Happy Halloween?

I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with Halloween!  I love costumes and being a part of a community wide celebration.  It reminds me of cultural festivals we don’t have in North America where people pour into the streets to celebrate being alive and being together.  Yet, Halloween also represents mass purchasing of food we know poisons us.  And we do this because we LOVE our children.  It puts the tricky into Trick or Treat!  I sometimes feel like the Halloween Grinch.

Click here to read an interesting take on how we look at food.  “When did fruit become a trick?”

 

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff from the University of Ottawa writes an interesting blog about obesity.  He also addresses how BIG FOOD companies are using sophisticated advertising strategies to get into our shopping carts.  It helps me make better decisions when I recognize how I am being coerced to follow unhealthy patterns with my young children.  This blog post, You’re a bad parent if you don’t feed your kids chocolate is informative.

To visit his blog, click here  Dr. Yoni Feedhoff.

Having said all that, I’m still headed out trick of treating tonight. Until I find something to replace the excitement of wandering the streets at night, freezing and gathering candy, we’re still hooked.  Happy Halloween!

Here are some strategies to limit the candy our kids eat!