Getting Sick After Halloween

I know some parents feel that they are making their kids miss out on something super special or 'magical' if they don't participate in halloween and when I was growing up, halloween was special. We ate wild meat and veg from a huge garden. If we had pizza it was homemade. We didn't eat fast food except for extremely rare occasions and while we also had homemade treats we rarely had candy or other junk food. So while I still think the gorging on halloween candy is gross, at least it genuinely was an exception to our normal eating. Today, however, what is the difference? Kids eat fast food and junk food on a daily basis... why, on earth, would they need yet more of it on halloween??? Anyways, we've done various things for halloween over the years but as my youngest can't eat refined sugars, trick-or-treating isn't an option. I did still work out a compromise with my kids, though: we rented movies and each of my kids chose a treat (so did I). It was still junk food and still an unhealthy indulgence but it was one evening and then we moved on.

Let's just say -- I've been waiting for someone to say it. We spent Halloween in the forest doing some fun activities I found online (spooky scavenger hunt and such). We attended a party at our Embassy. The candy they give out (it was emphasized that the children enjoy candy from the US) is simply not fit for human consumption. I have been wondering all week why we are still at this point, with all we know about food. The power of denial over so many adults is just amazing to me.

We love Fuhrman here. My eldest's favorite snack is his date nut bars. I need to read that book, too!

I just made pumpkin bread with no sweetener. We'll eat it with unsweetened, spicy apple butter.

Candy and sweet treats are a rare occasion in our house, but it still happens once in a while. I don't keep sugary foods in my home because I know I'll eat them, so I'm better off having a sweet food like fruit paired with a protein. I try to encourage my kids to have an apple or other piece of fruit instead of crackers or other item that won't keep them satisfied. But I don't keep foods off limits. I feel that if they are kept off limits, it will create problems for them when they need to make decisions on their own as young adults. I feel that I am a product of certain foods being forbidden because I remember sneaking foods that my mom didn't want me to have, and I ended up having a weight problem growing up. I think if we allow our kids to have a choice, they will be able to make a good decision. And of course, we, as parents, are to be the example of good nutrition and making good decisions.

i think raw local honey has redeeming immune-enhancing qualities, and i think molasses is high enough in iron (which i run low on) to warrant the occasional dollop in something. i may not be as far along in my research as you. ;) and all of that said, compared to those around us, i am very hard core. my son is only 4, and so far he hasn't done any trick or treating OR halloween partying, and i'm happy to let him be "deprived" as long as he doesn't perceive it as deprivation. we do a lame little bit of "alternative" fun stuff, we carve pumpkins and have our dinner by jack-o-lantern light and stuff... but i bought boxed raisins to hand out in case we got any trick or treaters, and my son was giddy that he got to keep them since we didn't get any visitors. alas, this year, he was sick anyway, before halloween in fact, as well as during, and so i wouldn't have done anything crazy with him anyway. and this in spite of the elderberries and herbs we are using consistently to maintain our health. i think at some point, i just have to accept the illness thing in childhood, as sort of a rite of passage... i mean, i am not catching most of the bugs that come through, even if he does catch them, so i think that says something for my own diet choices (very limited sweets, absolutely no white sugar or HFCS, really only honey and molasses are allowed and only in very small quantities). i try to bear in mind the "many small instead of one big" childhood illness proverbs... ideally fighting off these bugs makes them stronger. yet, i do have a hard time letting it go, and of course none of us want our children to suffer.... oh, and i'm also with you on wanting to balance it all so that we don't have to "go there" with sneaking/rebelling. i want him to know how it feels to be on a white sugar high once or twice, if only to know how awful it felt, so he internally decides against it in the future, vs always responding to my external "rules" and such.

This is one time when being sugar sensitive is really helpful. Like you stated about your older kids, my son just doesn't eat it. If he has more than two or three peices of candy at a time he feels sick. His pancreas just can't take it and niether can mine. He will flat out say, "I'm having sugar shock" or "my blood sugar is too high." So the candy sits. He likes to have the candy around and the option of eating it; he just doesn't eat it.

He loves Halloween, and I grew up with a couple of friends whose families limited all sweet things and they would go CRAZY at our house. It was embarrasing even for me. I want my son to self-regulate. He is starting to now.

I'm finding it is the idea of candy he loves. He thinks of it as special and a big fun, shiny, multi-colored bonanza. In order to show him this I used to have him be able to eat the candy and then have to tell me how he feels. We would write it down and then write down the resulting behavior (in trouble for being crazy, unable to focus or sit still, feeling ill, headache, on and on and on). Soon the idea was much less enjoyable and much closer to reality.

we limit sugars in general, but i think we limit honey and maple syrup probably less than you do. and sucanat makes it into some baked goods.

when it comes to holidays/gathering with friends, etc. though, i let emily go for it, more so at this age (almost 14) than when she was younger, mostly because of my own extremely restrictive upbringing. not a speck of sugar was allowed (maybe honey sweetened popcorn balls once a year...), even at holidays and such. i was the kid who would get to participate in the piñata breaking at parties but could never have any of the candy. this led to me being an extremely sugar-crazed teenager. once i started earning my own pocket money and could walk to the store after school with friends, i was more into the hostess cakes and candy bars than any of my friends, and they all had this stuff in their own homes! hmmm...

thankfully, i've come to my senses as an adult and sweets are not a mainstay in our diet. (but again, because of my upbringing, i'm sensitive about the bigger issues that food restriction caused for me growing up.)

we don't experience illness much in this house. i can't remember the last time adam was sick, i haven't had any sort of illness since i stopped working in the preschool room at emily's former school, almost two years ago (i was sick more times during the two years i worked there than my entire adult life combined!), and emily doesn't really get sick either. She has had a stomach bug twice in her life, and when fevers come her way they only last one day (it's actually kind of strange how they ALWAYS last for only one day). i'd say there are 1-2 calendar days a year where she's got something that keeps her down for the count.

so, i guess all of this is to say we enjoy health AND holiday treats. but then i'm very happy to get back to cleansing/helaing foods immediately after. i think on halloween night this year i posted on Facebook "tonight - saying yes, tomorrow - green smoothies and herbal tea." and so it goes...

i always love to read your thoughts, thanks for such an awesome post. :)

It seems there are so many hard decisions in parenting, especially for parents who take their job seriously (I'm right up there). Our family is more moderate in many respects (we have candy in the house, but except for the Halloween weekend, no one eats more than 3 or 4 pieces a month, and we drink green smoothies on a nearly daily basis and I eat vegan 3 or 4 days- all meals, etc.- a week for example) in our eating habits. Everyone makes decisions about parenting that afterwards we sometimes regret, but forgiveness is a useful tool. Childhood sickness can certainly be reduced (as your family obviously demonstrates) through conscientious and thoughtful parenting choices. But (and this is only my opinion) can you write off an entire event of enjoyment because of an aftermath that you only have partial control of? Perhaps the lesson for anyone in this situation (I myself had laryngitis last week after Halloween and wondered if I could have avoided it if I'd been a little less indulgent with the Almond Joy mini bars) is to be more thoughtful next time, and knowing the limits on your own is worth more in the long run. As a counterpoint, my kids both indulged the weekend of Halloween and the Candy Fairy came to get all but 10 pieces of candy that night, and neither of them got sick (only me). Perhaps associating a cold in November directly with sugar doesn't allow you the freedom to be the responsive, responsible and loving parent you obviously are.

This sounds preachy, so I understand if you decide not to publish it. My main point is that it sounds like you're taking your daughter's cold personally, and it's not anyone's fault. Forgive and move on. If it's any consolation, I have spent the afternoon online "catching up" and my son just asked me to play with him, but it's time to start dinner. Everyday is filled with regrets, and I can't get back the afternoon. Dinner will be a bit later tonight.

Thank you for your thoughtful posts.

I just can't get on-board with the strict limitation of honey. Although I don't use it every day, I firmly believe that raw (meaning completely unprocessed), local honey is an important source of the trace mineral selenium, which is actually very important to a healthy immune system, and should be included in a healthy diet on a regular basis, in my opinion. I also use organic maple syrup on occassion, mostly because I enjoy the taste, as does my family. I guess, when it comes down to it, we must all decide what is best for our own family. For example, I personally feel that peanuts are one of the least healthy "snacks" available, but I see many who use it in copious amounts, in the form of peanut butter, without reservation---I believe almond butter is a much better choice and so that is primarily what I buy for my family. As far as Halloween goes, my son chose not to participate on his own this year---he said he just doesn't care about the candy because he likes my homemade "treats" better and he thinks we shouldn't be eating chocolate that isn't fair-trade anyway. He's 12!

Thank you for sharing your insight with us, your faithful readers. I always know that I will read something that is worthy of my time on each and every "visit".

I was actually more hardcore when we were vegan for a few years than I am now. Kind of embarrassing actually. Yet at the same time, we do limit our sweets. So much so that unless the kids have eaten enough healthy food to hopefullly make up for it, the sweets the grandparents give them stay in the cupboard. And we have on more than one occasion become so unconcerned about it getting used up that it wasn't until the next season's "spring cleaning" that we found candy shoved in the back behind the healthy stuff. We never have soda in the house, or buy sugary foods, except on special ocassions. But, I do still bake with sugar. My kids are young enough that distractions often work, or we give them limited choices, but we do go into detail why that is. And, let me say, it has been a bit awkward when one in honesty tells a friend that if she drinks more (processed) juice she will get fat. Still working on teaching how to make a convincing argument... anyway, I admire you're efforts and do learn from them!

Oh I hear you Renee. We are raw vegan and we organize a pumpkin hunt for Halloween every year (see my blog post about this year's :http://catherine-et-les-fees.blogspot.com/2011/10/la-chasse-la-citrouille.html). Believe it or not, at 7 1/2 and 6 my girls are still oblivious to trick or treating (we live in a bubble here I guess). So we prepared homemade treats (but with some maple syrup, brown rice syrup and agave) and they all got pretty unwell (not physically, but psychologically unwell, very grumpy and teary the next day). Our friend's son got severe diarrhea from the homemade treat (they are totally sugar-free, even restricting dried fruits)... So... long story short to say: I hear you! My girls are attracted to candies but are alse repulsed. I let them have one sucker once and that's all they ever tasted. The 5 yo did not finish it... I think the only key is to talk openly about what that non-food contains, what it does to the body and brain and how it makes us feel (Brienne's experience is a good lesson for all...). Whenever possible, when my kids ask for something that I don't feel comfortable to see them eat, we try to come up with a homemade recipe...

I love your blog! I'm not hardcore about food, lol, not nearly enough. But I am hardcore about some things and I think it is okay. In our house, for example, we don't play video games and we don't let the kids do social networking and we only let them on the computer while we are hovering over them. Husband is a computer programmer, so it's not like we are afraid of tech, it's just a thing we're very firm about. The elder son came home from school one day, lamenting that he's the only kid in third grade, even including the girls, who doesn't have a game system. Sorry kid, that's just how we roll. He got over it when we pointed out that on that particular year we had enough money for a drum kit or a game system, and we could have got the game system and let him pretend to play the drums, but isn't being able to play an instrument cooler? I guess what I am saying is in the long run, imparting the core values of your family must necessarily trump the fun-thing-of-the-moment. On food things: with all holidays I've been trying to do things a bit differently with foods---I'll make one special treat, sometimes sweet sometimes not, usually something simple. This year it was caramel apples. We each had one and it was nice. We also have donuts twice a year, usually in the fall w/ cider, and again on Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras. One per customer. I'm finding that as a family we were getting a little fat and lazy and losing our sense of contentment when we insisted on having "all the trimmings" with each and every event. Simpler is better.

I hate the holidays because they get worse and worse every year with regard to consuming bad things...sugar mainly. We've always gone trick-or-treating and they kids eat candy and act horribly afterward. This year, after a day, I took their candy and threw it away. Surprisingly, they were okay with it. They know that sugar isn't healthy. I've crammed that into their brains over the years! It's just so hard to keep their diet clean when there is just so much influence from people around us..

My kids love to trick or treat, but my son can't eat a single candy, literally. He has dozens of food allergies. We use the candy for science experiments (they had a blast with buoyancy tonight), and I traded my son his candy for a few credits for the virtual frogs he is breeding on my iPad. My daughter ate a few on Halloween, but since I don't buy candy, and we eat a pretty good whole foods diet, hey forget about it the next day. I have a good friend who also has an allergic son, so she lets her boys choose an activity - going to the movies, a church festival, out to dinner - instead of trick or treating. See, there's a whole other group of kids with a different kind of "hard core" mom who don't eat the stuff, either! :)

We have always avoided Halloween. We keep the porch light off and the trick-or-treaters don't come to the house. We told the kids that Halloween was a holiday that other people celebrated but not us. We rattled off a list of other holidays we don't celebrate. And that was that - they have never even wanted to participate in it. Not that that helps your situation any...

My question for you is this - How is your pursuit of perfect health not just another chasing after the wind? You seem really upset over a mild cold. Sickness, weakness, and frailty are all part of living in a fallen world. We don't want to chase after them, but embracing our weakness takes us to greater strength. Instead of bemoaning your daughter's cold, why not celebrate the ways we learn to lean more on the One who heals us?

Have a beautiful day, Renee.

We had never done Halloween before - we are Australians (living in the UK) and it just didn't seem a big deal for us. But this year we are living in a small, close community and a) got invited to a Halloween party and b) all the kids in our neighbourhood dressed up and trick or treated. So we relented - I made a costume for my son (in under 20 minutes!) and he went trick or treating. And we still have a huge jar of sweets that he collected. And he was super hyper that night and cranky the day after. And we are vegan. But we let him do it. I am not saying that we always 'give in to peer pressure'. Not by a long shot. But we did it this year for two reasons. Firstly, our son is 'apart' from his peers on many things (the vegan thing, the home education thing, the different interests thing) and this is something where he wanted to join in. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, we value our community and while we are happy to stand apart on the big issues if it ever comes to it, trick or treating really was an activity that brought our little community together this year so we thought it was worth putting aside our reluctance for the sake of joining in.

I guess what I am trying to say is - I am not saying that anyone should put 'food choices' aside just to please others. But in our personal case, we decided to to do it this once. And the rules were only a little bit of candy on the night (and we sorted through and removed most of the non-vegan ones before the next morning), and that we would focus on the social aspect rather than the sweets. It worked for us.

I always appreciate reading your health-related posts because you clearly have so much more experience than I do, and I admire all of that experience and knowledge. But, it seems a little simplistic to say, "my kids rarely eat sweets and they're healthy, then they ate candy, and then they got sick." I'm not sure I can get on board with that direct of a correlation to your daughter's illness. Especially at a time when it often feels like taking my kids just about anywhere is like exposing them to a petri dish of germs.

That said, I'm enjoying the comments, and I will definitely check out your links. All great food for thought. :-)

I am trying to move us to a healthier, more whole-foods, less sugar, GFCF diet here and it is soooo hard! I find what you and your family do with diet and with life/home choices amazing and inspirational, but, somehow, unreachable for my family at this point. Baby steps, right? we will get there!

Growing up, I don't remember many guidelines when it came to eating. We had 8-packs of candy bars, Krispy Kremes, pop tarts, etc. at our fingertips. As a result I had hundreds of stomachaches and lots of acne. I continued these eating patterns into my teenage years and young adult life.

It wasn't until I hit rock bottom when I had children and was sick constantly for years that I studied the immune system and made drastic changes to our diets (see nutritarian post I wrote on FIMBY). Even though we ate well when I was pregnant and had young children, I still used sugar in baked goods and confections, ate organic candy bars, and vegan sugary muffins. Once I stopped doing that, our health improved dramatically.

I work hard every day to teach my kids how the body works and why we make the choices we do. I think if they are armed with the knowledge they can make an informed decision. I do not fear rebellion. That will happen no matter what, and as long as I know they have been educated, I have done my job. And, if what Dr. Fuhrman says is true - that your lifelong health is more impacted by what you eat as a child than what you eat as an adult - my kids will be in good shape.

So, yes Renee, I am hardcore, right there with you. Things won't always go my way, but I believe that this passion is what cultivates change. Who knows...maybe someday I'll be on a picket line in front of Mars, Incorporated trying to get those darned artificial colors out of M&Ms (and maybe my kids will be standing next to me).

I've read all these comments with such interest...if I was to speak as a mom, I would just be repeating what alot of others have said. So I'll speak just a bit as a doctor-

I'm a naturopathic doctor who specializes in pediatrics. For the past 10 years I have worked as a primary physician, meaning I'm most kids only doc. Which is great when it comes to well child exams and treating acute diseases (I have had to use antibiotics only twice in my years of practice- and if I could have got to them earlier, we could have just worked with herbs and homeopathy). I have also taken countless kids off dairy, gluten and sugar. And soy and corn and and and...sometimes for a short period of time to heal their guts, sometimes for much longer.

I have seen an incredible difference in children's health over the years. Their immune systems have improved, surgeries have been prevented, medications dropped. But I have also watched (and taken responsibility for) the phsycological demand such severe diets have on kids. You're right Renee- some kids will turn and sneak and lie. But what I also saw (not alot but it was there) where kids raised in severely restrictive households with eating disorders that made me weep. Girls who thought that if they snuck a piece of bread or some candy they would have to throw it up. They were coming to me enough in my practice that it really changed how I look at food sensitivities and for how long I take children off foods.

I, like many of your readers, believe in the healing properties of honey and molasses. I educate to limit refined foods and not focus on a diet of wheat and dairy. But I also go on and on with patients now about balance. Believe me, I know it's hard- I shudder when my kids are offered cheese or bread. But thankfully they usually say no thanks on their own. As much as I want my 2 girls to be healthy, I am more concerned with a healthy relationship to food. I now teach them about how we can eat all kinds of food, just in limited quantities. I don't say no anymore- they usually say it because they see other options.

And one last thought about the immune system. Yes, I do believe sugar depresses the immune system. If you follow Chinese Medicine, so does exposure to wind and damp (2 things I know you have there in Nova Scotia!)...don't get down on yourself on your daughter's cold. Having a cold or flu (ideally short-lived) twice a year is part of a child's developing immune system. Of course we can decrease the severity with diet, herbs, supplements and homeopathy, but they still need exposure- they'll either get it now, or in their late teens when they move out! It has to happen at some point in their lives, and it might as well be when they can have mama close by with a cuddle and some tea...

Wow, what a lot of comments! I never knew that halloween was such a heated subject! We do halloween, but now that the kids are geting older, it's more for the fun of dressing up, then for the candies. We try to limit, or choose, where we trick or treat. We live in a smaller town out in Alberta, but there are still a few houses that really go all out with their decorations. Even making mini haunted houses in thier yards. These are the places we hit. It takes more driving around, but well worth it. My kids sort out their stuff when we get home, throw out what they don't like, and seem to self ration what is left. Renee, I think your daughter would have gotten sick from the party, even if she didn't have any candy. Just one of those things she picked up. And all you Mom's out there, keep up the great work teaching and explaining to your children about these 'crazy' holiday traditions. I am proud be to be a mom, and once in a while it's ok to let the walls down, just a bit. Have a great day everyone!

I have been following your blog for awhile now and have learned that we have a lot in common. I totally get where you are coming from on this health issue. It is difficult sometimes not to resent this culture that deeply undermines our healthy efforts. Sometimes I dwell in that place of wishing things were different, but dang it that makes me feel unhappy. In our family, we talk about things a lot - why we make our choices, how they differ from the "norm" around here. I have a lot of frustration, but I try to focus on life's goodness and accept that things will sometimes be the way I wish, and sometimes they won't. As our kids get older, I think it's important to let them insert their opinions and ideas more often while continuing to educate them about their choices. I really appreciate your blog and how it inspires me to continue down the path I feel is best. Thank you.

I just have to throw in a quick anecdote about fighting my own cold via the "Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu Symptoms" link. I decided to try out eating raw garlic to combat my oncoming cold. As suggested, I put it in some honey to help it go down. I think the key phrase in that post is "if you can stomach it." Turns out, I can - but just barely!!! I ate two cloves (!) and nearly tossed my cookies. After about 5 more minutes I actually tried gagging myself to purposely throw up, to no avail. It was as if I had set my insides on fire. Not fun. Not at all. Next time, I think I'll try making some good, garlicky soup instead. :-) Live and Learn!

Hey Renee!

So glad to read your words. I am also quite hard core when it comes to food + health :-) but in my daily life I know noone who limits their sugar intake. So good to know that there are other people like me. :-) I limit my honey intake, too (even though we have a lot of aromatic raw organic honey here), and try to use honey only as a spice. I have very sensitive skin which immediately lets me know when I have had too much honey, let alone sugar. I only bake for Christmas (fortunately we have all summer birthdays and for me cake is something for the cold time of the year) and then I use honey and apple sauce as sweeteners. I don't think that we have Molasse here (here, in this case, is North Russia), but from what I have gathered at wikipedia, I wouldn't want to eat that on a regular basis either. Regarding dates - I haven't baken anything with dates, but I love to make creams with dates. I like to make this date sweetener: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7pGbd8xF3E&feature=player_embedded

Also, I like to make small "energy balls" from nuts, coconut, spices and dates. Mmmm!

Oh and my parents were quite radical, too. We had very little sugar when we were little. I remember many events when other kids received sweets, and we received little things - and I always thought that the things were better, because I could keep them, at least for a while (often the things we got were pencils, candles or soaps - not things which are eternally overstuffing the apartment). My sister on the other hands nowadays eats quite a lot of sweets and her partner anyway thinks that a box of cookies makes a great dinner. And it seems that her body copes with sugar better than mine. My parents also got less hard core with years. Maybe they got tired of avoiding sugar (it's everywhere)...

Be well! :-)

PS. Pomegranate muesli? I want to know more! :-)

Hi...I've visited your site a few times for guidance on making body care products (and will someday try soap-making). Each time I've appreciated your willingness to share. Reading that you are looking at using dates, I offer this...

I've been making an effort to reduce sugar consumption...some days more successfully than others. Definitely not hard core. Sharing a home with someone who has been raised on processed sugars makes it a challenge. This Banana Oat Bars recipe is a 'treat' that you may enjoy, and it has been a winner with many people I've baked for. I've played around and added pepitas, sesame seeds and shredded coconut and it's been great each time. Enjoy.

This one is definately hard. I'm not sure what to do about it, because so far, my kids aren't old enough to really have an issue with the way I do things. My oldest, almost 6, is the type that doesn't much question my thinking on this YET. Who knows what I will be up against. But I, too, am really annoyed with how sugar needs to be pushed at every event. Church events seem to especially! Who needs a "coffee break" in between services with cookies and then lunch with cookies and then probably dessert at supper later that night...etc. etc! It was sad the other day to see more cookies and sweets for funeral food than sandwhiches and fruit (which was also there). It really annoys me.

So far I just say they can have 1 of something (my kids are 5.5 and 2.5, usually at this point the 2.5 year old doesn't notice and therefore doesn't ask to have things). I've seen it though that my older child actually doesn't eat the whole thing since she doesn't like it. Too sweet. That makes me happy! LOL

Halloween for us personally we don't want to get into the whole other side of things with death and such (and in our neighbourhood, for some reason, it gets really gross what people decorate with...I've seen it much more tasteful other places I've lived). But that is just us personally, and I am not judging others for how they deal with the event. I'm not into dressing up AT ALL so my kids haven't caught that bug. But again, we never started the Halloween thing, so we haven't had to stop something we started, or consider doing so. Same with sugar, it was never something they have had in our house, even the more natural sweeteners are rare, so we haven't had to stop something. So perhaps that makes it easier, at least for now. I have no idea what is coming!

We do talk about health and sugar and things like that. It does make me wonder when my kids are so "sheltered" that they have to ask me what cotton candy is or hot dogs. It makes me sort of laugh but also wonder if I am harming them...I don't know if there is any correct answer. Although people will try to tell me there is.

Lots of comments here. This seems to hit home to more people than just me! I hate being the mean/weird mom. The one who doesn't let her kids eat a ton of junk, but I also know it's my responsibility to raise my kids with a good understanding of what is good for their bodies and what's not.

We went trick or treating this year. The kids love to dress up. They ate 5-10 pieces of candy that night (a lot!), but then they forgot about it and haven't asked for it again.

What really gets me is how many places have candy out. Our bank has bowls of candy throughout. So, if I want to go to the bank, I have to say no to the kids about candy and endure that, or let them have a piece. Sometimes, I just want to go to the bank! Like you, we don't have it in the house, so it's not an issue, but when we go to the bank, the copy shop, the hardware store and other places around town...there it is. Frustrating.

The more you mention sugar, the more I think you're over-simplifying and emboldening its effect on your family's health. I just can't see that your daughter came down sick simply because she ate candy at a party where germs also happened to be present.

My husband is a pharmacist, he talks with and handles items from VERY ill people all day long. We eat a very healthy diet and exercise every day, but we also eat a substantial amount of sugar, particularly my husband. Yet, no one in our family has come down with a cold in more than a year (maybe two years!). I can't even remember the last time one of us had a flu. We have no ongoing health problems, no chronic conditions, and no nagging symptoms of illness.

We're certainly not doing anything special to stay healthy, either. We're not germophobes, so while our house is clean, it's nowhere close to sterile. To make matters worse, we have four large dogs, which supposedly exposes us to more illnesses than the average household.

If sugar was actually capable of handicapping our immune system to the degree you describe, we should be constantly contracting some sort of illness. Genetics and maybe good ol' luck account for some of our ongoing good health, but not all of it. Can our healthy diets and exercise be helping? Certainly.

But by all accounts your family eats well, eats real foods, and I assume you get exercise, too. I'm betting after all your comments about sugar, we actually eat MORE sugar than anyone in your family. So the fact that you get sick more often doesn't make much sense if sugar is the cause.

I don't mean to attack you, by any means, but I really don't understand your preoccupation with sugar as a villain. In the end, you know what is right for you and your family and I actually applaud your decision to severely limit your sugar intake (I kind of wish we did the same!), but I think you must also take into account other factors that are compromising your immune systems--sugar can't be blamed for everything.