HEALTHY HALLOWEEN
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.  When I was a kid I use to collect all of my Halloween candy in a giant pillowcase and hide it under my bed for  months, eating on piece of candy a night, saving the yucky candies for last. Now that I am a mom and a dietitian Halloween takes on a whole different meaning. If you are like me Halloween candy can be every parent’s nutritional
nightmare. Deciding what to do with those big trick-or-treat bags full of candy and sweet treats can be a big problem.

Tips for dealing with Halloween Candy Overload:

• Serve your kids a healthy dinner before they go trick-or-treating, since this will help prevent them from gorging on candy when they get home.

Try a fun Halloween themed dinner like this one (via Pinterest)

• Let your child enjoy some of their Halloween candy in moderation-set a limit on 4 small pieces of candy when they have finished trick-or-treating.

• Negotiate how long the candy will remain in the house. For instance, all the candy will be thrown away after a week or given away.

• Keep candy out of sight. Put all the trick-or-treat bags into a high cabinet in your kitchen or pantry. Out of sight – out of mind, this way you can control how many pieces of candy your kids can eat over the next few days.

• Divide up leftover candy into small treat bags. Let your kids pick out one or two bags for the next two weeks.

• Don’t buy candy too early.

• Buy candy that will not be tempting for you or your children. If you are not a fan of lollipops buy a big bag for your trick-or-treaters.

• Promote a healthy Halloween by handing out alternative to candy (pencils, stickers, super balls)

• Hand out non-sugary treats like raisins, granola bars and sunflower seeds.

Other healthy treat options including these cute Clementine Pumpkins, Spooky Bananas and more:

• Get kids moving. Make sure your kids get a little extra physical activity to compensate for all those Halloween treats.

Follow these tips and you will be well prepared to tame your candy-loving monsters.

For more healthy halloween ideas, click over to our Pinterest board!