Halloween Health Tips

Ashley Goudey, Nutrition, Food Safety & Health Agent

Making the best nutritional choices may be challenging around the holidays but even more at Halloween.  Take the upcoming holiday as an opportunity to teach your children about moderation.   There are many ways to keep your child happy this Halloween without allowing them to eat loads of candy. Discuss with your child that he/she can eat a small amount of candy (2-3 small pieces) the night of trick or treating and another set amount each following night.  Put the candy out of sight, your child is less likely to be reminded of the candy if it is not in plain sight. Think “out of sight, out of mind”.   

 Offer trick-or-treaters non-candy alternatives

Who said candy is the only choice to hand out on Halloween?  Choose non-candy alternatives such as fruit cups, pretzels, goldfish, graham crackers and trail mix.  The list of toy alternatives is even longer including bouncy balls, a jump rope, a plastic or foam flier, stickers, whistles, pencils, plastic rings or necklaces, crayons, and pocket sized games.  Your visitors will enjoy receiving something a little different from your house.  Offering non-candy alternatives gives little ones the opportunity to enjoy items much longer than a couple chews.

Eat supper before going out

Go trick or treating with your child and make sure they have had a snack or supper before heading out.  If your child is trick or treating on an empty stomach they may be tempted to start snacking before arriving home. Little ones may have the idea that they need to fill their bags with treats before calling it quits.  For this, choose a bag that is appropriate for the child’s size.  Bags as large as shopping bags or small trash bags should not be used as treat bags.

Stay in your neighborhood and look through food items as soon as you arrive home

            Staying close to home and only traveling a couple blocks to neighbors you know can limit the amount of goodies your child receives. If your child doesn’t come home with heaps of candy, they won’t be tempted to eat more than they should.  Look through food items and make sure that no packages have been opened in any way.  Items should be in original manufacturer wrapping.  If you have young children, assess the contents for choking hazards.  When in doubt, throw it out!

Be your child’s role model

            When parents set limits for the amount of candy that their child is allowed to eat, parents should also abide by those guidelines.  To avoid temptation of lingering items, buy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.