2 weeks Ago
Halloween has barely arrived, yet there’s already Christmas music playing in stores. I navigate my way through aisles of ornaments and Thanksgiving-themed trinkets to find the last googly eyes headband. ’Tis the start of the season — candy season, that is.
So many holidays have become synonymous with sweet treats, they’re unavoidable. Kids start trick-or-treating early in life, receiving candy that captivates their taste buds. These experiences hold them hostage for life, planting memories of sugar-associated fun in their developing brains.
Halloweens in Vermont were always a little bittersweet. I would devise the best costume I could think of, only to cover it up with a coat on Halloween evening. The end of October was always a little too chilly for me to go without a coat unless I were wearing an insulated costume of sorts.
Although a footed onesie sounds like a perfect costume now, it never did then. The one Halloween I have spent in Vermont with my children, a friend pulled us around Townshend Acres on a tractor. Candy was everywhere, but I think we started our trip with more candy on that tractor than we ever collected amongst us.
My daughter asked me how much candy I used to get as a kid. I thought back. Before today’s “minis,” there was “fun size” — probably double in size, but we were instructed to take one (or two).
People also tried to mitigate our fun by giving us apples or some other healthier choice. (Boo). A favorite do-it-yourself treat for me were the caramel popcorn balls distributed by my mom’s old babysitter (her babysitter, not mine!), Irene, from a little house on old Route 30 in Newfane.
She would proudly present a gargantuan bowl of mounds of meticulously-rolled popcorn balls and I always wanted to take at least three. Is it me, or has candy gotten sweeter? Sure, our taste buds change through our lives. I didn’t like mushrooms as a kid, and I know few kids who like Kalamata olives as much as mine do.
We gravitate to sweeter things as a baby (think mother’s milk), and grow out of our sweet tooth to appreciate more savory tastes; at least that’s what happens when Big Food isn’t programming our food with the perfect levels of salt, sugar and fat to make us addicted to their food. Add in “natural” flavorings and we’re hooked! Literally. An article in the Wall Street Journal just hit the streets about Big Food adjusting their methodology to meet the millions on Ozempic and its counterparts where they are now — losing weight and not hungry! How are they going to sell them food!? That discussion’s a column for another week, but simply another episode for Big Food’s favorite proverbial podcast, “Duping the American Populous”.
Checkmate Like a skilled chess player, Big Food then counters our every move. We realize we’re eating too much sugar and aim to reduce our sweets intake? Big Food moves their pawn with expertise into check position by coming to our rescue: They reduce the amount of sugar in their products, but increase the sweet level with non-nutritive sweeteners like sucralose, stevia, xylitol, erythritol and aspartame. Delish! Now food that is labeled “reduced sugar” tastes sweeter! Checkmate! Here’s the problem: As we’ve discussed, non-nutritive sweeteners aren’t a free ride on the sweets express.
Our sweet tooth increases; we crave sugar and other foods. Our bodies want the sugar (and thereby nutrition,) that our taste buds told our brain it was going to get when we first tasted that sweetness. Subsequently, we are enlisted in an endless battle with sugar cravings.
I know firsthand just how hard it is to win that battle: certainly uncomfortable and nearly impossible. Non-nutritive sweeteners may be part of the problem, but today’s candy really is sweeter. Our formulas in the US not only contain more colors and additives that aren’t allowed in countries like those in the European Union (as we discussed last time), but many of them also contain more sugar.
As profit is the cornerstone for any food company, cutting costs on ingredients is their ultimate secret ingredient. American candy companies have cut down on more expensive commodities like cocoa butter in favor of added emulsifiers and sugar! Here are a few ways to limit sugar for you and your loved ones this season. Pre-eat.
You’ll rarely find me at the snack table at a party, and that’s because I usually pre-eat before I go to any fete. It’s not because I eat perfectly, by any stretch, but I don’t actually like to eat at parties (call it leftover self-consciousness from my embattled days on the playground as a rotund kid). Unless it’s a sit-down dinner, I will try to eat before I go, knowing that I need to eat something prior to drinking.
It’s the same with kids at Halloween. They need to eat before they go out to collect mounds of candy, so why not set them up for (more) success with a decent meal beforehand? This may not seem like rocket science (because it’s food science — duh,) but throwing something at them that is more than noodles or pizza (guilty) will help them manage blood sugar spikes to a greater extent. Barter.
Making a deal for a candy swap never hurts. Halloween goodie bags or other non-sweet treats they’ve been eyeing are good candidates for them to “buy” with their candy currency. Dole it out.
Each Halloween (and Easter, come to think of it) we are forced to dump the candy from last year to make room for what’s to come. They get candy so sparingly after the holiday itself, they never eat it all. That’s mostly because it’s out of sight, out of mind, but we also employ a bartering technique for other treats.
“How about we make pumpkin bread?” I ask enthusiastically. We shift focus and half whole wheat pumpkin bread, here we come. DIY Treats.
I cannot tell you how pleased my 9-year-old is about the recipe this week. We concocted these together, creating joyful moments, yes around candy, but around cooking together as well! We made this health(ier) treat that we are so proud of! Try making these or another do-it-yourself creation that you enjoy and that you know aren’t filled with emulsifiers and other junk! Hallow’s Eve Boo Bites Ingredients 1 package dark chocolate nibs or chips (I used 63 percent dark) 1⁄4 cup maple syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1⁄2 cup whole milk (or as needed for consistency) 1⁄4 unsweetened shredded coconut 1 cup chopped raw pecans Sea salt (for garnish) Method Line a muffin tin with cupcake holders Spread a combination of pecans and coconut to just cover the bottom of each cupcake holder. (We used just pecans and then a mixture of pecans and coconut.
Create a double boiler. Fill a large saucepan with water and place a Pyrex bowl over the top, heating water. Add chocolate chips to bowl and stir over steam to melt.
Add vanilla and syrup. If mixture becomes too solid, slowly whisk in milk to make smooth and liquidy. Once the chocolate reaches your desired consistency, layer chocolate on top of nut mixture, lightly spreading it until the nuts are sufficiently covered.
Top with coconut or sea salt (or both). Place in freezer for 60 minutes or until set. Enjoy and store in freezer, if you dare.
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