I’m talking about weight gain, blood sugar imbalances and infections: the harbingers of over-indulgence. Here are a few nutrition tips:
- Do ration your sugar intake, setting yourself a limit of a one-piece treat per day. Why? Sugar feeds bacteria. And, a concentrated dose of sugar can ‘paralyze’ the immune system for up to 5 hours after ingestion (this was proven in 1973!).
- Up your garlic intake to support your immune system and minimize multiplication of unfriendly bacteria and yeast. Don’t worry; it won’t harm your good gut bacteria, but it could make the difference between another UTI, yeast infection or bout of diverticulitis.
- The weight you gain from a few treats from one day to the next is NOT fat. It is water. Sugary and salty snacks cause water retention. So up your potassium-rich vegetables and drink more water, and you will see those pounds drop as fast as they came on.
What treats do I give at Halloween? I’ve done pencils, erasers and stickers some years, but most kids expect edibles. So I gave out potato chips, unflavoured. They are no angels, but have a few redeeming qualities. Although they are fried and salted, but they have the shortest ingredient list of all pre-packaged Hallowe’en snacks, contain no added sugar, common food allergens, MSG, synthetic colours or flavours. Plus, they’re high in potassium. This also makes me feel better about sampling them myself!
Finally, what do you do with those Halloween treats you deem ‘unhealthy’ or ‘suspicious’? The ones you confiscate from your kids? It’s your choice…Sample the goods, but please don’t be a human garbage can. If a food isn’t good for your kids, it isn’t good for YOU, either.