Halloween Strategies
It's coming…! For many parents who commit to transition to a healthy family lifestyle, Halloween is the first big challenge that seems bigger than they are. I remember my first Halloween, several months after I had (I thought) left all junk food urges behind me. My kids were totally not on board, so by the end of the evening we had our leftovers plus two buckets of neighbors' contributions.
I spent several days inhaling Kit Kats and Snickers bars, feeling totally sick, and unable to stop myself. Finally, they were gone. And the amazing thing was, I didn't feel the need to go to the store and buy more. When they were out of sight, they truly were out of mind.
And I recovered. I didn't plunge back into a life of depravity and candy. I learned from the situation and recognized that convenience is more powerful than willpower. So for the next year, I used the little willpower I possessed to make sure healthy choices were more convenient than unhealthy ones. Now, as my taste buds have transitioned and my desires have shifted, I can actually pass on the Kit Kats, even the ones in the same actual room as me!
The Addiction Model: Halloween and Backsliding
Let’s get a little ridiculous for a moment and compare junk food to heroin. Both are harmful (the larger the quantity, the more harmful, but even small amounts are bad for you) and both are addictive. And both junk food junkies and heroin addicts tend to move around in environments where consuming the substance in question is considered normal.
So you manage to break free of the addiction. You make major strides in getting your kids off the stuff too. Then comes a ritual where they and all their friends are going door to door, holding out bags and getting large amounts of it for almost no effort. The ritual is reflected in school, in the media, in conversations with friends, and a lot of it is really fun. Dressing up, being creative, meeting the neighbors; it’s a mostly positive experience, except for the addictive and harmful substance at its core.
What do you do?
First, you get to decide what you serve to trick or treaters. Don’t compromise your values just because you don’t want to look bad in front of a bunch of 10 year olds who want mega-sized Snickers bars. If you don’t want your own kids to eat it, why push it on anyone else’s kids?
Some suggestions for non-harmful alternatives:
- boxes of raisins
- homemade healthy cookies
- Date Nut Balls (that's a food, not a romance strategy) - in little baggies
- stickers
- pamphlets about global warming (just kidding!)
Now, what do you do about your own kids?
First, recognize that this is a small battle, not the entire war. If they’re eating 80-90% plant-based whole foods, with lots of green vegetables and fruit, then a small amount of junk food isn’t the end of the world.
Second, talk to your kids about what candy they want to eat, how much, and when. Get them to pay attention to how they feel after eating it, and whether it’s worth it. Tell them that you’ll be going through their bag together, and coming up with a plan - eat, save, give away, chuck out, etc. Use Halloween as a “teachable moment” to raise their awareness and sense of responsibility over their dietary choices.
Third, spend time with your kids making fun and healthy treats. I found great treats in a number of cookbooks and websites. Just look for recipes with raw nuts and seeds, and dried fruit.
Fourth, get this stuff out of your house as quickly as possible. Don’t be like me after the Halloween after I first transitioned to a human-appropriate diet, with a basket of leftover chocolates staring me in the face for 2 weeks. It doesn’t have to pass through you or your loved ones on its way to the garbage.
Fifth, remember that life goes on, and every situation is a chance to learn and grow. If you and your kids find yourselves eating some junk this Halloween, then enjoy it as much as possible. Remember that joy and gratitude are also nutrients, and try to get as much of them out of every calorie as you possibly can.
Boo!