By Christina McGairk How to Have A Ghoulish Gluten Free Halloween

YAY! Autumn, which is my favorite time of the year, is in full swing! The leaves reach their most colorful peak, an eeriness is in the atmosphere, and the cooler temperatures beat the raging inferno we experienced during the summer. Plus, let’s not forget Halloween, the one time of year when kids and adults alike dress up in their scariest or cutest costumes going door to door for special treats.

When I was a kid, I absolutely LOVED Halloween. It’s the one time of the year where I could play dress-up, paint my face a bunch of different colors, and not get yelled at for it. Now, I find more joy watching my daughter TiTi having a good time during Halloween. But let’s face it, I’m still a big kid at heart, so I dress up and go trick-or-treating with her. It’s so much fun!

Still, I have to be a super vigilant Mommy when it comes to Halloween. TiTi actually doesn’t like candy, except for those cute little Dum-Dum suckers, which, as luck would have it, are gluten-free. But every once in a while her inquisitive taste buds get the best of her and she tries something that isn’t gluten-free. For instance, she does like a good chocolate chip cookie every now and then but not all of them are gluten-free. Sometimes people pass out pre-packaged cookies instead of candy. That means I have to inspect the wrapper like a good detective to make sure there are no ingredients present that might hurt her tummy.

There are now safer options for those who have gluten sensitivity. The Teal Pumpkin Project is one. According to the FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) website, the Teal Pumpkin Project was a local awareness initiative started by the Food Allergy Community of East Tennessee in 2012. Their goal was to promote safety and provide a fun alternative for those who have allergies. Although the project wasn’t well known in the beginning, its recognition has grown. I’ve even seen houses that have one orange pumpkin and one teal pumpkin to signify which treats were allergy-free.

Here are some other ways to celebrate an allergen-free Halloween:

TRICK-OR-TREAT AT “SAFE HOUSES”

Being an only child and a girl, my parents didn’t let me go knocking on just anybody’s door. Instead, they drove me to houses that they trusted. So it was usually a drive-by at the home of a church member, a relative, or someone that my parents worked with. The same can be done for kids that have allergies. You can have your child stop by houses that are aware of your child’s allergies so they can trick or treat safely.

THROW AN ALLERGEN-FREE HALLOWEEN PARTY

Halloween parties can be fun, even without a bucketload of candy. Get creative by decorating each room with a different theme. For instance, for a witchy room hang little brooms or witches hats from the ceiling and have the kids fish for squishy glow-in-the-dark scary-faced stress balls.

HAVE A SPOOKY GLOW IN THE DARK PARTY IN THE BACKYARD

Now, this can be a little tricky living in Indiana. I remember a couple of times when it actually SNOWED on Halloween night. But if the weather isn’t too cold, a glow-in-the-dark party can be really fun. Make a glow-inthe-dark hopscotch area or have a funky glow-in-the-dark hula hoop contest to make things a little competitive.

PASS OUT YOUR OWN ALLERGEN-FREE CANDY

One way to bring awareness and educate people about food allergies is by passing out allergy-free candy yourself. There are well-known candy brands such as Smarties, Lemon Heads, and Jaw Breakers that are gluten-free. Also, the gluten-free company Enjoy Life has a chocolate mini-bar variety pack that includes dark chocolate, rice milk chocolate, and rice milk crunch bars.

***Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist or a doctor. I’m just a loving Mama supporting her daughter and others through their gluten-free journey. If you have questions about the gluten-free diet or celiac disease, please contact your medical professional. Thank you.***

If you would like to share gluten-free tips, tricks, info, etc. in an upcoming issue of Special Needs Living, email us at SpecialNeedsLivingIndy@n2pub.com.