Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Vegetarian Zombies and Other Halloween Secrets


Sugary candies are to trick-or-treaters like brains are to a zombie: fat-inducing and decidedly bad for the neighbourhood. Author, organic farmer, and artist Beate Epp wants parents to realize that despite Halloween’s unhealthy reputation it’s actually the perfect opportunity to nurture your children’s love of nutritious foods. While parents may not have control over what houses hand out; they can make sure that their children have the opportunity to enjoy more nutritious treats at home and at parties.

High fructose corn syrup is rampant in Halloween treats, and is well-recognized as a contributor to childhood obesity and the development of diabetes. And while even dentists don’t believe that a few days of candy consumption will cause problems, nobody wants a child who gets a big ‘haul’ of candy to end up modifying their food behaviours as a result. Including health options into your Halloween celebrations is the perfect way to encourage healthy eating alongside their trick-or-treating.

“Parents sometimes forget that children actually like nutritious treats. Just think about how they gobble up the roasted pumpkin seeds left from carving. By having nutritious options available to children at their school and home Halloween hauntings, you’ll encourage healthy eating habits in the long-term,” explains Epp, whose children’s novel The Magical Horses includes various nutritious snack recipes. “It’s the perfect opportunity to get finicky eaters excited about healthy food. Get kids excited about vegetables with a haunted forest, or a monster finger dip. And what child won’t get excited about carving and eating watermelon brains? And of course, there’s a great opportunity to warm up cold trick-or-treaters with hot, fresh apple cider when they come home!”

Information about Beate’s work and her book can be found at her website www.beate-epp.com

Links to projects described can be found at the following links:

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To book an interview contact: 
Rachel Sentes
604-366-7846
rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com

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