Halloween treats can be healthy, and trick-or-treaters with diabetes can still be part of the fun

It wouldn't be Halloween without candy and chocolate in pillowcases and paper sacks. But with childhood obesity and diabetes rates looking as scary as the ax murderers and zombies knocking at the door, parents may consider handing out something other than the usual calorie-packed treats this year.

Courtney Cairns Pastor of The Associated Press suggests five non-candy foods "that won't get your house egged," including pretzel packs, single-serving bags of Goldfish snack crackers, freeze-dried fruit, snack-size microwave popcorn bags and squeezable applesauce. (AP photo) She also suggests handing out items that aren't food related at all, including stickers, temporary tattoos, crayons, bubbles and Play-Doh.

Still, eating a bit of candy on Halloween is tradition — and one still going strong. The National Retail Federation reported Americans spent nearly $1.8 billion on Halloween candy in 2010, spending an average of $20.29 per person.

Though one in four children are diabetic, they needn't skip tradition entirely, research-reporting service Newswise reports. "They can enjoy Halloween and enjoy some of the sweets the holiday offers — within reason," said Dr. Kenneth McCormick, pediatric endocrinologist and senior scientist at the Comprehensive Diabetes Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

McCormick said kids can opt to count their carbohydrate calories; exchange candy for other treats; or save their candy for dessert. By counting carbs, a child pays attention to how much they are consuming and "take, for example, one unit of insulin for every 15 to 20 grams of carbohydrates," Newswise reports. "This is an easy option for kids on an insulin pump because they can just dial in an extra dose of insulin to compensate for what they are about to eat," McCormick said.

Parents can "trade the child a gift, money or low-carb snack for their candy," McCormick suggested. "We have been advising parents to do this for many, many years, and it is a solution that continues to work." Diabetic kids can also avoid problems if they eat their Halloween treats after they have eaten dinner. "By incorporating a sugary treat into meal time, when a child would normally get a dose of insulin, it eliminates the need for adding doses to their regimen," McCormick said. (Read more)

The Halloween candy face-off: Real Simple magazine tries to answer which candy is healthier

A nutritional analysis by Real Simple magazine pitted favorite Halloween treats against one another to see which are healthier. While neither winner is necessarily good for you, the competition offers one way to choose the lesser of two evils. (Photo by Lucas Allen)

Snickers candy bars are a better choice than Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Kate Rope reports for Real Simple. Snickers "contains less fat, less saturated fat, and 10 fewer calories per two pieces," said Cynthia Sass, coauthor of "The Ultimate Diet Log."

Peanut M&M's or Skittles? Skittles are lower in calorie count, but M&M's will make you feel full longer.

Selecting Kit Kat over Twix will "save you 20 calories and rack up less saturated fat and sodium," Sass said, though it's a toss-up between Candy Corn and Tootsie Rolls.

What about Butterfinger or York Peppermint Patties? "Butterfingers boast 200 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 100 milligrams of sodium," Rope reports. "Meanwhile, three mini York patties pack 150 calories, 3 grams of fat, and 15 milligrams of sodium."

Jolly Rancher beat out Starburst, though not because there is a significant difference in calorie count, but because Jolly Ranchers take longer to suck and you're not as likely to eat several in a row.

Ther survey found for SweeTarts over Smarties; Milky Way over PayDay; Almond Joy over Mounds; Bubble Yum ove rTootsie Pop; and the classic caramel apple vs. candy apple. (Read more)

Tips for staying safe this Halloween include avoiding decorative contact lenses

Though ghouls and goblins willbe out in full force, there will be other, unexpected dangers lurking on Halloween, some before kids even leave the house.

Though glowing, oddly-colored eyes might seem like the ultimate spooky touch to kids' costumes, officials with the Kentucky Optometric Association, along with the Food and Drug Administration, warn against using decorative, non-corrective contact lenses that are sold without a prescription from an eye doctor. (FDA photo)

"Consumers who purchase lenses without a prescription or without consultation from an eye doctor put themselves at risk of serious bacterial infection, or even significant damage to the eye's ability to function, with the potential for irreversible sight loss," said Lisa Sanford Howard, an optometrist in Middlesboro. Risks involve conjunctivitis (pink eye), swelling, allergic reaction and corneal abrasion due to a poor lens fit.

In considering costumes, parents should make sure their children can see well through masks and walk without tripping on their costume, Kentucky State Police advise. While they're on the street, children should carry a flashlight or have reflective tape on their costumes to make them more visible.

"On Halloween evening, we're placing our children in probably some of the most dangerous traffic situations you could imagine," said KSP Lt. David Jude. "Our children are outside after dark, they walk along and cross unfamiliar streets, and they often wear dark colors, which are difficult for motorists to see."

When children get home with their haul, they should not eat treats until they have been checked by an adult. Parents should discard unwrapped or suspicious candy.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 41 million kids between ages 5 and 14 will go trick-or-treating this year.

Benefits of Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is one of a very nutritious plant life agi humans. Since nature provides everything for our health that we must sukuri. Content available on any bejibun Aloe Vera Aloe Vera proved to store important substances such as vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B21, C, E, choline, inositol, and folic acid. Minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, zinc, and chromium. The content of enzymes, including amylase, catalase, cellulose, Carboxypeptidase, carboxyhelolase, and brandykinase which are all very important for the metabolism of the body. Aloe vera also appears to contain various amino acids, namely arginine, asparagine, asparatic acid, analine, serine, valine, glutamic acid, threonine, glycine, lycine, yrozine, proline, histidine, leucine, and isoliucine.
Here are the benefits of aloe vera


1. overcome dermatitis

Inflammation of the skin often appear, such as X-rays because of operating time, length of exposure to sunlight or injury due to trauma. Many experts who rely on the liquid (gel) extracted from the leaves of aloe vera flesh to handle complaints / problems.

2. skin care

Aloe vera is also moisturize the skin. Efficacy has been known since the days of Cleopatra. No wonder that nearly 70% of cosmetic products because it is the essence of aloe vera gel. Lignin contains a substance believed to penetrate at once soak into the skin and resist the loss of fluid from the skin surface. So the skin so it does not dry quickly while moisture is maintained.

3. intestinal wounds

This occurs due to uncontrolled food intake or eating too much "hard" too stimulating gastric acid. Consumption of aloe vera is believed to heal the wounds of the intestine because they contain a substance saponin which is able to clean the intestines and antiseptic. Antrakuinonnya compound serves as an antibiotic, and other substances to function or perform the role of epithelialization of the skin tissue to stimulate new cell growth.

4. cure subscriptions

Who would have thought that aloe vera can overcome a variety of subscription disease in children and adults, including fever, stomach / heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, ulcers, cough, sore throat, thrush, rashes, insect bites, and even eliminate acne and scrape the black stains on the face.

5. help the body's metabolism and cell regeneration

The contents of the enzyme cellulose, amylose, protein and biogenic simulator is active substances can help your metabolism and stimulate growth and regeneration of skin cells.

6. hair fertilizer

How to mix: 2 sticks of aloe vera are washed and peeled. Fill rubbed on the scalp that had been washed in the afternoon. Wrap in a cloth. The next day the hair is rinsed. Do it every day for 3 months.

7. lowering blood sugar levels

How to mix: 1 stalk of aloe vera (about the size of your palm) is cleaned by peeling the skin and bones. Soak about 30 minutes in salt water. Squeeze a while and then rinse under running water (tap water). Boil 3 cups water to boil. Cool. Drink as much as 1 / 2 cups, 2 to 3 times a day.