I have fond memories of being so excited for Halloween! The day to dress up and get a bag full of candy always kept me up the night before! Then getting to swap the candy you don't like with friends and siblings and getting to devour that candy all within a few days brings back great memories! I always thought my kids would participate in the same American tradition as I did and make great memories as well! Well, that lasted for about three years until I realized exactly what is in our candy and what it does to our bodies.
Let's be honest - we all know candy is bad for us. Sugar, fats and we know there are some not good ingredients/chemicals in it. But what harm could it really be doing? Well...when you give birth to two kids with autoimmune issues, you learn exactly how bad that harm is. We are all given toxic buckets that our body is constantly trying to empty. In our very chemical filled, toxin lifestyle, those buckets fill quickly. Kids with spectrum disorders are not good at emptying those buckets. They start out life with almost filled buckets already because of generations of toxic build up. As soon as they are born and start interacting with our toxic lifestyle, those buckets become overflowing. With an impaired detoxification system, these kids become toxic and inflammed quickly. This is part of the reason for the increased rates in spectrum disorders. Their little bodies just can't keep up with getting rid of the toxins and so they start presenting with ADHD, autism, OCD, ODD, depression and anxiety symptoms because of it. Days like Halloween tax those toxic buckets and detoxification systems. There is a reason why a week or two after Halloween everyone starts getting sick. We are destroying our immune system with all this sugar and chemicals.
Halloween has become a stressful time as I try to navigate how to keep a fun tradition safe and clean for my kids in a world that is not safe and clean. Over the last two years here is what we do:
We go trick or treating but not to every single house on our block
The kids get to choose two of their favorite candies to eat out of their loot
The rest of the candy we leave for the switch witch who will come and give them a present for their candy over night
I buy some candy like this that is clean and low in grams of sugar that the switch witch leaves them
My kids have adapted to our new tradition for now. I'm sure as they get older, the switch witch may not be so cool. But like with everything else with healing these kiddos, I'm just taking one day at a time! Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween!
