Sugar … the true demon of Halloween

I have a sweet tooth that sometimes takes up my whole mouth. I mean it. There is literally no room for any of my other teeth until sweet tooth is satisfied and crawls back into her cavity created hole. Sweet tooth rears her ugly head just about one day a month, but when she does, chocolate BEWARE!! We are coming for you. I live with six other people — yes, I’ve finally given in and accepted the twins are real people who need love, support and a mother. Of the six, only one shares my obsession with candy, so I am happy to report evolutionary selection is still at work. There is no way this stuff is good for you, and somewhere deep down, our DNA knows it.

Sugar has been accused of causing:

– obesity
– diabetes
– heart disease
– cancer

Sugar is proven to:

– Cause tooth decay
– Be a source of empty calories

My own theory, based on observation, is that sugar:

– decreases the effectiveness of our immune system
– disrupts our sleep habits
– cause night terrors
– causes fatigue and the blues
– decreases attention span
– tummy aches

I am so, so sorry, Sugar. Don’t hate me. I will still eat you. I will still give you to my children as a treat. We will still celebrate happy events with cake and sad events with … cake. But, I will do so in moderation, because like Game of Thrones, I fear you as much as I love you.

This Halloween, do not be afraid to:

– Put restrictions on how much candy they can eat each day.
– Give out candy alternatives to trick-or-treaters; pretzels, stickers, cash … whatever it takes.
–  Throw candy away or find a place that will send it to the troops. After a couple of days, the novelty should have worn off, and you can quietly and covertly start dumping the stash, piece by piece.
– Eat only half. If you take a bite of something and find you don’t like it, waste it.
– Insist your kids eat something healthy before they pop the Reeses. A handful of baby carrots or a celery stick will go a long way toward offsetting the bad stuff. Plus, it will fill them up a little. Remember, when you do this, the candy isn’t a prize. Explain to them candy can make them feel sick if they eat too much on an empty stomach and that the veggies will balance them out.

Remember when we used to hear stories of scary old men putting razor blades in apples? Be more afraid of the well wrapped Snickers!