Halloween is the time of year when we celebrate fall with
warm comfort foods and anticipate the coming holiday season. Every year children dress up as their
favorite characters to “trick or treat.” By the end of the day, most kids have
collected huge bags of super sugary candy from all the houses they visited. How can you keep your kids (and yourself) from binging on it? There
are some simple ways to make Halloween more healthy and fun without the candy
overload.
Creating a healthy Halloween starts at home with the choices
you make. Instead of buying the usual candy, replace it with small toys and
other non food items. Pencils, stickers, and sugar free gum are all good
examples. Not only will you reduce the amount of candy the kids will
accumulate (if only by a fraction) you will not be tempted to eat the candy you
bought to give away. Toys and pencils last much longer than candy and give
the kids something to do beside watch television. Other options are small
packages of dried fruit such as raisins or dried blueberries, roasted pumpkins seeds, and high fiber granola bars.
A great way to ensure your kids will not overload on candy
is to get a healthy meal in them before going out. A fun way to do this is to
have a party at your house. This does not need to be a big deal. Invite a few
friends or cousins to your house and make all healthy foods/snacks that the
kids can fill up on. You can have them play fall themed games and socialize
with their friends/ family. They have less time to get overloaded with candy
especially if there are healthy treats for them to eat. Make these treats fun
and Halloween themed.
Of course kids will want to go out after the party and bring
home a whole bunch of candy. Once they get home, the best thing to do is to
dictate when they can eat it and how much they can have. This probably is the
most important thing you can do to keep the kids from getting overloaded with
sugar. Never let them keep candy in their bedrooms. They will eat it all in one
sitting—or at least try. Keep the Halloween sweet treats in secret location where the kids
can’t get at it, such as a high cabinet. Every day or every other day,
let them have one or two pieces as a treat or dessert after a healthy dinner. Keep track of how
much they are eating and make sure they don’t go overboard.
Halloween does not have to a candy nightmare. Use these
simple strategies and have a fun – and healthy—Halloween.
