement in our home that may help ease some of the post-Halloween candy dilemmas…
First, when it comes to candy, there’s the okay, the bad and the
down-right unacceptable. What I mean, is that some of the candy in those pumpkin
buckets are far worse than others. At our house, we’ve trained our son (Gabe –
age 6) to actually separate his candy into piles. He has an “I want to keep,
because I really like it pile,” a “not as bad for you pile,” and a “must throw
away because it makes my body sick pile.” Yes, at six years old, he initiates
this all by himself. He actually began this routine a few years ago, believe it
or not. Most children are not going to make these types of decisions, unless
they have been trained this way from the beginning. However, the more you can
teach your little ones about what’s good and healthy for them and what’s bad for
them, the greater chance you and they have of developing this type of behavior
and decision making.
For example, Gabe knows that eating foods like broccoli and carrots are good
for him, just like he understands that his body loves it when he drinks lots of
water and takes his Juice Plus+, Probiotics and Omega 3. We have taught him that
those things will help him grow stronger, build muscle, help him be smarter and
that his body LOVES them! On the flip-side, we’ve taught him that foods with too
much sugar, artificial colorings, high fructose corn syrup and other
health-destroying foods make his body sad, sick and he will have to work harder
when it comes to school and learning and other things. Gabe really gets this
concept and embraces it. He may not always love eating the healthy foods and it
doesn’t mean that he doesn’t beg for ice cream, chocolate and want to eat some
of his Halloween candy, but he understands at least that there are consequences
(to health and his body) that he must pay to do so.
So here’s the deal, educate yourself first on which candy is just
downright unacceptable to eat. Some of the worst offenders are candy corn, Dots,
Now and Laters and Laffy Taffy. View the complete list of “Halloween Candy You
Should Avoid” at
http://www.takepart.com/photos/worst-halloween-candy?cmpid=foodinc-fb.
Once you’re educated on what is absolutely toxic to your little ones, you can
begin to educate your children. Explain to them why it’s bad for them and the
consequences for eating toxic substances and chemicals. From there, encourage
them to create their own piles. Sure they are going to LOVE some of the worst
candies, so give a little and let them have a piece of their favorites. Once
they’ve made their piles, encourage them to throw away the bad. This technique
is a win-win for both parents and children. It not only teaches children about
healthier habits, but is also really empowering for them.
