As you hear me say all the time around here, sugar is not a food. It is a harmful addictive drug and has no place in the diet of our children, even at Halloween. Although it may temporarily put a smile on their face, it ultimately sets them up for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, endocrine disorders, depression, anxiety, adhd, poor cognitive function, alcoholism or drug addiction and a whole list of other potential health conditions.
However, you don’t want your child to feel left out, so finding healthier alternatives for the holidays is important. And of course, it isn’t only the children who need to be concerned about sugar intake. The same applies to adults as well, and many of us like to have a treat on Halloween as well.
A site visitor, Sylvia Long, sent me this recipe earlier this week and I thought it would make a delicious and healthy Halloween treat, so I asked her if I could post it online and she graciously agreed.
Ingredients
- Almond butter (crunchy)
- Chopped up dates (could omit this, to reduce carb level)
- Flaxseeds (I suggest sunflower seeds instead)
- Carob powder
- Stevia
- Almond meal
Instructions
- Mix everything together except the almond meal.
- Shape into round balls.
- Coat the balls with almond meal.
- (I would also add that ingredients should be organic if possible.)
Sylvia didn’t provide measurements, probably because it depends on how big of a batch you want to make and you could have different textures depending on how you vary the measurements. So you can experiment and see what works best for you.
A couple things to keep in mind, I don’t advocate the consumption of carob on a daily or weekly basis, because it is a legume and not Paleo friendly. Legumes, if eaten regularly, destroy the gastrointestinal tract, lead to inflammation and nutritional deficiencies and are too high on the glycemic index, which means they have a negative impact on blood sugar, candida, neurotransmitters, and insulin. However, there is nothing wrong with an occasional carob treat and carob is a much better choice than chocolate that is filled with addictive substances as well.
Dates are also too high on the glycemic index to be eaten on a frequent basis, but okay once in a while. However, you could omit the dates from the recipe to reduce the carb content, and it will still work just fine.
Overall this recipe is pretty healthy as long as it is reserved for special occasions.
Also, flaxseeds can be problematic for people who are estrogen dominant. If you are estrogen dominant, you may want to avoid the flaxseeds and replace with sunflower seeds. However, just one serving may not cause a disruption.
I’ve written about the topic of Healthy Halloween treats in more depth in posts from previous years, so please visit these pages to learn more about the health dangers of sugar and a variety of healthy alternatives to candy as well.
Healthy Halloween Snacks for Kids
Thank you Sylvia, for the recipe. I think it sounds delicious.
Have a healthy and happy Halloween.
“Legumes destroy the gastrointestinal tract” is a pretty big statement to make. How do we know this? Are there any studies to show that they do in fact damage the gut? I am not trying to be argumentative, and acknowledge that quite possibly that this is the case, I just wonder where this information originates from and how much evidence there actually is to back it up.
I guess I’m just a little frustrated too, because it seems that EVERYTHING is unhealthy and will damage us in some way. I have been sending hommous and celery sticks to school with my kids…and now that’s off the menu too? I find it very hard to stick to just meat and vegetables, especially with children. They shouldn’t eat fruit, because it’s full of sugar, potato is bad, popcorn is bad….what else is there!!???
Yes, Kerrie,
That’s correct. Legumes are harmful to the gastrointestinal tract and result in nutritional deficiencies. There is a great deal of information out there to back this up. Just do a Google search for “legumes and lectins” and you will see.
I suggest you read, The Paleo Diet, as it explains in great detail why this is, with the research to back it up.
Also, here is a good article on the topic
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/lectins/
There’s no harm in an occasional indulgence in legumes, but they should not be part of the diet on a daily basis.
Cooking the carob will reduce the lectin content, and therefore reduce the negative impact.
Also, soaking legumes will help reduce most of the lectin content. So when you do eat hummus, be sure to soak the beans first.
Yes, unlearning all the lies we’ve been taught and getting back to the diet we are supposed to eat can be a frustrating process at first.
Children and adults can eat fruit, as long as it is fresh and doesn’t have any added sugar. However, sticking with the lower sugar fruits the majority of the time is best. Reserving the high sugar fruits for special occasions. However, if your child is very active physically, then they will burn up most of the sugar in the fruit, so an active child may need more fruit and some high sugar fruit may not be so bad.
Meat, eggs, fish, low-carb vegetables, fruit and nuts, in that order are the foods we are supposed to eat.
However, if there’s no dairy intolerance or sensitivity, it’s okay to throw in some raw cheese or full fat yogurt here and there.
And the hummus in the lunch once a week is not going to be too detrimental, especially if you take the time to soak them first.
Best
Cynthia