Wednesday, 28 October 2015 12:22

Candy, Candy, Candy: Hidden Dangers of Holiday Treats

As a kid, Halloween may have been your favorite holiday. As a parent, it may be your worst nightmare.
As a kid, Halloween may have been your favorite holiday.

As a parent, it may be your worst nightmare.

All that candy, with all that sugar and other unhealthy ingredients, especially artificial food colors and dyes. 

Food coloring has been considered a neurotoxin, causing hyperactivity and other attention issues in children.

But, it's the holiday... how can you say "no" to your kids when it comes to eating their favorite loot?

Kathryn Guylay says the worst thing you can do is just take the candy away with no real explanation. Kids don't always understand what "unhealthy" means, or the long-term consequences eating bad foods can have.

Instead, learn what motivates your child. In Guylay's own experience, she discovered her son really does not like to be taken for a fool. So, she explained to him how many of the food manufacturers paint a "pretty picture" on the front of a food box but by reading the ingredient label, the deception can be detected.

Every child is going to be different, so try to find something that will speak to your child. 

Perhaps you can relate it to physicality... How does your child's body feel? How does eating badly impact their athletic or academic performances? The key is to educate and empower your kids. The more they can learn, the better able they are to make choices.

Listen in as Guylay joins Andrea and Lisa to share more tips and ideas for making sure your kids learn to eat health on holidays, as well as all throughout the year.

Additional Info

  • Segment Number: 3
  • Audio File: naturally_savvy/1544ns3c.mp3
  • Featured Speaker: Kathryn Guylay
  • Book Title: Mountain Mantras: Wellness and Life Lessons from the Slopes
  • Guest Twitter Account: @kathrynguylay
  • Guest Bio: Kathryn-GulayWhen she's not giving talks on nutrition and wellness, Kathryn Kemp Guylay is engaged in numerous other activities in her community and beyond. She is wife to husband Jeff and proud mother to Elena and Alexander. Kathryn, Jeff, Elena, and Alexander live in Ketchum, Idaho, with their six pets.

    As the founder and executive director of Nurture, Kathryn provides nutrition and wellness education and services to children and families in the school setting as well as social services agencies. As a principal of Healthy Solutions of Sun Valley, Kathryn brings wellness solutions to organizations and corporations through speaking engagements and workshops. You can hear Kathryn's voice on KDPI FM Ketchum when she hosts her own bi-weekly radio show on wellness topics.

    In service to her community, Kathryn acts an advisory board member for The Hunger Coalition, the food pantry for the Wood River Valley in Idaho. She is also a mentor at the Ketchum Innovation Center, which provides guidance and support to small, local businesses. She is a big fan of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign and is proud to participate in several areas of the initiative. Kathryn also participates as a local ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (Food Day).  

    Recent awards include a Pillars of Character Award (City of Highland Park, Illinois), the Community Health Hero (Edible Schoolyard of Berkeley, California), and Health Hero (Public Health Department of South Central Idaho). Kathryn earned a BA from Emory University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin. She earned her Certification in Nutritional Counseling from Trinity College in Warsaw, Indiana. Kathryn has several certifications in corporate wellness from the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA).
  • Length (mins): 10
  • Waiver Received: Yes
  • Internal Notes: repeat guest
  • Host: Andrea Donsky, RHN and Lisa Davis, MPH