TRICK                     OR                     TREAT

The trick to enjoying your favorite Halloween treats? Moderation, according to the results of the National Confectioners Association’s (NCA) new national survey. As the holiday approaches, nearly 80 percent of parents report that they have a plan in place to help their children make smart decisions when it comes to the enjoyment of treats. More than three-quarters of Americans will hand out candy to trick-or-treaters this year and many others will participate in community-sponsored Halloween events, display a seasonal candy bowl or attend a Halloween party. NCA projects that retail sales of Halloween candy in 2015 will be $2.6 billion, a boost to the U.S. economy that helps support 55,000 manufacturing jobs and hundreds of thousands of jobs in related industries.

“People understand that candy is a treat, and this year’s survey tells us that they are celebrating Halloween in more ways than ever and practicing moderation,” said Alison Bodor, executive vice president of the National Confectioners Association. “Parents, including me, are embracing Halloween celebrations and traditions, but we’re also using the holiday as an opportunity to teach our children how to enjoy candy as a fun part of a balanced lifestyle.”

Bodor added that the U.S. confectionery industry supports 465,000 American jobs. “From our industry’s own manufacturers to the jobs we help support on the farms where our ingredients are grown and in the stores where our products are sold, candy makers are supporting good-paying jobs in this country. Confectioners are vital to the economic success of their communities – at Halloween and year round.”

According to NCA’s seasonal survey, more than 90 percent of parents discuss or plan to discuss balance and moderation with their children relative to their candy consumption, and while most report having these conversations year-round, many use Halloween day as a starting point.

Those who stay home to hand out candy also recognize the importance of balance and moderation. More than 60 percent of respondents prefer to hand candy to trick-or-treaters, rather than having the ghosts and goblins help themselves, and nearly 60 percent of those surveyed believe that up to two pieces is just the right amount per household.

Halloween Is Meant For Sharing Halloween continues to be the top candy-giving holiday with 86 percent of people gifting or sharing chocolate or other candy. Seven in 10 people believe that holidays like Halloween are meant for enjoying candy, and that it is important to do so in moderation. Parents support the notion that sharing is a critical piece of the Halloween celebration – a full 80 percent report that they enjoy some of their children’s Halloween bounty by either sneaking it when the kids aren’t looking (23 percent) or by instituting a house rule that it must be shared (57 percent).

Candy Is Always A Treat NCA’s survey revealed that 81 percent of Americans support the notion that candy is a treat and 75 percent agree that it is okay to enjoy seasonal chocolate or candy. Almost 20 percent of consumers say they are more likely to buy seasonal candy in smaller portion sizes than they were five years ago.

Everyone Has A Favorite Americans love chocolate year-round, and Halloween is no exception. A full 70 percent of people say chocolate is their favorite Halloween treat, followed by candy corn (13 percent), chewy candy (6 percent) and gummy candy (5 percent). Despite chocolate’s popularity, most Americans (63 percent) say they stock their trick-or-treat candy bowls with a mix of chocolate and non-chocolate, so that they can be sure to have something everyone will like. When it comes to selecting candies in shapes like spiders, eyeballs and brains to inspire seasonal celebrations, parents are 24 percent more likely than non-parents to pick creepy candy over other Halloween themes.

Keeping An Eye On The Candy Stash Nearly four in five parents (79 percent) encourage moderation by keeping tabs on their children’s candy consumption following Halloween, but they take different approaches. Some limit their children to a certain number of pieces per day (35 percent), a total number of pieces overall (14 percent), or a general amount of calories (9 percent) and then take the rest away. Twenty-one percent opt to take responsibility for the candy and dole it out as appropriate. NCA supported research at Pennsylvania State University to help parents learn practices that promote balance and moderation with treats in their homes. As part of that research, a scientific literature review published recently in the Journal of Pediatric Obesity concluded that simply restricting or forbidding children from having snack foods or other treats, like candy, is not an effective approach to helping them learn how to consume these foods in moderation.

WAYS TO HANDLE HALLOWEEN IN MODERATION:

Something Good to Eat

• Let kids enjoy a little bit of trick-or-treat loot at a time — say, two snack-sized candy bars a day.
• Don’t allow candy to substitute for healthy stuff. Plan a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner for Halloween day. Serving well-balanced meals should ensure that sweets do not replace essential nutrients.
• If you’re hosting a children’s party, serve plenty of fruit and vegetables as well as a kid-friendly meal like pizza. Set up one bucket of candy and let kids take just a few pieces.

Alternative Treats

A growing number of parents are bucking the candy-giving tradition altogether. The 2000 American Express Retail Index estimated that 18% of adults distributed non-candy treats. In some of these homes, children may have special dietary needs. Other parents are alarmed by reports about the increasing rate of child obesity, and some parents just hope to lessen the day’s sugar intake.

A recent study even showed that kids welcome such alternatives. Researchers offered trick-or-treaters in five Connecticut neighborhoods two bowls to choose from: one with lollipops or fruit candy and one with inexpensive Halloween-themed trinkets. About half the kids skipped the sweet stuff and took a toy instead. So consider making the switch at your house.

From the grocery:

• sugar-free lollipops
• fruit
• raisins
• granola bars
• popcorn
• trail mix

From the party-supply store (purchased in bulk, these items should cost about 20 cents each):

• plastic vampire teeth
• glow-in-the dark stickers
• temporary tattoos
• spider rings
• safe decorations for the child to have

More cool options:

• crayons and stickers: Crayola makes special crayon packs that feature three Halloween-inspired colors. The cost of twenty packs plus twenty color-in stickers is about $3.99.
• personalized photos. Start the unique tradition of becoming the neighborhood “phantom photographer.” Dig out your child’s i-Zone camera and give everyone who comes to the door a sticker picture of himself in costume. At approximately $18 per three-pack of film, you can expect to spend about 50 cents per trick-or-treater.

Acts of Sweetness

Halloween is a great time to teach children about sharing. This is a day when kids are inspired to be like Spider-Man or other heroic do-gooders. Encourage their charitable attitude by turning trick-or-treating into a save-the-world mission. In addition to candy, have your child ask for donations for a non-profit organization or school program or donating to the VA patients candy.

“For Halloween parties, creativity can be the key to making the event memorable. Here are some ways to be creative/safe at both kid and adult parties:

Costume Contest: Encourage kids to dress up and compete in a costume contest, with prizes for silliest, scariest, and most creative outfits. Adults can add categories like “Best/Worst Couple Costume” or “Overachiever of the Year” with themed prizes or gift cards.

Pumpkin Decorating: Set up a no-carve station with markers, stickers, googly eyes, and paint for kids to decorate pumpkins. Adults can host a pumpkin carving competition with unique or creepy themes.

Halloween Charades: Use simple charades game ideas like “witch,” “pumpkin,” or “trick-or-treating” for kids. Adults can make it more challenging with horror movie references and pop culture icons.

Spooky Bingo: Fill up a row on free printable Halloween bingo cards for kids. Adults can try Halloween movie-themed Bingo or offer mini bottles of adult beverages for prizes.

Haunted House Party: Transform your living space into a haunted house with cobwebs, LED candles, and eerie soundtracks. Serve simple Halloween food like “eyeball” deviled eggs or breadstick “fingers.”

Party Plan Ideas
(https://www.playpartyplan.com/halloween-party-ideas/)

Halloween pot lucks, parties, and trick-or-treating can be sneaky business—even for your young ones trying to keep them healthy with the neighbors and other family or friends kids. The scariest part is you trying to avoid the kids’ treat bags full of candy, chocolate, and chips but yet making it fun for all.

However, you can still get your great Halloween treats on without terrorizing your healthy diet if you infuse the holiday with these scary (good) tips and even more important for the young ones with even possibly having the kids ask you to tell their mom of the great recipe. It is all in your creativity and taking the time as opposed to picking up a bag of treats in a plastic bag you dump in a bowl.

1. Use your creativity on healthy foods alone or with candy in place of the “Classic Halloween Candy”

It’s fairly easy to give classic Halloween candy the creativity of using fruit. For example take the PUMPKIN – the maskcot of Halloween, which happens to be a cultivar of a squash plant, most commonly of Cucurbita pepo, that is round, with smooth, slightly ribbed skin, and deep yellow to orange coloration. The thick shell contains the seeds and pulp. This kind of creativity is to make a healthier, more natural form of candy corn layer a wedge of pineapple, a wedge of cantaloupe, and a piece of banana on wooden skewers. You can also make healthy apple monsters by using a melon baller to carve out eyes, mount them on toothpicks, and use a large apple slice as a mouth with slivered almonds to create the toothy grin. Again it’s all in your creativity. Without making all fruit you could even add dark chocolate on the fruits or any candy that mixes with the taste of the fruit you use. Again make it fun and delicious so its utilized with decreasing everything being candy, which isn’t good for anyone’s else.

2. Create homemade candy treats that are healthier than the store

In the store you find candy trans fat or refined sugars or high processed or even regular milk chocolate as opposed to dark chocolate (healthier). Make homemade candy treat bags at the parties with these creations of yours. I know it takes time but making it know your helping a another individual which should make you feel could and trust me many will appreciate you like the other moms.

3. Add Just a Touch of your Creativity Sweetness

Sometimes there can be just too much sinfully sweet ingredients in Halloween desserts. One of my favorites is chocolate chunks in double chocolate tombstone brownies. However, you can satisfy a sweet tooth without killing your entire diet by creating a healthy dessert with just a touch of sweetness. You can either make those dark chocolate brownies and cutting them into finger size pieces as opposed to a regular size brownie with making them have a Halloween effect look on them. Another idea going more health wise is creating spooky bananas by using 2 dark chocolate chips for eyes and a dark chocolate kiss as a surprised mouth on ½ of bananas or make witches caldrons by coring apples and filling with quick oats, raisins, and a touch of maple syrup. Take oranges or mandarins putting celery sticks in the top center to make pumpkins. For a sweet treat that will satisfy your haunted Halloween cravings—try whipping up batches of pumpkin inspired cookies, brownies, cakes, and muffins. Pumpkin is actually a nutritionally fuelled substitute for butter, margarine, and oil in a lot of lower fat recipes. Use your minds depth in making Halloween creations.

5. Carve Up Spooky Veggies

Who says that vegetables can’t be festive? In addition to buckets of candy and chocolate at your Halloween party, feature a platter of carrots, cucumbers, and pepper pieces cut into spooky shapes—such as ghosts, witches hats, bats, cats, and pumpkins for dipping into healthy hummus, salsa, and guacamole. Or spoon salads into cored peppers carved into mini Jack-o-lanterns.

6. Make healthy creative dips

With fruit, healthy chips, vegetables with salads and create healthy dips. For blood effect salsa, for green goblin effect guacamole dips, orange effect from carrot veggie dip to bean veggie dip. Than there is fruit cherry dip to green apple dip to orange or mandarin or pumpkin dips.

7. DIY Your Favorite Halloween Snacks

If there’s one snack I just can’t resist, it’s peanut butter rice crispy treats! However, instead of getting mine from a box, I choose to make a healthier version in my own kitchen, and I use nutritious ingredients—like raw almond butter and whole-wheat rice crisps—to redeem my Halloween sins.

8. Air Pop Your Halloween Treats

Air popped corn (especially if it’s whole grain) can provide a filling foundation for sweets and snacks without haunting you for weeks after. Indulge your taste for something sweet by air popping corn; rolling it into balls using a bit of honey or maple syrup, raisins, and chopped nuts; and drizzling with dark-chocolate and melted almond butter. Or simply serve an air popped bowl of corn sweetened with a bit of maple syrup for a healthier version of caramel corn.

“Every October, we celebrate Health Literacy Month — a time to recognize the importance of making health information easy to understand and the health care system easier to navigate.

This year, we’re also highlighting Healthy People 2030’s updated definition of health literacy! A team of experts recently split the definition into 2 parts:

• Personal health literacy: The degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.
• Organizational health literacy: The degree to which organizations equitably enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

Among other changes, this new definition acknowledges that organizations have a responsibility to address health literacy — and emphasizes people’s ability not just to understand health information but also to use it.”

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion – OASH  (October Is Health Literacy Month! – News & Events | odphp.health.gov)

During the month of October, Health Literacy Month encourages everyone working to provide easy access to understandable health information. For more than 20 years, October has been recognized as Health Literacy Month. Health Literacy Month is a time of international observance when hospitals, health centers, literacy programs, libraries, social service agencies, businesses, professional associations, govern­ment agencies, consumer alliances, and many other groups work collaboratively to integrate and expand the mission of health literacy.

Low health literacy is more prevalent among:

• Older adults
• Minority populations
• Those who have low socioeconomic status
• Medically underserved people”

What Are the Consequences of Low Health Literacy? – The two major areas that are impacted by low health literacy are “economic costs to society and the health-care system, and costs in terms of the human burden of disease” (Institute of Medicine, 2004). There is also considerable psychological suffering created by low health suffering. Within those overarching categories, the results of low health literacy (as measured by reading and numeracy skills) can include:

• Shame and stigma, which can create barriers to health and behavioral health care and to improving low health literacy;
• Reduced knowledge and understanding of a person’s own medical conditions and treatment;
• Reduced knowledge and understanding of health-promoting behaviors and preventive care and services;
• Increased rates of hospitalization and use of emergency services;
• Increased rates of poor health status;
• Entry of sicker patients into healthcare systems;
• Increased health care costs and spending (Institute of Medicine, 2004).

During this time, organizations and individuals promote the importance of understandable health information along with bringing awareness to breaking down the barriers of understanding. According to health experts, there is a large gap between the way health care issues are communicated by professionals, and the ability of the average person to understand them. Most people have limited health literacy… Not just those with limited reading or writing skills. If someone struggles to understand health literacy, statistically, they are more likely to skip important medical tests, have a harder time living with conditions, and visit the emergency room more often. This is why understanding health literacy is so important for everyone.

The good news is, that many health care facilities are trying to improve the way they communicate with patients to make sure everything is clear before the patient leaves. They are doing things like simplifying their written materials, using video and photos to teach patients, and more to help doctors clearly get their message across.

There are a few things you can do to improve your own health literacy individually or as a organization:

1. Improve your communication with health professionals. Make a list of your symptoms before you go in, have questions written down, and take a few notes when your doctor is explaining things to you.

2. Make sure you know who to call with any questions when you leave.

3. Attend health education programs at a library, community center, or anywhere you can find them in your community.

4. Talk to local schools and request that kids are taught about health literacy and education so they are prepared as they get older.

5. Hold a staff training to teach staff to use simple language, short sentences, and explain medical terms.   Some useful tools for measuring individual.

6. Update materials for your organization to include similar resources in the primary language for Limited English Proficiency.

“Lung health remains a major concern within the Veteran community, as many Veterans face heightened risks due to service-related tobacco use, occupational hazards, and environmental exposures. Respiratory diseases are a prominent health issue for veterans, with the Department of Veterans Affairs diagnosing approximately 7,700 cases of lung cancer annually among Veterans and an estimated 900,000 at risk due to factors like age, smoking, and environmental conditions. In 2023, 55% of Veterans had ever smoked, compared to 32% of civilians, underscoring the need for increased lung health awareness and preventive care.

“Lung health has historically been impacted by high smoking rates among Veterans,” says Joel Nations, MD, Volunteer Spokesperson for the American Lung Association; Pulmonologist, Washington DC VA Medical Center. “This is especially true for military personnel during deployment, though many Veterans reduce smoking or quit altogether after leaving the service. However, their history of smoking keeps them at elevated risk for lung cancer. The most important steps are to avoid smoking, quit if you do smoke, and get screened if you’re at high risk.”

American Lung Association (Press Releases | American Lung Association | American Lung Association)

“Lung disease affects a staggering number of Americans. About 10 million adults are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis each year, and about 4.7 million others have ever been diagnosed with emphysema.

Chronic bronchitis and emphysema constitute the diseases that make up Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). About 25 million people live with asthma as well.

Occupational lung diseases, which include asbestosis and mesothelioma, also affect many Americans. Occupational illnesses are estimated to cost $150 billion annually.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), typically caused by long-term exposure to lung irritants that damage the lungs and airways, is attributed to occupational exposure 19.2% of the time.”

Lung Institute (Healthy Lung Month – Lung Institute)

October is a month set aside for lung awareness. It’s National Healthy Lung Month, and Lung Health Day is October 28. National Respiratory Care Week is October 25-30. It may seem arbitrary to set aside a particular month for health awareness, but it’s useful to remind ourselves of the things in our environment that can harm us and to act with compassion toward those who have already been harmed.

Lung disease affects a staggering number of Americans. About 10 million adults are diagnosed with chronic bronchitis each year, and about 4.7 million others have ever been diagnosed with emphysema. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema constitute the diseases that make up Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). About 25 million people live with asthma as well.

Occupational lung diseases, which include asbestosis and mesothelioma, also affect many Americans. Occupational illnesses are estimated to cost $150 billion annually. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), typically caused by long-term exposure to lung irritants that damage the lungs and airways, is attributed to occupational exposure 19.2% of the time.

In support of Healthy Lung Month, let’s raise awareness about the rapid escalation of lung disease in the United States.

The notion that harmful air pollutants exist only outdoors is false. Some pollutants occurring in the home can be more harmful than those commonly encountered outdoors. Modern homes harbor many sources of respiratory irritation, but it’s not terribly difficult to lung-proof your home. Some common lung irritants found indoors are lead, formaldehyde, radon, cleaning agent vapors, and fire-retardants. Natural pollutants also make their way into the home, including pet dander, dust mites, and mold. Here are a few simple ways the people, especially those with lung disease, can avoid these lung damaging agents.

• Clean the Air:Buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter to reduce lead, chemical build-up, and allergens such as pet dander in the home. Follow this step by mopping with a microfiber mop to soak up any leftover particles.
• Avoid exposure to indoor pollutants that can damage your lungs.
• Minimize exposure to outdoor air pollution.
• Green Your Space:Fill your place with plants! Indoor plants help purify the air, removing toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, and xylene. Spider plants and aloe vera plants are good choices for the home.
• Go Natural: Fragrances in cleaning products, laundry detergents, and air fresheners can all damage the lungs opt for fragrance-free whenever possible.
• Test for Radon: Make sure your home has a radon detector. This colorless, odorless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today.
• Don’t Vape or Smoke

Your entire body depends on your lungs to keep breathing and distributing oxygen-rich blood throughout your body and to get rid of the body’s gaseous waste, carbon dioxide. Our bodies do have a natural defense system designed to protect the lungs, keeping dirt, germs and other irritants at bay. But there are some important things you can do on a regular basis to keep your lungs healthy and reduce the risk of disease.

Sometimes we take our health for granted. Lungs keep us alive and well and for the most part, we don’t need to think about them.  Remember without lungs we couldn’t survive.  Love your lungs this October and work to make any necessary changes to keep yours healthy!

“CDC defines bullying as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners. It involves an observed or perceived power imbalance, and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated.

Bullying may inflict harm or distress on the victim including physical, psychological, social, or educational harm.1 Common types of bullying include:

• Physical such as hitting, kicking, and tripping.
• Verbal including name-calling and teasing.
• Relational or social such as spreading rumors and leaving out of the group.
• Damage to victim’s property.

Bullying is an adverse childhood experience that is widespread in the United States. Bullying harms all youth involved including those who are bullied, those who bully others, and bystanders who witness it.

Bullying is common. About one in five high school students reported being bullied on school property in the past year. More than one in six high school students reported being bullied electronically in the past year including through texting and social media.

Some youth experience bullying more than others. Female students were more likely than male students to experience bullying, both on school property and electronically.”

Center for Disease Control and Prevention – CDC (Bullying | Youth Violence Prevention | CDC)

Unless you were homeschooled in the wild or have some type of supernatural luck, you’ve probably tangled with a mean girl or bully at some point in your life. Unfortunately, bullies grow up and get jobs, so you might just run into them again in the workplace, on social media or even in your close-knit neighborhood community. Bullying is not just succumbed to childhood but it is also very prevalent in adulthood as well. Unfortunately, adult bullying behavior identically reflects childhood bully behavior: it methodically targets a person with the intention to intimidate, undermine, or degrade. The same tactics get used, too: gossip, sabotage, exclusion, public shaming, and many other conscious behaviors. Many adult victims feel as though they cannot take any action against bullying out of fear they may cause trouble, lose their job or be viewed as weak; however, there are many steps adults can take to discourage bullying and stand up to their perpetrator.

Take the issue seriously and present it in an objective manner

Yes, bullying can be a huge hit to your ego and it can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety however you must report this behavior from an objective standpoint. Whether you are reporting this behavior to school officials, your managers at work or to legal authorities; make sure you have all the facts documented in detail and try not to bring your subjective feelings into the matter. If you feel as though your boss or teacher will not take these complaints seriously then go two or three level higher up the ladder; talk to the school principal or your manager’s boss. Keep it straightforward and low on emotion. Rehearsing your story beforehand with friends, family, or your therapist will help you stay calm and collected. Use words such as “harassment”, or “abuse” as these terms have higher connotations in the legal system and oftentimes the term “bullying” may be displayed to others as juvenile.

Take care of your mental health

Bullying can be damaging to your mental health. Bullying can lead many adults to drink excessively, self-medicate, overeat and disengage from friends and family. Other adults will choose to fight back in a negative manner, which can result in self-destruction. Avoid succumbing to bad behaviors and make sure you are leaning on support from family and friends during this time.

“October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month—a time to celebrate the hundreds of thousands of people living with Spina Bifida.  Spina Bifida occurs in the first 28 days of pregnancy.  Spina Bifida is the most common permanently disabling birth defect compatible with life.  Often referred to as the “snow flake” condition.  Each year over 1,600 babies are born with this condition in the United States.  By 18 years old all those diagnosed with Spina Bifida will have had at least 8 surgeries.  There is no cure with Spina Bifida.”

Spina Bifida Association (https://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/awareness-month/facts/)