Encouraging Kids to Enjoy a Healthy Halloween

Halloween night is an event that kids of all ages look forward to throughout the year.  It’s a time when they can dress up in crazy costumes, hang out with their friends, and collect a ton of candy.  Encouraging children from a young age to incorporate treats in moderation is your best bet for surviving Halloween without a lot of belly-aches and cavities! Here are some simple ways you can ensure that your kids will have the healthiest Halloween possible, while still having tons of fun.

• Screen trick-or-treat candy not only for safety reasons, but for nutritional reasons as well. Toss fried snack chips, gummies or candy that is very sticky (these stay in the mouth for a long time promoting tooth decay), and anything that contains partially hydrogenated oils.
• Have children sort through their candy and pick out the pieces they do not like. The excess can then be shared amongst the family or best of all, donated to a food bank.
• Saving treats for a later time is helpful in preventing the “I ate too much candy, I’m so full!” belly-ache after trick-or-treating. It’s also the perfect opportunity to encourage kids to practice moderation and portion control. Divide treats into small plastic bags that can be eaten over a period of weeks or even months.
• Kids love trading just about anything. You can apply this to Halloween, too! Have healthy, yummy and sweet options like dried fruit, trail mix, fruit cups, and even dark chocolate squares (at least 60% cocoa content for the antioxidants) on hand to swap for!

Remember…Halloween is one very fun and exciting day of the year, especially for kids! It’s okay for kids to indulge, just not all at once! By teaching your kids about moderation, and leading by example, everyone will have a great Halloween!

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