October 11, 2001

Prairie Fare: Trick or Treat

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

I was dusting around my Fall decorations last weekend when I noticed a pile of wax shavings surrounding my candy corn-shaped candles. There was a neat line of small teeth marks all the way around each one. We have no furry critters, to my knowledge, in the house. My son immediately piped up, "I didn’t do it. Gracie did." My little daughter probably thought she hit the Halloween jackpot when she found these monster-size "candies" on the table. Someday she’ll get even with her brother for telling on her, too.

I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered nibbling on the wax fruits Mom used as a centerpiece. They looked so real. They weren’t very tasty, though. Even though marred by tiny incisors, those wax fruits appeared on the dining room table year after year. I’m sure my candy corn Halloween candles will become a tradition, too. Little kids, and their teeth, get big all too soon.

Halloween is just around the corner, so that means little goblins are growing anxious to gather candy corn, candy bars and other sweet tasting loot. Shopping malls are becoming popular places for children to gather and collect treats from generous merchants, but many young tricksters still haunt neighborhoods.

Be sure children’s masks and costumes fit well and allow them to see and walk without tripping. Reflective tape on costumes and flashlights help ensure safety, too. No treats should be eaten until after children arrive home and parents or caregivers have carefully inspected the treats. If anything looks suspicious, report it to the police. If you are giving treats to neighborhood children, consider labeling the treats with inexpensive name/address labels.

Some people are concerned about the amount of sugar that children eat as a result of trick or treating. An upset stomach certainly can result from too much candy, but there’s no scientific link between sugar and hyperactivity. Children certainly can become "energized" by staying up late, dressing in silly costumes and eating lots of sweets, but in the long run, it won’t affect their health as long as their overall diet is balanced and varied. Sweet sticky treats can lead to cavities, though, so it’s important that children brush their teeth carefully.

There are alternatives to candy treats. You might consider individual packs of pretzels, raisins, animal crackers, fruit leather, juice packs, pudding packs, applesauce packs or single-serving cereal boxes. Other non-food treats that are popular with young ghouls include stickers, colored pencils, plastic rings, note pads or gift certificates for ice cream or local fast food restaurants. Remember to consider the age of the recipient and avoid treats that could pose a choking hazard.

Be sure to serve a nutritious snack before your trick-or-treaters start their adventure, so they won’t be tempted to taste along the way.

What’s Halloween without pumpkin? Here’s a tasty treat that makes good use of the star of the season: the pumpkin. Serve up some pumpkin pancakes to your little goblins. Add a little stem to the top of the pumpkin pancake when you’re pouring the batter to delight the little ones. Finish with chocolate chip eyes.

You can use canned pumpkin or substitute cooked, mashed pumpkin. Pumpkin is an excellent source of beta carotene, the orange pigment that our bodies convert to vitamin A. Our bodies use vitamin A to help keep skin and tissues healthy, plus this natural antioxidant may help reduce our risk of certain kinds of cancer. Pumpkin also is a good source of fiber, plus it’s naturally low in fat and sodium.

Pumpkin Pancakes

1/2 cup regular, uncooked oats
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup low-fat or skim milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoon wheat germ
1 Tablespoon sugar

Combine oats and buttermilk and let stand for 15 minutes to soften. Mix eggs, oil, pumpkin and milk and blend well. Combine all dry ingredients and mix with the egg mixture. Add oats and buttermilk and blend until batter is fairly smooth. Add extra milk if batter is too thick. Bake on a lightly greased griddle. Makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 270 calories, 9 grams of fat, 4.6 grams of fiber, 200 milligrams calcium and a full day’s supply of vitamin A, as beta carotene.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu