Hallowe'en, The trick is, the treat is bad for you

I hate to ruin your 'fun', but I have to tell you the truth: Hallowe'en is a crime against children. 

This truth you are well aware of, but the forces of society and custom that consider candy as a treat are too great to fight even though you know it is bad for you. We succumb to the lie that sugar is a treat and we reward our children with it, something that can cause hyperactivity, memory loss, weight gain, rotten teeth, less immunity, diabetes and on it goes. Don't you think it's time to reevaluate our reward system?  We are teaching our children, as we have previously been taught, that something so bad for us is seen as a reward of which we want more, more, more. 

‘Hallowe’en’ embodies one of the greatest ironies of our ‘civilized’ culture.  It is a time of year when adults bombard children’s bodies with sugar, perhaps unaware of the damage it’s doing. ‘Hallowe’en’, nonetheless, arrives with great anticipation and glee, as a major ‘treat’ of the year. The costumes add magic to the ritual. But the candy is the ‘coup de gras’ for the kids.  ‘Hollow’s eve’ is one of the few opportunities children have to violate their bodies with not only the consent of society and their parents, but with their full endorsement and encouragement.

Amongst other ailments, sugar stimulates the production of insulin and too much insulin can induce insulin shock.  Sugar depresses the immune system.  How many children get colds or the flu after Hallowe’en?  It behooves parents to sit up and take notice. 

We must keep in mind that children’s bodies are much smaller than ours and the effect of sugar is magnified.  Is it possible to change our thinking and give different things to thrill them? ‘Magic stones’, psychedelic pencils, spider rings, wands from a magician’s den, magic wishing water from a witches’ pond  in the forest in a small little bottle (color it green like kryptonite), a balloon, a trick or a song that they can learn and remember, a beautiful marble, a prize for their costumes, money!! A lock of hair from a doll but really from a witch who lives behind a tree on your front yard!

…anything you can come up with that will capture their imagination is better than candy.

In the 1700’s people ate one kilogram of sugar a year. By the 1800’s, it increased to two kilograms and in the 1900’s to 16 kilograms and in the recent 40 years to around 100 kilograms per person.  Where are we going with this??  One teaspoon of sugar depresses the immune system for 12 hours.  White sugar, White death.

Between 1999 and 2009, diabetes in Canada increased 70% with the largest increase in children ages 9 to 19.  30 million people in North America have diabetes and an undiagnosed 2/3’s are unaware they have it.

Maybe its time we adults redefine the meaning ‘treats’ on Hallowe’en or treats, period.  Maybe it is time to take responsibility and protect our children from that which we try and get them away from the rest of the year!  After all the Trick and Treating is done, parents can buy the candy from the kids, or at least part of it and throw it out. Kids like money too. The magic will still be there!