Girl Group Sweet Treat

Hi Friends,

Halloween is creeping up on cat paws and once the Jack O’ Lantern has been lit, the rest of the year is a rollercoaster ride through pumpkin pie, chocolate coins, chocolate covered peppermint cookies, chocolate and more chocolate. All that sugar can contribute to a cycle of energy ups and downs and ramp up irritability and exhaustion.

How can you and yours make it through the blizzard of sugar without losing your heads?

First learn to HALT Anxiety, frustration and reactivity are magnified by certain emotions and physical states. Ask yourself (or your child) the following questions:

Are you HUNGRY? Are you ANGRY? Are you LONELY? Are you TIRED?

Once you’ve identified one of these states, ask yourself or your child: what can I do right now to help. The answer might be grab a snack, call a friend or take a nap.

We at Girl Group like to say, “if you’re going to build a sugar house, make sure you give it a protein foundation.” To that end, we’ve come up with a list of some of our favorite protein snacks. Encourage your kids (and yourself) to grab one of these before reaching into that bowl of candy corn and keep the monster at bay.

Half a whole grain bagel with cream cheese Cubes of Manchego topped with crisp red grapes A cup of Edamame Slices of low-salt turkey rolled around leaves of lettuce and slices of tomato Boiled Eggs Hummus and carrot or celery sticks Turkey and cream cheese on wheat bread

Think of these strategies as TRICKS and TREATS.

Got a favorite protein snack? What sweet treat do you crave? Let us know!

We are in this together,

Tanya and Wesley