Unhappy Halloween (by Elizabeth)
For some parents, the scariest part of Halloween is the candy. Within moments of eating concentrated sugar, many children start behaving erratically. True, their behavior is related to the excitement of the event whether it's Halloween or a birthday party or a visit from Easter Bunny.
But it is also true that artificial colorings and additives can increase a child's hyperactive behaviors. "In a landmark study published in The Lancet, commonly used artificial food colorings and the preservative sodium benzoate have been strongly linked to hyperactivity in children, triggering renewed vigor in the decades-long campaign by activists to ban artificial food additives from food marketed to children.
'We now have clear evidence that mixtures of certain food colours and benzoate preservative can adversely influence the behaviour of children.' said Dr. Jim Stevenson, lead author of the study."
So, what's a parent to do on the biggest junk food day of the year?
• If at all possible, have your child eat a high protein dinner (bean and cheese burritos, scrambled eggs) before trick or treating. Allow him some dessert. Perhaps this will keep him from raiding the treat bag before he gets home.
• Buy a gift that your child wants and trade his bag of candy for the new toy. A Star Wars Lego set worked well for us one year.
• Offer to pay your child for his candy. Last year, my son negotiated a $25 settlement.
CAUTION: Immediately remove the offending candy bag so that you won’t be tempted to eat it all yourself .
Been there. Done that.
Photo © Jaimie Duplass - Fotolia.com
