Each year, my office encourages costumes on Halloween -- we spend an hour giving non-edible treats to sick kids, so that justifies coming to work dressed as fairy tale characters, animals, and other eye-catching creatures. It's fun, a good cause, and I love the fact I can go to work in something other than "work clothes." I didn't have time to find costume parts to make myself into a giant pumpkin (my first idea), so last night, I cobbled together a pirate outfit from clothing I own: a red velvet shirt over a black and white striped turtleneck, old brown pants rolled up, old black shoes with buckles made out of cardboard and tinfoil. Done! (ARGH!)
Not done -- eating the candy. For non-GERDy folks, over-indulging in Halloween treats is a potential problem. For sensitive stomachs, even more so! I have days when chocolate and other sweets do not affect me, and other days when one Oreo cookie is followed by acid reflux. I'm still trying to figure out what triggers this response when it happens.
Meanwhile, I do intend to enjoy some chocolate treats today! I tried to find some online tips about navigating Halloween with GERD and found this:
The rest of the Halloween/candy conversation out there focuses on how to get kids to NOT eat their candy. Doesn't that miss the point of Halloween? For instance:
- The Mayo Clinic's article about making Halloween a teachable moment
- Nutritionist summarizes the perils of too much Halloween candy
If you're going to do Halloween, then do it -- and allow your kids to indulge (it's just one day or one week's worth of candy a year!), and don't forget to steal a few pieces for yourself! p.s. During our Halloween candy giveaway tonight, we offered chocolates to a few adult passers-by and they were delighted to snag a few bars!
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