The experts at Wellspring (www.wellspringacademies.com) , the leading treatment program for overweight children and teens, have several recommendations for parents this year at Halloween:

IMG: WellSpring Academy

-  Wait to buy your candy. We tend to eat what’s in the pantry. This year, try waiting until Halloween day to buy your candy or at least hide it somewhere until then. Odds are everyone will be snacking a bit less on this year’s treats.

-  Plan your own activity. Halloween is about having fun, not hoarding stashes of candy. Corn mazes, haunted houses, even planning your own party are activities that take the focus off of sugary treats.

-  Limit the amount you grab. It’s hard to not take a handful of anything that’s free, but limiting your children to only one item at each of your stops is a healthy start. At the very least, it’s polite for the trick-or-treaters after them.

-  Offer healthy alternatives. Don’t worry about getting toilet-papered, not every house needs to offer candied apples. Gum, hard candy, glow sticks/glow necklaces, and plastic rings are all popular, healthy alternatives to candy with high levels of saturated fat.

-  Ration the amount of candy eaten afterwards. The typical dietary recommendation for candy is a maximum intake of 22 pounds per year for a 12-year-old child** – which can often be eaten in a single night during Halloween. Having the occasional treat is good for you, offer one after a healthy meal, exercising, or finishing homework.

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Can you think of any other tips to make this a FUN and Healthy Halloween?

Post from: Blisstree

Tips for a fun and healthy Halloween

IMG: Sxc.hu

Once the bags are empty the children are off and running again in the hopes to score more sugary goodness.  Never thinking as they pile one candy bar into their mouth after another.  Worried yet?

Dr. Margaret Mitchell, DDS, owner of Mitchell Dental Spa a dental spa facility in Chicago’s Water Tower Place, offers the followingtips to for protecting your kids teeth at Halloween:

· Avoid sticky candy such as taffy, gummy bears, caramel, etc. Sticky Candy adheres to teeth and causes decay
· Kids can eat candy ANYTIME, there is not a good time of day/night to eat candy
· Brush immediately after eating candy, especially sticky candy
· Prior to Halloween, visit your dentist to have sealants put into the child’s teeth grooves
· Have you child chew gum with zylitol sweetener with prevents tooth decay. Orbit and Trident both have zylitol sweetener.

Got any other tips?

Post from: Blisstree

Halloween Tips from the Dentist

Image credit: www.sxc.hu

• Temporary Tattoos
• Small novelty toys (ex. rubber spiders, bouncing balls, etc.)
• Stickers
• Halloween-inspired toys (ex. plastic vampire teeth, slime, etc.)
• Crayons and small coloring books
• Glow sticks
• Bubbles
• Masks
• Pretzels
• Sugar-free Candy
• Popcorn Balls
• Kiddie Toothbrush and Toothpaste — for them to use after eating the candy they get from other homes!

No candy?! No succulently sweet, glue-my-teeth-together candy? It may not make you the most popular home on the block, but perhaps parents will be thanking you once their kids don’t wake up the next morning with a toothache. And even if they do, at least you know it’s not because of what you gave them for Halloween. Trick or treat!

Post from: Blisstree

Halloween Candy Alternatives

I’ve searched the web and compile a list of things and ideas to make this a “green” Halloween.

So here it is,  the 16 Green Halloween Tips

Tips from Teri Goldberg

1. Email party invites instead of using paper or cardboard greeting cards.  (save the trees)

2. Make use of all pumpkin parts.

(I remember seeing pumpkin soup sometime before in the food channel. )

3.  Use reusable plates, cups, utensils.

4.  Rent a costume instead of buying

Tips from About.com

5.  Use reusable bags for trick or treat

6.   Make your own costume.

Check out these last minute costumes for kids

7.   Give ecofriendly organic treats (ie organic candies, or things that have little or no packaging)

8.   Roast pumpkin seeds.

Halloween Decorating Tips

9.  Make a Tissue ghost

10.  Stuff an old jeans and shirt with plastic bags and turn it into a scarecrow.

11.   Replace lightbulbs with low wattage red bulbs

12.  Turn your yard into a cemetery. Use cardboard box and black paint.

From allfreecrafts

13. tin can frankenstein

14.  Egg carton bat

15.  Recycled lightbulb witch

16.  Recycled CD jack-o-lantern

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Post from: Blisstree

16 Green Halloween Tips