Have you seen this picture of a Halloween Salad Treat going around the Internet?

Did you laugh? Recoil in horror? Think, Hmm, what if that were true? Halloween Salad!

Personally, I think salad for Halloween is a horrible idea. It would ruin all the fun. But it does raise a legitimate point: There is a faction out there that thinks everything has to be healthy.

I assume you’re not part of that group. On the other hand…

Our reaction, Halloween salad isn’t a treat, is telling.

And our reaction that kids wouldn’t find a mini Halloween salad to be a treat is also telling.

Am I stating the obvious? Are you saying, duh?

Here are some things to consider:

  1. The way we frame the reason for healthy eating is, It is good for us. Not. Healthy foods taste good.
  2. Our national obsession with eating healthy (despite Point #1) drives our obsession with sweets and treats. (The food we want is the food we shouldn’t have.)
  3. This image, and our reaction to this image, says it all. Who would think salad is a treat?
  4. The message that healthy is necessary but yuk, and that treats are delicious but bad, is pervasive.
  5. And if you ever wonder why your kids won’t eat vegetables, this is why.

Enough said.

~Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~

P. S. If you don’t know this, my Halloween credo is, Enjoy the candy. Just don’t get sick.

P. P.S. The Huffington Post reports that the guy who created the meme, infringed on Dole’s trademark. But then Dole got into it and created their own Fun Size Halloween Treats!