EATING CANDY: WHY REAL FOOD IS CRITICAL

Kirstin Boncher attended the French Culinary Institute and cooked at Le Bernardin and Arcadia in New York City years ago. Then she went back to graduate school to study painting. Now she is back to cooking...for her kids who have celiac--an intolerance to gluten. In the process of becoming healthier, we have found an old fashioned, unprocessed homemade life that is profoundly satisfying. My father says she is 3/4 scientist and 1/4 religious nut about this stuff. her blog www.whattofeedyourkids.com reflects her conviction that there is a better, healthier way to live. And it can be miraculous for everyone. It isn't easy, but it is worth doing.

Halloween has always been a super special time to indulge in treats that were limited or absent the rest of the year. All year long I blog about how nutrition impacts development in my blog. But, once a year everyone who wants to can indulge in some candy.

But, there are ways to make this candy centered holiday healthier for everyone. When my kids have candy, I make sure it is in the presence of some real food: a piece of fruit, some nuts, a few carrots, a hard boiled deviled egg,  some cold cuts or, preferably, a meal I have made myself from scratch are all great to have on Halloween. A rule of thumb is if it has a label on it, it's not healthy. If it has a label on it with more than five ingredients it DEFINITELY is not healthy. In fact, it isn't even food. It is chemicals marketed to look like food.

On Halloween, I focus on the presence of real food, rather than denying my kids candy. It is the presence of real food that will make a difference in how they react to the sugary snacks. Like alchohol, your body will be less afffected by the sugar on a full stomach. Having some candy in the context of a day filled with homemade healthy nutritious food is very different from having candy with processed, convenient  food.

Everyone knows that sugar is bad for you--in order for your body to process sugar you have to use a hefty amount of magnesium and B vitamins. Because magnesium keeps you calm and B vitamins are necessary for the production of serotonin, you can see why kids can become unglued with too much sugar. One thing you can do is eat food that have the nutrients that the sugar depletes. Pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews and black and white beans are all foods high in magnesium. Some good food sources for vitamin B6 are bananas, potatoes, chicken, turkey , salmon and beef. Also, some kids are more sensitive than others--and sensitive kids really need nutritious meals when they are indulging in sugary snacks.

Happy Halloween from whattofeedyourkids.com!

LINKS:
magnesium
foods high in magnesium
vitamin B6
whattofeedyourkids.com