Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Exciting Halloween Suggestion For Trick Or Treat

johalex

Recommended Posts

johalex Rookie
johalex
Posted

My ds and I had a heart-to-heart talk about his Celiacs a few weeks back. He is very concerned about Halloween and told me he feels both sad and angry when we go through his Halloween candy and take the things that he cannot eat. It isn't any better when we trade them with his sister- he still feels badly by it all.

So, I thought and thought and came up with this solution, and he is tickled pink by it! He is 8, BTW.

I am going to make a trip to the Dollar Store. I have a huge list of candy that is listed as "gluten free" that my local Celiacs society puts out each year. I am going to buy the candies he can have off that list that are his favorites- but in the bigger forms.

I am then going to set up a Candy Store. Each bigger item will have a price of, say 10 smaller pieces of candy. He can trade his candy for the ones he really wants! Then, we are taking that candy into work with Daddy, where it will be put in a bowl for the customers to eat.

I just wanted to share that idea. This is just one of a number of ideas I am coming up to make my son's life more *fun* when it comes to foods and all the limitations that they cause him. He also has a dairy intolerance, so the issues are numerous.

JAT!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


buffettbride Enthusiast
buffettbride
Posted

I think that is a great idea. I might try something similar with my 10 year old. This is her first Halloween as a Celiac.

Do you happen to have that list you were given for this year's gluten-free halloween candy? I've been looking for a current one, but only can find one from ROCK for 2006.

jmd3 Contributor
jmd3
Posted

This is my dd first Halloween gluten free - that is a great idea! I noticed that you have a list of candies from the celiac society - could you please post the list and also please share the list of dairy free-gluten free candies....I am missing this and thought perhaps as a treat I could have a piece of gluten-free/CF candy.... Thanks!

missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

That's a great idea.

I know it's alot of work but if someone could post a list that'd be great.

I decided to order from Oriental Trading Co. and give out glow in the dark vampire fangs and bouncy balls instead of candy this year. I spent a little more than I would have on candy but I feel better about it and we can save the leftovers for next year or donate bouncy balls to the school for prizes(they're always asking and usually give candy, arrgh! :angry: ).

zarfkitty Explorer
zarfkitty
Posted

What great ideas! Here's another one:

This is my daughter's first Halloween with dietary restrictions. She's going to trick-or-treat for UNICEF instead of for candy. (I already bought a bunch of Gluten-free Casein-free candies for her to pig out on at the appropriate time!)

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF is a great way for kids to help other kids and it's been going on since 1952. You can get an orange UNICEF donation box at your local Hallmark shop (it's free). It's a small cardboard box with a slot in the top for coins. At each house, the trick-or-treater asks for spare change in addition to candy (or in our case, instead of candy). Then you send the money to UNICEF to help kids around the world.

Yay!

Ridgewalker Contributor
Ridgewalker
Posted

What excellent ideas! This is our first gluten-free Halloween as well. I, too, would appreciate that list of safe candy.

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

I'll throw out what I'm doing for Halloween. I thought about trading candy but quite honestly, I don't want it in the house (I eat waaaaay more than my fair share, if you know what I mean ;) ). Plus, the kids do a camping trip one of the weekends of Oct and there is trick or treating there, also. So I made a deal with them. They get some candy to eat the night of trick or treating and then they get to pick out three pieces of candy from the camping trip and 7 pieces of candy from Halloween night and then the rest of it is traded in for (dare I say it?) a Webkinz. Then the pounds & pounds of candy will go with my husband to work!! They readily agreed!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


weathertopmama Rookie
weathertopmama
Posted

Great ideas! This is what we did last year:

We went trick-or-treating in a nearby neighborhood, just for the tradition and social aspect of it. When we came home, they handed me their pumpkin baskets, and went into our dining room which I had decorated for our home party :) They were immediately distracted by the goodies and decorations. I had a little bag of gluten-free candy for each of them, and the crockpot of chili was ready.

While DH and the boys began on the supper, I went in the other room and dumped all their T-or-T candy in a big bowl to hand out to the trick-or-treaters that came to our door. Our boys didn't eat any of it! They didn't care; they had their bags of safe candy.

I don't know if this would work for kids old enough to trick-or-treat without parents. Probably not.

Nikki'smom Apprentice
Nikki'smom
Posted

What great ideas! This is our 1st halloween gluten-free. so far my dd (7) hasn't questioned anything so i am not setting up a back up plan but I will certainly keep these in the back of my mind just incase! Thanks!

That list would be wonderful is it could be posted.

Lisa Mentor
Lisa
Posted

I tried to post a link and unable too.

Google "Gluten Free Candy List" and you will find the 2006 ROCK List.

It's not guarenteed current, but close.

Happy Halloween!

Stargate-geek Newbie
Stargate-geek
Posted

Oh man! I wish my mom had done that with me! Since 4, we knew I couldn't have red dye, so I'd always traded with my sister (who was a little less then fair, but nothing I could do about it.) Then when I was 9, we discover I couldn't have gluten OR chocolate! That meant 98% of the candy was poison to me! So I ended up going, but not enjoying myself much know it was pointless, giving all the candy to my dad to take to work with him. I always felt like the odd one out.

That's a really good idea though! If I ever have celiac kids, I'll be sure to use that idea!

kbtoyssni Contributor
kbtoyssni
Posted

I've heard of some parents trading for money, too. Like a quarter for each piece of non-gluten-free candy. If I were a kid, I would totally have taken the money. I guess it depends on what motivates your kid!

We weren't allowed to eat any candy while trick-or-treating. That night we'd spend hours sorting and trading, but not eating any. After dinner we were allowed a few pieces, but we always shared with our parents. We got a few pieces every night, but we never ended up eating it all. My brother and I weren't big candy people. We would have been so much more happy with money.

AidansMom2006 Newbie
AidansMom2006
Posted

These are all great ideas! This is our first gluten-free Halloween; however it's our first time to trick-or-treat since my son is only 15 months old. Having a child who's never tasted candies with soy or dairy already--and has had very little candy as it is--makes it much easier. Kids who have already formed a taste for sweets, cheese, etc.. must have it much harder.

crittermom Enthusiast
crittermom
Posted

We do the traditional trade a piece of G candy for gluten-free candy. They can have a few pieces on Halloween night. Then that night I take out a handful of candy and hide it. The next day they can have a couple of pieces, then I take out a couple of handfuls that night and hide it. I do this until there are only a few pieces left. I am not sure if this will work this year as my daughter is older and little more observant than in past years. I did this even when she wasn't gluten-free. Although she never wants candy more than 2 or 3 days past Halloween. For her it's all about the dressing up and going out T o T with my nephew. My sister and I dress up as well and take all the kids out! We have a blast and she is always more interested in that than the actual candy. Hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Aretaeus Cappadocia's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Brown Rice Vinegar (organic) from Eden Foods is likely gluten free

      This is a solid, well-reasoned approach. You’re right that “koji” by itself doesn’t indicate gluten status, and the risk really does come down to which grain is used to culture it. The fact that you directly contacted Eden Foods and received a clear statement that their koji is made from rice only, with no wheat or barley, is meaningful due diligence—especia...
    2. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to wellthatsfun's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      nothing has changed

      Seven months can still be early in celiac healing, especially if you were mostly asymptomatic to begin with—symptoms like low iron, vitamin D deficiency, nail changes, and hair issues often take much longer to improve because the gut needs time to recover before absorption normalizes. A tTG-IgA of 69 is not “low” in terms of immune activity, and it can t...
    3. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams commented on knitty kitty's blog entry in Thiamine Thiamine Thiamine
      1

      About Celiac Remission

      This idea comes up often, but it’s important to separate theory from what’s actually supported by evidence. In celiac disease, the immune system does not “forget” gluten in a permanent or reliable way, even after long periods of avoidance, and the celiac genes do not turn off. While antibody levels (like tTG IgA) can normalize on a strict gluten-free diet an...
    4. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to TheDHhurts's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

      Gluten testing is normally reported in ppm (parts per million), which is equivalent to mg/kg, not micrograms by itself. A result of <0.025 mcg only becomes meaningful if you know the sample size tested (for example, mcg per gram or per kg). If that value represents <0.025 mcg per gram, that would equal <25 ppm, which is above the gluten-free threshold...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Jmartes71's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Medications

      Medication sensitivity is very real for many people with celiac and other autoimmune conditions, and it’s frustrating when that’s brushed off. Even when a medication is technically gluten-free, fillers, dose changes, or how your nervous system reacts—especially with things like gabapentin—can cause paradoxical effects like feeling wired but exhausted. The fa...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,189
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Atl222
    Newest Member
    Atl222
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Brown Rice Vinegar (organic) from Eden Foods is likely gluten free

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a solid, well-reasoned approach. You’re right that “koji” by itself doesn’t indicate gluten status, and the risk really does come down to which grain is used to culture it. The fact that you directly contacted Eden Foods and received a clear statement that their koji is made from rice only, with no wheat or barley, is meaningful due diligence—especially since Eden has a long-standing reputation for transparency. While the lack of gluten labeling can understandably give pause, manufacturer confirmation like this is often what people rely on for traditionally fermented products. As always, trusting your body after trying it is reasonable, but based on the information you gathered, your conclusion makes sense.
    • Scott Adams
      nothing has changed

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Seven months can still be early in celiac healing, especially if you were mostly asymptomatic to begin with—symptoms like low iron, vitamin D deficiency, nail changes, and hair issues often take much longer to improve because the gut needs time to recover before absorption normalizes. A tTG-IgA of 69 is not “low” in terms of immune activity, and it can take 12–24 months (sometimes longer) for antibodies and the intestinal lining to fully heal, particularly in teens and young adults. Eating gluten again to “test” things isn’t recommended and won’t give you clear answers—it’s far more likely to cause harm than clarity. Weight not changing is also very common in celiac and doesn’t rule anything out. Please know that your frustration and sadness matter; this adjustment is hard, and feeling stuck can really affect mental health. You deserve support, and if you can, reaching out to a GI dietitian or mental health professional familiar with chronic illness could really help you through this phase. This study indicates that a majority of celiacs don't recover until 5 years after diagnosis and starting a gluten-free diet: Mucosal recovery and mortality in adults with celiac disease after treatment with a gluten-free diet However, it's also possible that what the study really shows is the difficulty in maintaining a 100% gluten-free diet. I suspect that if you looked closely at the diets of those who did not recover within 2 years might be that their diets were not 100% gluten-free. Perhaps they ate out more often, or didn't understand all of the hidden ingredients where gluten can hide. Either way, it shows how difficult recovery from celiac disease can be for most people. According to this study: This article explores other causes of flattened villi:    
    • Scott Adams
      need help understanding testing result for Naked Nutrition Creatine please

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Gluten testing is normally reported in ppm (parts per million), which is equivalent to mg/kg, not micrograms by itself. A result of <0.025 mcg only becomes meaningful if you know the sample size tested (for example, mcg per gram or per kg). If that value represents <0.025 mcg per gram, that would equal <25 ppm, which is above the gluten-free threshold; if it’s <0.025 mcg per kilogram, it would be extremely low and well within GF limits. Without the denominator, the result is incomplete. It’s reasonable to follow up with the company and ask them to confirm the result in ppm using a validated method (like ELISA R5)—that’s the standard used to assess gluten safety.
    • Scott Adams
      Medications

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Medication sensitivity is very real for many people with celiac and other autoimmune conditions, and it’s frustrating when that’s brushed off. Even when a medication is technically gluten-free, fillers, dose changes, or how your nervous system reacts—especially with things like gabapentin—can cause paradoxical effects like feeling wired but exhausted. The fact that it helped bloating suggests it may be affecting gut–nerve signaling, which makes sense in the context of SIBO, but that doesn’t mean the side effects should be ignored. You’re carrying a heavy load right now with ongoing skin, eye, and neurological uncertainty, and living in that kind of limbo is exhausting on its own. It’s understandable to feel overwhelmed and discouraged when systems and providers don’t meet you where you are—your experience is valid, and continuing to advocate for yourself, even when it’s hard, really does matter. You can search this site for prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Gluten tester

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I am not aware of an air detector for gluten, but Nima Partners sells a device that can detect gluten in minutes in a small sample of a meal or food that you eat. They are also a sponsor here for full disclosure: https://nimanow.com
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.