by Dr. Jeremy Fritz
Costumes, haunted houses, jack o’lanterns and of course candy – all the necessities for a great Halloween. Here are some tips to make it a healthy one too!
1. Pick play makeup carefully. Many children like to wear colorful cosmetics as part of their costumes. If they do, make sure they're using safer products and applying them as directed. Visit cosmeticsdatabase.com to look up your products and find safer ones.
Kids should avoid:
* Face paints can contain lead, which can impair brain development at extremely low doses, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis. Learn more here.
* Lipstick can also contain hidden lead. Because little ones tend to eat almost as much as they put on their lips, it's best to avoid lipstick all together. Opt instead for a shiny, beeswax-based lip balm. You can find some on Amazon.
* Nail polish often contains dibutyl phthalate and toluene, chemicals linked to hormone disruption and cancer. You can find safer nail polishes on Skin Deep.
* Cosmetics in powder form can easily be inhaled. Depending on the particle size, the powder can lodge in children's nasal passages and even lungs -- where it may cause damage.
* Fragranced products Read ingredient labels and avoid products listing "fragrance" -- EWG research found that fragrances may contain allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals. Learn more in our short video.
2. Skip the (colored) hairspray. Many hairsprays contain toxic chemicals and fragrance. Kids can easily breathe in sprays. Instead, find a great hat or wig at a second-hand store; or create a great hair-do with ribbons, barrettes and safer, non-spray hair products.
3. Burn more eco-friendly candles -- if at all. Candles can give off toxic compounds. Choose fragrance-free candles made from bee, palm or soy wax. Traditional paraffin-wax candles are made from petroleum by-products. Order your eco-friendly candles.
4. Don't wear synthetic facemasks or teeth. Masks and fake teeth are made from a variety of synthetic materials that aren't always labeled. Plastics may be softened with endocrine-disrupting phthalates. Rather than covering your head with unknown, possibly toxic materials, make your own mask from simple materials or try a half-face, masquerade-style mask instead.
5. Offer treats that you would like your kids to receive. Hand out items that have fewer, more natural ingredients. Click here and here for more tips on choosing Halloween treats.
6. Create a low-impact costume. Rather than buying a new costume, get creative with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop or from friends. Consider a costume swap at school or among friends. Click here to learn more about hosting your own swap.
7. If you are going to a party or planning a quick meal, skip the single-use dinnerware. Choose a more sustainable option, like compostable products. Click here to find compostable dinnerware on Amazon.
8. Decorate naturally. Pick up pumpkins, gourds and hay bales from a local farm to create a haunting scene and reuse decorations from year to year.
How Much Do Americans Spend on Halloween?
Every year, usually between gooey mouthfuls of sweets, I find myself lamenting that the concept of putting “Halloween” and “healthy” together doesn’t seem to garnish enough interest. The most popular focus of Halloween definitely seems to be the spooky factor, and yet sugar finds its way into everything. For example, take even a quick look at Halloween recipes available (online or in magazines/books), and you will find all manner of creepy looking creations; witch’s fingers, worm-ridden dirt cups, bleeding Jello hearts, kitty litter cakes, etc. (Many of those “recipes” are nothing more than covering a pre-prepared sweet with pre-prepared frosting or meltable chocolate, but I’ll save that topic for another post.) Finding one of those recipes that isn’t made of 90% junk ingredients is a lot more difficult. People want to have their freaky Halloween foods, but the resources to help us make those recipes a bit more healthy can be difficult to find. We all want to eat and feel better, but don’t want to compromise very much on taste. As the owner of a sweet tooth (or rather, a whole mouthful of them), I totally relate. Americans typically spend $5.8 billion on Halloween celebrations. That's $66 for average American, including $20.29 for candy. Approximately $1.78 billion of candy is given to children on Halloween.
Laura Buxenbaum, a nutrition expert with the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, shares tips on how to have a healthy Halloween.
Tips
Share your sweets
No matter how hard you try, there’s sure to be an overload of candy for most Trick or Treaters. Talk to your children in advance about sharing extra edibles. Identify a couple of “favorites” and separate those from the rest of the candy. Agree to give-away what’s left by adding them to your next food pantry donation.
A little goes a long way
Separate packages of round, candy-coated pieces (M&Ms or Reese Pieces, for instance) and use them in a trail mix made of whole-grain oat cereal Os, pretzels and raisins. Stash the rest of the candy to enjoy later.
Tasty treats
Not-so-Goulish Goodies A better bag of treats begins at home. Try offering healthier food and non-food alternatives when your doorbell rings:
* Flavored-milk
* String cheese and bagged pretzels
* Hot cocoa mix
* Microwave popcorn
* Trail mix
* Teddy-bear shaped, graham cookies
* Crispy rice treats
* Silly Bandz
* Flavored, sugar-free bubble gum
* Crayons
* Sidewalk chalk
* Stickers
* Bubbles
* Glow-in-the-dark bracelets
* Tattoos
Creative Caramel Apples
Homemade goodies are no-no’s for many neighborhoods, so give away the goods for little goblins to make them at home: small apples, craft sticks and caramels.
Better Bones Brew
To break the chill of a typical Halloween night, serve a “bewitched” version of hot chocolate: hot chocolate made with chocolate milk powder, low-fat milk and green food coloring. Keep warm in a slow-cooker, and top with marshmallow “ghosts” after the trick or treating is complete.
Allergen Free Halloween Candy
Strawberry Hill
-Organic Jack O Lantern, Ghost, Bat and Brain Lollipops
-Allergy Friendly Halloween Candy Coffin
-Natural Candy Trick or Treat Mix
* Surf Sweets Sour Worms Singles (approx. 20 packs)
* Our exclusive mix of YummyEarth Organic Lollipops in 7 flavors (approx. 68 lollipops)
* Mini Glee Gum Mix in 4 flavors (approx. 20 packs)
-Gummi Worms-organic
-Sweet n Sour Gummi Worms
-Enjoy Life Choco Boom Bar
-Jelly Beans, Candy Tarts, Candy Bars, Etc.
All found at: www.naturalcandystore.com
Hope you have a safe and fun Halloween.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeremy Fritz
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
Costumes, haunted houses, jack o’lanterns and of course candy – all the necessities for a great Halloween. Here are some tips to make it a healthy one too!
1. Pick play makeup carefully. Many children like to wear colorful cosmetics as part of their costumes. If they do, make sure they're using safer products and applying them as directed. Visit cosmeticsdatabase.com to look up your products and find safer ones.
Kids should avoid:
* Face paints can contain lead, which can impair brain development at extremely low doses, as well as nickel, cobalt and chromium, which can cause skin sensitization and contact dermatitis. Learn more here.
* Lipstick can also contain hidden lead. Because little ones tend to eat almost as much as they put on their lips, it's best to avoid lipstick all together. Opt instead for a shiny, beeswax-based lip balm. You can find some on Amazon.
* Nail polish often contains dibutyl phthalate and toluene, chemicals linked to hormone disruption and cancer. You can find safer nail polishes on Skin Deep.
* Cosmetics in powder form can easily be inhaled. Depending on the particle size, the powder can lodge in children's nasal passages and even lungs -- where it may cause damage.
* Fragranced products Read ingredient labels and avoid products listing "fragrance" -- EWG research found that fragrances may contain allergens or hormone-disrupting chemicals. Learn more in our short video.
2. Skip the (colored) hairspray. Many hairsprays contain toxic chemicals and fragrance. Kids can easily breathe in sprays. Instead, find a great hat or wig at a second-hand store; or create a great hair-do with ribbons, barrettes and safer, non-spray hair products.
3. Burn more eco-friendly candles -- if at all. Candles can give off toxic compounds. Choose fragrance-free candles made from bee, palm or soy wax. Traditional paraffin-wax candles are made from petroleum by-products. Order your eco-friendly candles.
4. Don't wear synthetic facemasks or teeth. Masks and fake teeth are made from a variety of synthetic materials that aren't always labeled. Plastics may be softened with endocrine-disrupting phthalates. Rather than covering your head with unknown, possibly toxic materials, make your own mask from simple materials or try a half-face, masquerade-style mask instead.
5. Offer treats that you would like your kids to receive. Hand out items that have fewer, more natural ingredients. Click here and here for more tips on choosing Halloween treats.
6. Create a low-impact costume. Rather than buying a new costume, get creative with items you already own or can get used at a local resale shop or from friends. Consider a costume swap at school or among friends. Click here to learn more about hosting your own swap.
7. If you are going to a party or planning a quick meal, skip the single-use dinnerware. Choose a more sustainable option, like compostable products. Click here to find compostable dinnerware on Amazon.
8. Decorate naturally. Pick up pumpkins, gourds and hay bales from a local farm to create a haunting scene and reuse decorations from year to year.
How Much Do Americans Spend on Halloween?
Every year, usually between gooey mouthfuls of sweets, I find myself lamenting that the concept of putting “Halloween” and “healthy” together doesn’t seem to garnish enough interest. The most popular focus of Halloween definitely seems to be the spooky factor, and yet sugar finds its way into everything. For example, take even a quick look at Halloween recipes available (online or in magazines/books), and you will find all manner of creepy looking creations; witch’s fingers, worm-ridden dirt cups, bleeding Jello hearts, kitty litter cakes, etc. (Many of those “recipes” are nothing more than covering a pre-prepared sweet with pre-prepared frosting or meltable chocolate, but I’ll save that topic for another post.) Finding one of those recipes that isn’t made of 90% junk ingredients is a lot more difficult. People want to have their freaky Halloween foods, but the resources to help us make those recipes a bit more healthy can be difficult to find. We all want to eat and feel better, but don’t want to compromise very much on taste. As the owner of a sweet tooth (or rather, a whole mouthful of them), I totally relate. Americans typically spend $5.8 billion on Halloween celebrations. That's $66 for average American, including $20.29 for candy. Approximately $1.78 billion of candy is given to children on Halloween.
Laura Buxenbaum, a nutrition expert with the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, shares tips on how to have a healthy Halloween.
Tips
Share your sweets
No matter how hard you try, there’s sure to be an overload of candy for most Trick or Treaters. Talk to your children in advance about sharing extra edibles. Identify a couple of “favorites” and separate those from the rest of the candy. Agree to give-away what’s left by adding them to your next food pantry donation.
A little goes a long way
Separate packages of round, candy-coated pieces (M&Ms or Reese Pieces, for instance) and use them in a trail mix made of whole-grain oat cereal Os, pretzels and raisins. Stash the rest of the candy to enjoy later.
Tasty treats
Not-so-Goulish Goodies A better bag of treats begins at home. Try offering healthier food and non-food alternatives when your doorbell rings:
* Flavored-milk
* String cheese and bagged pretzels
* Hot cocoa mix
* Microwave popcorn
* Trail mix
* Teddy-bear shaped, graham cookies
* Crispy rice treats
* Silly Bandz
* Flavored, sugar-free bubble gum
* Crayons
* Sidewalk chalk
* Stickers
* Bubbles
* Glow-in-the-dark bracelets
* Tattoos
Creative Caramel Apples
Homemade goodies are no-no’s for many neighborhoods, so give away the goods for little goblins to make them at home: small apples, craft sticks and caramels.
Better Bones Brew
To break the chill of a typical Halloween night, serve a “bewitched” version of hot chocolate: hot chocolate made with chocolate milk powder, low-fat milk and green food coloring. Keep warm in a slow-cooker, and top with marshmallow “ghosts” after the trick or treating is complete.
Allergen Free Halloween Candy
Strawberry Hill
-Organic Jack O Lantern, Ghost, Bat and Brain Lollipops
-Allergy Friendly Halloween Candy Coffin
-Natural Candy Trick or Treat Mix
* Surf Sweets Sour Worms Singles (approx. 20 packs)
* Our exclusive mix of YummyEarth Organic Lollipops in 7 flavors (approx. 68 lollipops)
* Mini Glee Gum Mix in 4 flavors (approx. 20 packs)
-Gummi Worms-organic
-Sweet n Sour Gummi Worms
-Enjoy Life Choco Boom Bar
-Jelly Beans, Candy Tarts, Candy Bars, Etc.
All found at: www.naturalcandystore.com
Hope you have a safe and fun Halloween.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jeremy Fritz
Dr. Jeremy Fritz is a board eligible Chiropractic Neurologist with the American Chiropractic Neurology Board, certified as a Clinical Nutritionist by the International and American Associations of Clinical Nutrition, and functional medicine practitioner with an emphasis on Childhood Neurobehavioral and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Fritz is also the Executive Director of the Brain Balance Achievement Centers of Vernon Hills, IL & Mequon WI.
The Brain Balance Program® is an individualized and comprehensive approach to helping children with neuro-behavioral and learning difficulties surmount their unique challenges. This proprietary, non-medical program has been successful in helping hundreds of children reach their physical, social/behavioral health and academic potential. We work with children who suffer with ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities, Asperger’s and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For more information, please visit www.BrainBalanceCenters.com.
