WHAT DO TEAL PUMPKINS MEAN ON HALLOWEEN?

WHAT DO TEAL PUMPKINS MEAN ON HALLOWEEN?

If you have a child who's going Trick-or-Treating and you're concerned because of their food allergies, look for teal pumpkins.

The Teal Pumpkin Project is gaining attention around the nation. If you place one outside your home, you're telling the little ghouls and goblins that your house has toys of treats kids with food allergies can have.

Teal pumpkins are a beacon for trick-or-treaters with food allergies

WHAT DO TEAL PUMPKINS MEAN ON HALLOWEEN?

It's a trend to help parents and kids feel safe when going door-to-door.

If you have a child who's going Trick-or-Treating and you're concerned because of their food allergies, look for teal pumpkins.

The Teal Pumpkin Project is gaining attention around the nation. If you place one outside your home, you're telling the little ghouls and goblins that your house has toys of treats kids with food allergies can have.

Parents of kids with allergies say it helps their children feel less isolated on one of the biggest nights of the year for kids.

"Even if you don't have food allergies are you're participating, it shows that you're aware and standing behind that cause. that's what food allergy families are interested in is that it's out there and it is a concern," said Sheree Godwin, whose kids have food allergies.

The Food and Allergy Research Foundation says if you want to participate, they suggest handing out glow sticks, pencils, stickers, and vampire fangs.

Why People Are Painting Pumpkins Teal for Halloween

Why People Are Painting Pumpkins Teal for Halloween

Trick-or-treaters and their parents may notice teal pumpkins set out in front of homes as they hit the streets for candy this Hallowen.

The blue-hued pumpkins are painted as part of the Teal Pumpkin Project, an initiative through the organization Food Alergy Researh & Education (FARE) that encourages those celebrating Halloween to raise awareness of food allergies. The meaning behind the teal pumpkins is to include children who want to trick-or-treat, but cannot always eat candy because they contain allergens.

“Halloween can be a tricky time for families managing food allergies,” reads the Teal Pumpkin Project website. “Many traditional Halloween treats aren’t safe for children with life-threatening food allergies.”

To open up Halloween to children with allergies, people are asked to hand out inexpensive toys or other non-food treats in lieu of candy and set out a teal pumpkin to indicate an allergy-friendly home. According to FARE, teal is the color that symbolizes food allergy awareness.

To see which homes in your area are participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project, check out this map from FARE, which lists homes with teal pumpkins by location. You can indicate that your home will welcome children with allergies by clicking the plus sign on the map, and adding your name and address.

For those who hesitate to break away from the tradition of handing out candy, FARE suggests keeping edible treats in a separate bowl from the toys.

The worst Halloween candy can also put yo

The worst Halloween candy can also put you in the hospital if you eat too much

It ruins ice cream, and can ruin your blood pressure.

Even if you’re going to gorge on candy this Halloween, there’s one type you should absolutely only eat in moderation.

On Oct. 30, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a reminder that black licorice poses serious health risks if eaten in excess. For people over 40, licorice can cause the heart to beat irregularly, which can be particularly dangerous if you already have other chronic heart-related conditions like high blood pressure.

Black licorice candy is made using an extract of the roots from the licorice plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra. The plant has been used as an herbal remedy for digestive problems and colds for centuries, although the scientific evidence is mixed about whether or not it actually works.

In addition to the components of licorice that give it its potential health benefits, the stuff contains a chemical compound called glycyrrhizin, which is responsible for that unique, sickly-sweet (and, in this reporter’s opinion, terrible) flavor of licorice candy. In large amounts, glycyrrhizin can deplete the body’s supply of potassium. It blocks an enzyme (paywall) that helps us process cortisol, and as a result our kidneys may release too much potassium, too quickly, followed by a rapid drop. Potassium helps the heart continue to beat regularly and keeps blood pressure steady. If potassium levels drop suddenly, blood pressure can rise, you can retain fluid and swell up, and risk for heart failure goes up.

Last year, the FDA received a complaint from someone who had eaten too much licorice and experienced heart trouble. Now, the FDA advises everyone to watch their licorice consumption, and to seek medical attention if they feel weak after eating the stuff. You should also make a point to ask your doctors to make sure that licorice won’t interfere with any other medication; any herbal supplement (including the licorice extract in your black licorice candy) may have unintended consequences.

The good news is, you’d have to eat a lot of licorice to have these negative effects—at least two ounces a day (often more than the entire contents of a tin of candies) for 14 days before you’d run into these negative consequences, according to the FDA. If you really, really want to eat that much black licorice candy, look for “deglycyrrhizinated licorice”—it’ll still have the same black licorice taste, but with none of the glycyrrhizin.

Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp

Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp

A senior drill instructor from Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, greets the recruits at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego on Oct. 20. Annually, more than 17,000 males recruited from the Western Recruiting Region are trained at the boot camp. (Cpl. Anthony Leite / Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San)

More than 300 recruits at the Marines’ boot camp in San Diego are suffering from diarrheal symptoms from an bacterial outbreak, officials disclosed on Tuesday.

With most of the cases linked to Shiga toxin-causing E.coli bacteria, physicians are treating 302 patients out of the more than 5,500 candidates undergoing training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

“Our immediate focus is identifying, isolating and treating recruits who present symptoms,” said Brig. Gen. William Jurney, the commander of both the depot and the Corps’ Western Recruiting Region, in a written statement. “We are working to identify the cause of the sickness, making sure our affected recruits can return to training as soon as possible and continuing training for recruits not influenced.”

The illness was identified in recruits at both the depot and at Edson Range at Camp Pendleton. The number of cases spiked on Monday, officials said, and 10 recruits were transported to an undisclosed hospital off the base for additional care. While Marines are still trying to identify the source of the contagion, commanders have quarantined sick recruits from those who have yet to display symptoms, mandated increased hand washing and ensured proper sanitation in all training areas.

Spot the teal pumpkin: Kids with food allergies can still enjoy trick-or-treating

Spot the teal pumpkin: Kids with food allergies can still enjoy trick-or-treating

Not all pumpkins on porches are orange: Some are a hue of blue to show that the home has treats that are safe for kids with food allergies.

Homes participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project display a teal pumpkin and have nonfood treats such as glow sticks or small toys to hand out.

“This is our fourth year … and it has really just taken off,” said Gina Clowes of the nonprofit FARE, which stands for Food Allergy Research & Education. “It’s actually in all 50 states and over a dozen countries, a few hundred-thousand families so far. So, it’s really taken off and we’re really excited about it.”

Parents of children with food allergies know how difficult Halloween can be for kids, and a local allergist recommends parents be especially vigilant.

“I would recommend you accompanying your child. Don’t just let them just go off with ‘the group’ with somebody else’s parents,” said Dr. Martha White, an allergist in the Wheaton, Maryland, area.

“You really want to make sure that the child doesn’t go trick-or-treating and then snack while going house to house — that can be disastrous,” White said.

“Carry your epinephrine auto injector with you — just in case.”

When going through a child’s bag of collected candy, it might be tough to discern whether a particular treat includes something that might cause problems for a child with a milk allergy, for example.

“If in doubt, throw it out!” White said.

When homes offer nonfood treats, Clowes said it means the world to kids to be able to take something home they can keep.

“When they can just go to the door like every other child and pick up something that’s safe for them, it just really warms their heart and the parents; we really appreciate it,” Clowes said.

About one in every 13 kids who goes trick-or-treating has at least one food allergy, Clowes said, but you likely won’t see an equal number of teal pumpkins on display.

“Parents would be well advised to get their own safe snacks in case there’s very little that the child collects when they’re out trick-or-treating (that they can eat),” White said.