Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Halloween is a'coming. And, I'm finding it more difficult to avoid the trick-or-treating tradition, like I did the first 3 years of my daughter's life. Family is obnoxiously obessed with ritual! There is next to nothing the girls can eat if they get candy from the neighbors. I've even gotten "costumes" as gifts! Has anyone dealt with this before? Any suggestions?

This is what I am thinking of substituting...since my daughter is already excited about the prospect of dressing up like a cowgirl with her talking horse, I'm going to indulge this year. I'll allow her to trick-or-treat, with the understanding that what she receives she is going to give away the next day when she gets to dress up AGAIN! At home, I'll make some chocolate/peanutbutter dip and chop up apples to satisfy the chocolate necessity that will overwhelm a 3 y/o after trick or treating. Then, the next day, I'll dress her up again, and we'll go to a nursing home to deliver the candy, socialize and enjoy another fun day of dress-up.

Opinions - do you think this will work? I'm suspecting a slight battle at not getting to eat the candy but I also think that she's young enough to redirect.

Any other tips, healthy vegan parents and nonparents???

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I'm not a parent, but I always liked sorting through my candy for some reason. Maybe you could let her sort out different kinds of candy into different bowls or something. That way, she'd still get to interact with it, it wouldn't just be taken right away from her?! It'd still be a source of entertainment? I don't really know what kids like, but it's an idea.

I think its a good idea to let her go out and trick or treat cause you definately dont want her to feel like she is missing out. Any chance of trading her the candy for some vegan goodies, (theres a cahnce she might get some vegan candies heres a list of vegan candy http://www.vegfamily.com/lists/vegan-candy.htm) or maybe taking the candy to an orphanage or something where the kids dont get any candy.

Heres a vegfamily article about vegan halloween http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-children/vegan-halloween.htm

OR..as i know you have a flair for the culinary arts, maybe you guys could tackle some of your own vegan candy making. I found a recipe for vegan cadburry eggs on this post
http://www.veganfitness.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1764&highlight=candy

some "simple" vegan candy recipes http://www.vegsource.com/articles/bryanna_candy.htm

and heres a link to a whole bunch of vegan candy
http://store.foodfightgrocery.com/candy.html

it should now be obvious that i have no life.

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p.s. I live with my 5 year old sister....and isn't it always a battle??? As adults we have these great ideas we think they will go for, and then they have their own ideas. Haha for example...maybe she will eat her cucumber slices if i make them shaped like hearts...i say...no popsicle until you eat your cucumber slices...so she thinks ok...I'll throw them away and put my plate back on the table and she'll never know...

it's war i tell ya!

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It seems to me that traditional trick-or-treating is slowly going out of style in recent years, so maybe it would not be that unusual if she did not trick or treat? Maybe there are organized events in your area instead?

However, there are some common types of candy that are vegan--not chocolate bars, but some of the fruity kinds are. I know someone has supplied a link, I think from PETA, about "accidentally vegan" foods, and they have a list of candies that are vegan. So if she did end up with a bag of candy, you could go through it with her and separate out vegan and non-vegan candy. She could give away the non-vegan stuff, or even try to trade with other kids for more of the vegan stuff--trading candies seems to be a Halloween tradition as well.

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Okay, I found the list. It's all snack together, but here are the ones I recognize as candies or other treats that might end up in a trick or treat bag.

* Airheads Taffy
* Big League Chew Gum
* Blow Pops
* Brach's Cinnamon Hard Candy
* Brach's Cinnamon Hard Candy
* Brach's Orange Slices
* Brach's Root Beer Barrels
* Brach's Star Brites
* Bubble Tape Gum
* Charms lollipops
* Chick-o-Sticks
* Chocolove Dark Chocolate bar
* Chocolove Orange Peel (Dark Chocolate Bar)
* Cracker Jacks
* Cry Babies
* Dem Bones
* Dots
* Dum Dums
* Entenmann's Fudge Delights Fudge & Mint Cookies
* Everest Gum
* Fireballs
* Goldenberg's Peanut Chews (Original)
* Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews
* Hubba Bubba Bubblegum
* Hubba Bubba Gum
* Jolly Ranchers (lollipops and hard candy)
* Jujubees
* Jujyfruits
* Laffy Taffy
* Lemonheads
* Mike and Ike
* Now and Later
* Nutter Butter Bites
* Panda Licorice
* Pure De-Lite Coconut Bars
* Ring Pop lollipops
* Smarties (U.S. version only)
* Sour Patch Kids
* Starburst (jelly beans and hard candy)
* Super Bubble
* Swedish Fish
* Sweet Tarts
* Twizzlers
* Zotz

So, you can see she could end up with at least some of those. I know Smarties are ubiquitous Halloween candy.

Here's the link: http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/VeganShoppingQS-Snacks.asp?Category=Snacks

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My 2012 Training Log

I understand your dilemma since I have a 20 month old. We're planning to take him to the local town recreation center for a kid's Halloween party. I figured I would just try to keep him occupied by bringing stuff like bananas, rice milk, Gorilla Munch cereal and other things I know he likes. I think I'll try to convince the kids there that cool kids eat stuff like apples and bananas and candy is for losers. But I'm not sure if that will work or not. We'll see

trick or treating doesnt make any sense to me.
when I was little I did it and it was fun to get to go out dressed up.
but I never understood why we did it. also, I dont think candy should be encouraged as a "treat".
those are just my thoughts.

I don't have a qualification in Parenthood, but then again neither do actual parents. But I think people get carried away with social normality, and don't stop to consider what is actually happening. If a child was smoking cigarettes, people would be going crazy. But if they are eating unhealthily, then that's okay as a treat? What about giving kids cigarettes as treats? I don't understand why there is a problem with disuading children from candy. It's just because kids like the taste of it and it makes them momentarily happy that it has become accepted as a quick way to 'shut kids up'. But really, there is no greater good accomplished. I am not suggesting placing massive restrictions on kids, or bullying them or anything. I just think it's kind of weird the traditions that have been built up. "Hooray it's your birthday, let's be extra unhealthy today!". Seems weird to me, but I don't have kids.

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^^^^ DOPE!^^^^

My parents used to make me go to church on this nite. But after i got to old for it, i never really went out. But the churchstill gave out candy and dressed up so i don't see what the point of going to the church was...

I used to love candy alot.. then i stopped eatting it for like 2 1/2 years. Mainly cuz i got sucked in to spending my money one it. but now i eat it every now and then if i find somehting new that vegan (since they come out with new candies all the time) or if i really like it. but i don't by it often

i went throu the same thing with soda too. but now i only drink caffinee free soda. but not often, cuz its pretty much just tasty motor oil. lol


i can see the point of not wanting to giev your kid candy... its not healthy! but not letting your kidds have sweats once and a while can make life boring and dull in my opinion. maybe if you seperate all the vegan candy from the rest, give away the bad non vegan candy, like some of the other said, and save the vegan andy to give to your child over time.

i dunno just i idea. if i had to give non vegan candy away i would tell every person: "this candy is bad and wrong and you might die from it one day." truth or not it won't wanna make them eat candy they might die from.

it was rad when ppl used to give out apples on halloween but then some psycho put razorblades in the apples, and that ended that.

way to have one good person ruin the real "treats". humpfff

Thank you all for your comments and assistance. That list was incredible, Liz.

While I am concerned with the "veganness" of the goodies, my primary issue is with health. I have a million ideas for "fun" ways to make this experience educationsl, compassionate and healthy. Ultimately, though, these games are obsurd as I'd like to just overlook this "holiday" and focus on DAILY creative play (dress up,...) instead of throwing meaning into this one insignificant excuse for junk and overindulgence.

But then I question myself...am I hurting my children with my cynicism by denying them the "rituals of their peers", will they then rebel against all of the ethics I put in place (including veganism) or am I creating free-thinking, independent and critical future adults?

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Making Prudish Americans Uncomfortable - one photo at a time.

Maybe both

I understand your dilemma. I guess it strongly depends on HOW you do it, not only on WHAT you do. I think you're a very caring and loving mother, i can't imagine you'll be hurting your kids. You sure know how to talk to them and explain things in a way they understand. And kids raised with love and attention can develop a strong and compassionate character themselves.

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No one said it would be easy.

Are you against Halloween mostly because you don't like how kids end up with such huge quantities of candy?

When I was growing up, we had a healthy household. We didn't have candy, softdrinks, cookies, white bread, sugary cereals, etc. We would have sweet stuff now and then as a rare treat. So Halloween was extra special for us because candy was something that we didn't often have. I can't remember now whether we got to keep all of our candy; the amount we got would have lasted us for a long time. (I do remember my dad would take some candy from all of us.) I think we understood pretty well that the indulgence of Halloween was something that was supposed to be done very infrequently.

If it's primarily the huge amounts of candy you are opposed to, you could let her trick-or-treat, let her have a couple of items of vegan candy from her bag, and then give away the rest, explaining that eating all that candy would be bad for her and that since she has too much for just herself she can share with other people who don't have any. It sounds like you have a plan for her to dress up again and then go hand out candy the day after? That sounds like a good idea.

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My 2012 Training Log

There's something wrong with having fun?


VM, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with letting your daughter go trick-or-treating, and keeping and eating the vegan candy. Childhood is supposed to be fun and, unless its just my pessimistic attitude, that's getting harder and harder to do.

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