Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. Crisp cool days and the wind blowing through the trees at night, the branches making spooky shapes in the evening sky. Dressing up in costumes, staying out late on week nights, plus mounds of candy!  I just hoped the weather would stay warm enough so my mom would not make me wear a coat over my Princess costume.

 We ate as much candy as we could on the way back because the minute we arrived home our loot would be inspected and confiscated.

With my own kids, I did not come up with any clever ways to talk them out of the candy frenzy, and I could not deny them the fun I had planning a costume and going Trick or Treating. But I did try to decrease the effects of the sugar.

First I made sure they ate a good meal before they went out. Protein and good fat will slow down the absorption of sugar. I also gave them extra vitamins and minerals. Minerals are lost when sugar is metabolized because the sugar lowers the ph (acidity level) of the stomach, preventing absorption. So, extra calcium, magnesium and trace minerals are important during holiday feasting. The reason that cavities form is not just the acid or bacteria in the mouth, but the body will pull minerals out of the teeth when sugar is eaten.

We carry a yummy chewable B vitamin called Inositol that will help balance blood sugar when taken after eating sweets, and other natural B vitamins will also help. Cataplex GTF helps the sugar to go into the cells instead of circulating in the blood. It may assist with weight loss since that means the sugar is utilized instead of being turned to fat.

The ultimate weapon against sugar is Gymnema, an Ayurvedic herb from India, literally known as the “sugar destroyer”. It will help the pancreas increase insulin production. It has a peculiar characteristic. If you put Gymnema on your tongue, in either tablet or liquid form, it will bind with the sweet receptors on your tongue and you will not be able to taste anything sweet for a few hours afterwards. It really works, and I can give you a demonstration in the office. I can combine Gymnema with chocolate stevia to make a spray that will stop even the most ardent candy eater in their tracks. Now, I am not saying you should do this to kids before they go Trick or Treating and spoil their fun. I just want to point out the power of herbal medicine.

So, if you know you won’t be able to keep your hands off your kids candy, there is help from the herbal world. Just call and we can make a sweet-stopping spray for you. It’s a pretty neat Trick for avoiding too many Treats.

Hope you and your family have a safe and Happy Halloween.

There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

Warmly;

Anne