Halloween can be a challenging time for kids and parents who are trying to make healthy choices but the holidays can be particularly difficult for children who are trying to control their weight.
I suppose it would be OK to have one day of treats if Halloween was truly only one day a year, but as with many of our holidays, Halloween seems to start at least 4 weeks before the actual day.
With all of the parties and and celebrations with friends, co-workers, sport teams, scouting troops, and classrooms, we must celebrate Halloween at least 10 times before October 31.
Here are some popular ideas to make Halloween a little bit healthier:
- Don't buy your candy until a day or two before you hand it out.
- Better yet, make sure you buy candy and hand out candy that you don't like!
- After your kids come back from trick-or-treating , have them pick out their favorites, then re-give it out what they collected when the older kids come by.
- A true favorite: try the "Switch Witch" or "Halloween Ghost". After trick-or-treating and candy sorting, have your children pick out 10-20 of their favorite candies. The rest can be put out on the doorstep for the "Switch Witch" or "Halloween Ghost" who takes the candy and leaves a small present.
- Be the parent or teacher that offers to bring fruit and healthy snacks to the Halloween parties. The watermelon ghosts and bats made with cookie cutters and these string cheese fingers are a huge hit! (there are a lot of great food ideas on sites like Pinterest)
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| http://tistheseasonblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/cheese-finger-food.html |
- Handout small toys like spider rings - everyone likes spider rings!
www.orientaltrading.com
- Most importantly, don't keep the candy in the house for very long. Keep it for a few days, if necessary, then donate it. Get it out of the house so you and your children aren't tempted.
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| http://oldegreencupboard.blogspot.com/ |
Have a Happy, Healthy Halloween.
Clementine Jack-o-Lanterns
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