Nutrition and healthy eating

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• November 7, 2012 3:06 p.m.

  I BELEIVE THE CHILDREN SHOULD BE ABLE TO PICK OUT A FEW PIECES AND THEN BE ABLE TO STORE SOME OF THE REST AND SOME OF THE CANDIES CAN BE USED TO MAKE A THANKSGIVING WREATH AND DIFFERENT CRAFTS FOR SOME OF THE UNWANTED CANDIES

  - TIFFANY

• October 28, 2012 1:56 p.m.

  Because of scares with apples & home-made products, we have taken to giving out nuts & peanuts , all in their shells. Children who are allergic to nuts should not be out on Halloween, as most candies contain them. Even raisins sometimes are coated with vegetable (peanut? seed?) oil, which some kids may be allergic to. We wonder how many kids never ate a nut because of diets full of candy & other sugary, salty, highly processed junk.

  - Guska

• October 24, 2012 1:01 p.m.

  We let our children eat as they wanted on the day after Hallow'een. Then the candy was reserved for dessert time at meals when it could be substituted for whatever I had planned. Usually, my kids preferred the pudding etc. that I had prepared. It varied with the child. Usually by Easter the stuff was forgotten about and was examined one last time and then the few forgotten choice bits removed and the rest thrown out as inedible. With one of our children this immediately triggered a costume planning session for the next Hallow'een. When I was a child we loved the home made stuff but then it was a small town and our parents knew where everything had come from

  - Irene

• October 22, 2012 8:08 a.m.

  When my kids were young I would allow them to eat what they want for 24 hours. After that they would "sell" me their candy. We would then go to the toy store and they could choose a new toy. This way they didn't feel "robbed" and I didn't have to be the Candy Police.

  - Mary

• October 18, 2012 11:08 a.m.

  My daughter trick or treated for UNICEF and as she got older she trick and treated for the local food pantry. I would follow her and her friends with the car and load up the food in the trunk and deliver to the food pantry. It helped that the local newspaper had an article on this so people were prepared and our local Y offered to keep the food until the next day when the food pantry opened up. It was a way for her to go in character as the rest of the kids but yet give to others. Sometimes people would offer her a candy treat.

  - Jan

• October 26, 2011 4:18 p.m.

  I find the articles from the Mayo Clinic interesting and informative. I always appreciate the friendly reminder to include your kids in life's lessons now while they're affordable, rather than when they're expensive (Love & Logic). I like the idea of buying the candy I don't like or freezing it. My kids have their own "bear" container (left over from the Costco animal crackers). All their personal candy goes in it from every event. Right before an upcoming holiday, we clean it out and get rid of all the candy left from the previous holiday so we can start fresh. I have to say that there is usually lots to get rid of, so I'm pretty proud of my kids and their choices. It's always kept in the kitchen and they're allowed one item per day if they choose (which they don't always). When I was a kid, my dad would always go thru and pick out the good stuff, giving us the excuse of "making sure it's all safe." We got wise and hid it after that! LOL Halloween is a fun time for kids & families. Have a happy and safe one everybody!!

  - Elizabeth

• October 26, 2011 11:48 a.m.

  Last couple years I would only allow my son to pick a few candies to eat from his trick or treating. I hid the rest of the candies. This year, I'm planning to let him choose like 10 candies and then... what should I do with the rest? I don't feel right to throw them all away afterwards but yet I feel horrible to give them away to others since they are so unhealthy. Anyone has ideas what to do with the "leftover/unwanted" candies?

  - Kim

• October 25, 2011 1:17 a.m.

  This reading habit of mine took me across a number of tempting and delicious recipes which I am going to prepare for this year's halloween. Uniqueness of these recipes is that they are organic and use natural resources. One is the colored pumpkin fudge, sweet yet healthy, another is pumpkin smoothie that will be a crunchy drink. You can indulge even kids to mold fudge into various scary shapes that they like.

  - HCG diet program

• October 24, 2011 8:04 a.m.

  halloween is a time kids like candy. we should switch to veggies, and it will change their point of view.

  - Victoria

• October 20, 2011 10:09 p.m.

  Furthermore. When I was a kid "treats" did not figure in the equation. Just tricks. Like saving big fire-crackers from July 4th to blow up mailboxes. Or sticking pins in doorbells so that they kept ringing until the homeowner found the pin (if you cut it off it would take a long time to find it), or tipping over things, like in the country tipping over out-houses and in the suburbs (the word didn't exist then) you could usually find something to tip over. We were hateful. Adults hated us. the police hated us. Until W.W. II. Then everybody loved us. Except the Japs and the Germans.

  - Stephen Ryan

• October 20, 2011 9:31 p.m.

  Aw. The poor kiddies. My heart goes out to them. I was born in 1922 and grew up during the Depression (a real one) and I do really sympathize with you folks. It must be awful to have such heavy problems.

  - Stephen Ryan

• October 20, 2011 1:14 p.m.

  As a pediatric dentist, I give out toothbrushes for Halloween. As for the candy, my personal feelings are that parents might sit the younger children down after collecting the loot and have them eat or stuff themselves with as much as they can - perhaps until they are sick. You see, candy isn't that good for you. Then that night some creature comes though the house and takes away the remaining stash of candy. It's gone to where ever. I can say that my business increases after Halloween. This is likely due to the less healthy daily(or hourly) snacking of these "treats." I believe it is better to have a less positive experience with the eating of candy than to have these less healthy foods reappear as a daily treat.

  - Steve

• September 12, 2011 2:04 a.m.

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  - James

• October 28, 2010 9:38 a.m.

  Halloween comes once a year. A big part of the fun is getting the "treat" that you don't have usually such as candy. Kids also learn moderation by being given an opportunity to participate in choice making. If concerned about the amount of candy gathered and consumed maybe it's better to limit the number of trick or treating stops. Try an orange and black dinner (all food either orange or black) followed by trick or treating to the immediate neighbors.

  - Jean

• October 26, 2010 11:25 p.m.

  We buy little balls of cheese wrapped in red cellophane paper. We are known as "the people who give out the cheese"

  - Joan

• October 26, 2010 4:08 p.m.

  Freeze extra candy (e.g. chocolate bars). It won't always stop me from eating it, even frozen, but it does delay the eating and hopefully allow my better decision-making to kick into gear.

  - Sally

• October 26, 2010 3:34 p.m.

  Two words "silly bands" these are a hot toy with kids and giving a kid a couple silly bands will make your house the best one to go to on Halloween...if that is what you want.

  - Dan

• October 21, 2010 3:22 p.m.

  Produce Junction sells fruits and vegtables for a great price for a few dollars you can get 15 apples which is a nice fall food and delectable to the youngsters.

  - Mr. Sammy

• August 21, 2010 2:18 a.m.

  I have to tell you that one or two home made cookies doesn't affect the body. but the cookies from shops have chemical contents used in them which end up in obesity, lack of nutrition, and diabetes. I love home made cookies! Thanks

  - collin

• July 29, 2010 12:53 p.m.

  I like that idea of handing out healthier treats. Kids are still kids and would probably be really disappointed if they didn't get any treats but you gave some great ideas.

  - Rebecca

• October 30, 2009 11:54 a.m.

  I attempt to not purchase candy either. For those years where we have given out something edible, it's been more along the line of mini microwave popcorn or baggies of animal crackers or pretzels ---- at least something outside the gooey chocolate genre. For those years where it was non-edible items, we've used miniature cans of play-doh or silly putty, pens, pencils, etc. There are many catalogs available where these items may be purchased in case lots and care cost-effective compared to anything chocolate!

  - Lee

• October 29, 2009 5:48 p.m.

  I buy candy I don't like, that way I won't be tempted to eat it. I like the pencil and spider ring idea too. Thanks!

  - Laura