Mom Is Teaching

Ready or not, here comes Halloween!

It’s fun to plan with your kids about what costumes they will be wearing this Halloween, but remember last year, when the fun wore off and your kids were bouncing all over the living room?

Most parents know that those bags of “loot” their children bring home are somehow linked to the bouncy days that follow. And many teachers will tell you that the day after Halloween is the wildest day of the year. (Perhaps this is why some schools schedule a “teacher’s workday for November 1^st.)

It’s typical to blame all that “sugar” the kids bring home for the overactivity that follows, but take a close look at those little wrappers, find the list of ingredients and see if they actually contain any sugar. Chances are, they are sweetened with corn syrup, especially high fructose corn syrup; few highly processed foods still use actual sugar. But as unhealthy as it is, even the high fructose corn syrup is not the likely cause.

Look at the labels again. Do you see the name of a color, followed by a number? Is there Red 40 or Yellow 5 or Blue 1, etc? These are the most likely culprits affecting your kids, not the sugar. If the candy also has aspartame (synthetic sweetener) or vanillin (the name for fake vanilla) they could be to blame as well.

So what is all this stuff? Red 40, etc., are names for artificial food colorings. They enable food companies to create things that appear to be made from food – but without having to use actual food. Food is expensive and chemical additives are cheap; need I say more?

Most of the food dyes used in the United States start out in petroleum refineries in China. They are “certified” which means that they are not supposed to have more than the allowed amounts of lead, mercury, arsenic and other toxins. You won’t see any mention of petroleum on the label, just the color and number following it. At one time there were dozens of dyes used in foods, but as their dangers became known, most of them were gradually banned from use in food, and now only a few survivors remain.

Those stubborn survivors have been found to cause many serious health problems, as well as to disrupt a child’s ability to behave, focus and learn. The most recent study, funded by the British government, found that a small amount of food dye and one preservative brought on symptoms of ADHD in the general population of children…not only those who had previously been diagnosed. As a result, parents in the UK are demanding, and getting foods that are dyed and flavored with natural ingredients. Major candy companies are offering natural versions of their products in Britain, but here in the US they continue to use the chemical additives.

Things are changing throughout Europe. The European Union has determined that foods which contain petroleum-based dyes will be required to carry warning labels stating that the additives can have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.

The non-profit Feingold Association of the US has some suggestions for October 31^st, when the goblins come to your door. Check out the options at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. You should be able to find candies of all types that are naturally colored and flavored, and possibly candy that is sweetened with sugar instead of corn syrup.

You will probably be able to find Pearson’s Mint Patties at Wal-Mart. This is a small individually wrapped mint patty with a chocolate coating; it is an inexpensive candy with natural ingredients. Palmer Chocolates makes both natural and artificially-flavored chocolates, so check the ingredient labels carefully to avoid “vanillin” (fake vanilla).

Don’t overlook trinkets, balloons and stickers as an alternative to candy for the little ones. Their dentists will thank you.

When you take your kids out, be sure they have had a good meal so they aren’t hungry.

After the loot is collected, some families go through it and toss out the worst offenders. Others swap natural candies for the contraband; natural candies are now available in the natural food sections of most supermarkets. Some children swap the bag of loot for a desirable toy. And then there’s always the popular practice of buying the candy back from your kids. Mine still went out trick-or-treating even after they were too old to do so. They knew it wasn’t cool, but the income was good.

Check out http://www.feingold.org for more hints on how to be sure that Halloween doesn’t turn your children into monsters.

Jane Hersey

National Director

Feingold Association of the US

author of Why Can’t My Child Behave?

and Healthier Food for Busy People.