My heart sank when I saw this. The funny thing is, I feel like I was the outcast and the only one who noticed the absurdity of the crates of candy almost reaching the ceiling.
All I could think was, all of this candy will be bought and consumed. All of it. And this is only one of the many warehouse stores in America. This stuff is lined up in every conventional grocery store in America.
Before I dive into this post, I want to say all of my posts are coming from the place I have arrived at through my journey so far. I am not perfect and am learning right along with everyone. AND, I often learn by mistake. I have made lots of them! It has taken me years to get where I am and I am not done yet. Because of my mistakes, I truly do not judge. I believe we are all on a path, learning as we go what works for us and our families. If this resonates with you, awesome! If not, that’s okay – I respect where you are coming from and hope you can respect where I am at as well.
This is where I am…
Halloween holds many fond memories for me. I loved dressing up. I did! My 4 year old especially loves it, and in fact often asks if he can wear his costume many days throughout the year.
It was so fun to go out with my sisters, door to door hearing what others thought of our costumes as well as finding out what candy that house was giving away. The fun really began when we got home to eat it (after mom inspected it :)). What else stands out? The days of belly aches from the sugar overload.
Yet now, it seems there is not only Halloween night (which I do let my kids partake in – more on that below) but also events leading up to the big night like trick-or-treat street at the local rec centers, boo at the zoo, and others. Candy is being dished out at all of these events. Our schools and offices have more of it leading up to the big day… it’s everywhere. I call it the ‘sugar trap’ and wrote about that here for LiveWell Colorado.
Where does it stop? Where?
Are we awake to what’s happening to our waistlines and our children’s? According to LiveWell Colorado – one in four children in Colorado alone is overweight or obese – 1 in 4! In the U.S., according to the Food Research and Action Center, 68.5% of adults are overweight or obese, 34.9% are overweight.
Is Halloween to blame? The way I see it, Yes and No.
No because one day is not impacting our waistlines. BUT unfortunately, it is not just one day. It has become a month or more of this candy being in the stores tempting us. No, it’s not to blame because it is a choice. A choice we all make when we let multiple bags of this candy into our homes, schools and offices.
Yes, it is to blame in some ways because of the way it is built up. How dare anyone change tradition and what’s always been done? Our hearts are tugged on to create fond memories for our kids, so many of us succumb, rather than stand up to the ‘norm’. I know we can still create incredible memories, without all the junk.
Yes, it or more like it, BIG food companies are to blame. These companies are making BIG money on the fattening up of America and all the impacts that has on our health. Does BIG food influence our choices? Yes. Do we have a say? Heck yes! The choices we make affects us, our kids and the health and future of this great nation.
I won’t even dive into the chemical storm that these candies basically are. That is a whole other post.
Here is what I am offering up.
A few simple solutions:
- Buy one less bag this year.
- Hand out something different this year:
- Candy without high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and refined sugars, dyes, and other chemicals – UNREAL, Organic Raisins, Angie’s popcorn
- Small toys from the Dollar Store – if you do this, put a Teal Pumpkin out for kiddos with allergies so they know your door is a safe place to stop 🙂
- Visit a buy back or create your own!
- The Great Harvest Pumpkin or Switch Witch could visit the night of Halloween while the kids are asleep and take all the candy in place of something they have been wishing for.
- Visit a local organization that is buying back the candy – like LiveWell Colorado. More info here for Coloradans on various places to do this as well as other tips.
Lastly, I want to leave you with this…
We are typically the ones who decide what is bought and what comes into our homes and into our children’s bodies. What change will you make this year?
My kids will trick-or-treat. It will be loads of fun and memories will begin to grow. And, they will come home with the candy I loath. But, here is the thing. I know that part of this process has to be learned by them. So that night, I will take my ‘expert hat’ off, knowing in their choices lies the lesson. Since they don’t eat this type of ‘sweet treat’ that often, their bodies will tell them how it makes them feel. I will probably hear later, that they don’t feel so good. That’s how I learned and that is how many of us learn. And it’s okay. In fact, I would venture to say that it’s good. It teaches us that we need to listen to our bodies more. Listen to how the foods we choose affect how we feel. It teaches us to be more aware, and start to reclaim our health through the choices we make.
Love to you all,
Sarah
