If your family participated in the holiday celebrations, you are probably overwhelmed at the sheer amount of candy your children have gotten in a few hours!

I admit that I don’t buy candy for my kids. When Halloween arrives, they absolutely love to trick-or-treat and they actually list the different types of candy they have gotten, along with the amount of that type of candy. Yes, they construct GRAPHS based on their candy. Then, they begin to trade amongst themselves – or fight amongst themselves. Our son was just old enough to go trick-or-treating with his sisters this year, but he really isn’t old enough to eat all of the candy he received.

Perhaps your little pumpkin went trick or treating and now you are wondering what to do with all of that candy. You may? be wondering exactly what kinds of candy are appropriate for your child to eat. I’ll share our system with you, but remember to keep your child in mind when making food decisions. Each child is different, and what is ok for one child may not be for another.

Lollipops are usually a good choice
They may be sticky, but older babies (around a year) are able to enjoy lollipops. Be sure to supervise your child and to make sure that they don’t bite off a small piece, which could be a choking hazard. I only allow my son to eat ‘regular’lollipops; not the kind with the candy in the center.

Avoid sticky and chewy candy
Candy that is sticky and chewy is a bad choice as these are bad for you child’s teeth and they can pose a choking hazard.

Avoid small pieces
If your child is young, small round candy pieces can also be a chocking hazard, even if they are easy to eat.

Avoid nuts and peanut butter
Nuts of course are a choking hazard. Peanut butter can cause allergies or a reaction. In some candy, the peanut butter is chewy or sticky, and can also be a chocking hazard. I actually don’t feed my children peanut butter until they are around 2 years old anyway but I’ve heard of people who wait until their children are around 3.

Chocolate is usually a good choice
I say usually, because the chocolate may have crispy bits, nuts or peanut butter mixed with it. I find that the ’snack bar’size is perfect for my son to eat. Be forewarned however – chocolate can get VERY messy and it’s hard to remove from the carpet and paint on the walls!

Remember that this is a great opportunity to get your child to brush his teeth too! After we eat a piece of candy, we make sure to brush our toddler’s teeth. He loves every minute of it and I’m hoping that we’re creating good habits for the future! Of course, it’s best to also limit the amount of candy that your children eat for a bunch of reasons. I usually allow the children a piece of candy a day.

What happens to all of the sticky, small, chewy, and peanut butter filled candy that our son can’t eat? Well, my husband and I can eat small, chewy and peanut butter filled candy – isn’t that a good thing. I guess you could say that everyone in our house got treated this holiday!

A couple of weeks ago it became sadly obvious that consuming something made in China is dangerous. Thousands of babies suffered kidney stones or worse after drinking formula tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical. Worse, it is suspected that the melamine was added intentionally in order to bolster the protein levels.

Until now, you might have said, ‘Wow, that’s sad,’ but not worried about it because your child is not drinking Chinese formula. But your older children’and yourself’could still be consuming melamine-tainted milk products.

In Indonesia, two-thirds of Chinese milk products on store shelves tested positive for the chemical, including cookies, candy, milk tablets, and some drinks. Now, British candy maker Cadbury is recalling 11 products due to suspicion they may include melamine. They are distributed in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Australia. But I wouldn’t breath a sigh of relief just yet.

In tests conducted in several countries, melamine has been found in popular Chinese-manufactured products including Oreo cookies, M&M candies, Snickers candy bars. So now US manufacturers are in on the action. ‘They’ say they are safe. But who are they and why should I believe their claims?

It’s hard for me to fathom that Western corporations still make money by manufacturing goods in China. After millions of dollars lost in recalls, I’d think they’d learn their lesson. Because even though this particular scandal will be cleared up, I still wonder what’s next. Lead paint on toys, industrial chemicals in milk? will we find out there’s something woven into the clothes we wear? I’m paranoid, but I don’t think it’s unfounded.

I’m going to check my calcium supplement right now?

We are what we drink. Researchers looked into the health effects of 4 of the most favorite drinks in the Western world besides water – tea, coffee, cocoa, and wine. Here are the results.

• Tea – Dutch researchers reported that tea has beneficial effects on your heart. Green tea is especially rich in strong oxidants flavonols and catechins that provide protection against cardiovascular disease.

 

• Coffee – “What about coffee?“, the caffeine addicts would ask. Greek researchers reported that coffee does not necessarily increase your risk for developing cardiovascular disease. However, coffee has been observed to increase blood pressure and can have some adverse effects when combined with cigarette smoking. Also, the health effects of coffee can vary depending on the type of coffee and the preparation method. In other words, an Arabica caf? latt? might have a different effect compared to a Robusta cappuccino.

 

• Chocolate – When it comes to chocolate, the darker, the better. Who else but researchers from the land of chocolate – Switzerland – should report about the positive effects of cocoa? Cocoa benefits your cardiovascular health by “lowering blood pressure, improved endothelial function, improved insulin sensitivity and platelet function.” Take note that maximum effects come from pure, unprocessed cocoa and not necessarily from the chocolates we buy from Swiss confectioners. During the processing of cacao, some of its antioxidant properties are lost. Dark chocolate is definitely much healthier than milk chocolate or white chocolate.

 

• Wine – Now, this list won’t be complete without wine, right? Italian researchers reported that low to moderate alcohol consumption reduces your risk for cardiovascular disease. Wine, especially red wine, is rich with resveratrol and the antioxidants flavonoids and melatonin. Resveratrol which comes from the skin of red grapes has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. For maximum cardiovascular benefit, 1 to 2 glasses of wine per day for women are recommended and 2 to 4 glasses per day for men. However, you shouldn’t forget that excessive alcohol can lead to major health problems.

In conclusion, tea, cocoa, and wine have beneficial effects on your cardiovascular health. The effect of coffee, however, is not clear and needs to be studied more. A final recommendation from heart experts is as follows:

“Take a coffee or cocoa drink for breakfast, drink green tea during the day, a glass of wine in the evening and … a piece of dark chocolate before going to bed !!!”

Source:

Menendez, S.S. The gourmand’s heart – a bitter sweet relationship? Presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2008 held in Munich, Germany last August 30 to September 3.

During my first pregnancy I generally abstained from chocolate because I had heard about the possible dangers of caffeine consumption while pregnant. After all, chocolate has a bit of caffeine, doesn’t it? I wanted to be as careful as possible.

When my second pregnancy came along I was a little more relaxed about the whole thing. I indulged in chocolate occasionally, but still stayed away from caffeinated drinks. I don’t know if it had any effect on my son, but I guarantee you I was a happier lady.

Now a study has been released that makes the claim that chocolate might actually reduce complications during pregnancy.

Hallelujah! Finally some good news.

I’ve heard about the merits behind moderate dark chocolate consumption, but never associated with pregnancy. Now it sounds like eating dark chocolate during pregnancy can actually lower the odds of preeclampsia.

Let me get this straight: I get to eat dark chocolate and avoid preeclampsia? Sounds good to me!

The study concentrated on dark chocolate, so if you’re a fan of milk chocolate then you might not derive the same benefits as people like me who could seriously eat dark chocolate all day long. Still, I’m always happy to hear about anything the justifies my love of chocolate.

As with anything else, though, my guess is that moderation is key with this. Don’t take this news as permission to eat dark chocolate instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you need any more justification for indulging in some chocolate during pregnancy, don’t forget that some researchers suggest that chocolate during pregnancy can result in a happier baby.

Just as I’ve always thought…chocolate is awesome.

With Valentine’s day approaching, and Easter not far away, perhaps you’ll be receiving some chocolate soon. Oooh, but what about watching your weight?

Researchers in Finland, who appear to be chocoholics, studied 300 pregnant women. They asked the women to record their diets and stress levels while pregnant, and then visited with the mothers and babies six months after birth.

The babies born to women who ate chocolate daily while pregnant were happier, and smiled and laughed more.

And, the babies of stressed women who had eaten chocolate daily appeared to deal with stressful situations better, showing less fear, than the babies of stressed women who didn’t eat chocolate.

The researchers can’t prove that it’s chocolate that caused the effect, but they speculate that mood enhancing chemicals known to be in chocolate may cross the placenta and affect the baby.

I don’t think anyone would give you the green light to eat a box of chocolates a day, but a little treat a day won’t hurt. Except, of course, if your doctor says no, like for moms with gestational diabetes.

I’m a happier mom with a little chocolate, and my toddler is certainly the cheerful, smiley type. I’m quite willing to believe indulging while pregnant helped make my sweet son a very happy little boy!

Source – New Scientist Online