Fall is officially here! The beautiful weather and changing of the colors are preparing us for the upcoming Holiday season. As HALLOWEEN is right around the corner, we think it’s important for you to know some of the side effects that come with this sweet, sugary holiday. Sugar might just be the scariest part of Halloween. Some may even call it a poison. Did you know that the average American now consumes about 175 pounds of sugar per year?! That is about 46 teaspoons a day. Even more terrifying is the two billion dollars worth of candy that Americans will consume in celebration of the Halloween holiday.

White processed sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are to blame, which are cheap alternatives to the real stuff. Robert Lustig- a leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine calls high fructose corn syrup “the most demonized additive known to man.”

The most unfortunate part is that most people are not aware of the devastating effects that excess sugar has on the body, especially when eaten in abundance at a young age. When children eat sugar, they are not only setting themselves up for tooth decay, but more importantly the risk of developing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, acne, heart disease, ADHD, cancer, high blood pressure, anxiety disorders, microbial overgrowth, depression and addiction, only to name a few. Sugar and many of the chemicals in candy impact the brain in the same manner as alcohol and hard drugs like cocaine. If the ingredients on your candy wrapper looks like another language to you, get rid of it! Most of them contain endless lists of food dyes, preservatives, chemicals and mind-altering substances.

So how are you going to satisfy your sweet tooth this holiday season? Here are some alternative options to candy bars and sugary treats that are especially great for your sugar-hooked children!

• Make your own homemade candies such as these Chocolate peppermint patties, Knock-off Rolo’s  , Homemade gelatin gummies,  Chocolate pumpkin pie truffles  or Chocolate peanut butter cups  (remember that natural sugars are still a form of sugar, eat in moderation!)
• Opt for popcorn, nuts, or sugar-free trail mixes
• Go pumpkin or apple picking and enjoy the Fall harvest of fruits and vegetables that the season has to offer!