Easy Tips for a Healthy Halloween

Tomorrow is a big day for kids. Costumes, candy, haunted houses and for the faithful few, waiting in sincere pumpkin patches for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. For parents, that means a lot of work…and a lot of candy management. We hope these tips will make it easier to make healthy decisions as you rush through your last minute preparations.

halloween
Halloween / Hanna Horwarth / CC BY 2.0

What to Bring to Parties

If you need a snack and activity, bring clementines and markers for creating mini jack-o’lanterns. Make a veggie platter shaped like a skeleton with a side of Herbed Greek Yogurt Dip (3 Guiding Stars). Offer a bowl full of Holiday Everyday Punch (2 Guiding Stars).

What to Hand Out

You know what’s way more exciting than a box of raisins? Gum. Sugar-free gum, to be precise. Not only is gum a fun source of bubble-popping tastiness, sugar-free gum actually helps reduce plaque…a definite, enjoyable health bonus for kids who will be indulging in a fair amount of candy.

How to Manage the Haul

As much fun as it is to enjoy a little extra candy around Halloween, in many neighborhoods, the kids come home with just too much. Make “treasure chests” together out of small containers and tell them they can keep as much candy as will fit in their chest. Talk together about the value of sharing your bounty and choose people in your community to make extra “treasure chests” as gift for. You can also always donate the extra to the troops through Operation Shoebox.