Nutrition Tips for a Healthy Halloween
Ding dong..Trick or treat! Word travels quickly if you are the house in the neighborhood handing out pretzels and apples on Halloween night, unless, of course, they are coated with a thick layer of caramel and chocolate. So you won't be the most popular person on the block but you will be the hero against childhood obesity. Childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate. Nearly one in three children are overweight or obese in the United States. This year Americans will spend close to $2 billion on Halloween candy and approximately 10 percent of the nation?s medical costs on obesity related diseases.
More: Is Your Child Overweight?
While kids love to dress in costumes and cause mischief, parents dread the thought of all the leftover candy and tremendous amounts of calories that accompany the day. It?s alright to indulge treats, just don?t forget to practice moderation. Halloween is the perfect time of year to begin practicing balance and mindfulness in when it comes to eating. Halloween kicks off the ?holiday season? with Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year?s and then Valentine?s Day just around the corner.
When trick or treaters ring your doorbell, what will you offer? This year try nutritious foods, fun non-food items, and items that encourage activity.
Be Calorie Conscious
Weight management is always a challenge but more so during the holidays. The secret to success is calorie intake, which means choosing appropriate portions and remembering that extra bites add up. It takes only an additional 100 calories a day above what you need to lead to extra 10lb weight gain in a year.
Procrastinate
Purchase Halloween candy the day of trick or treat to avoid temptation. Buy less than what you think you will need to avoid leftovers and purchase candies that you do not like, if you still have leftovers place them out of sight. If you really have a hard time with temptation choose to pass out non-candy treats such as bouncy balls, spider rings, pencils, erasers, bubbles or stickers.
More: 10 Halloween Tricks and Treats
Eat Before You Trick or Treat
Serve a healthy family dinner before the fun begins, this way the kids will not be tempted to eat candy along the way. After trick or treating, offer a cup of warm, low fat milk with just one treat to ensure that blood sugar is stable before bedtime. Sign a contract between you and your children regarding when and how much candy all of you can eat.
Stay Active
Take a long walk around your neighborhood while trick or treating and enjoy all the decorations and customs that kids have on.
Practice Portion Control
After trick or treating sort the candy, inspect them and then set boundaries on an amount to be eaten over a period of many days. You can easily reach 100 calories with just one or two snack size treats. There are actually some candies that can satisfy your sweet tooth with fewer calories!
Always choose ?fun size? candy bars based on the least amount of fat and calories per serving. Better choices are, 3 Musketeers, 100 Grand Bar, Butterfinger bar, Milky Way bar, Raisinets, Starburst and York Peppermint Patties. Lastly always choose healthier dark chocolate versions. Most candy has a long shelf-life. Put the ?stash" out of reach and limit candy to two pieces per day. Larger treats, such as full chocolate bars, can be cut into smaller pieces and frozen.
Check out The Calories
Reese's peanut butter cup 1 fun size cup = 110 calories
Peanut M & M?s 1 fun size bag = 90 calories
Butterfinger 1 snack size bar = 85 calories
M & M?s 1 fun size bag = 85 calories
Skittles 1 fun size bag = 80 calories
Peppermint Patty 1 fun size patty = 70 calories
Kit Kat 1 fun size bar = 67 calories
Gummy Life Savers 1 fun size package = 55 calories
Tootsie Roll 1 snack bar = 50 calories
Nerds 1 fun size box = 50 calories
Sour patch candy 1 fun size packet = 50 calories
Starburst 2 chews = 40 calories
Smarties 1 roll = 25 calories
Bargain
Bargain with your kids and ask them to trade their stash of candy for a favorite nonfood item, iPod gift cards, sneakers, jeans, a chance to stay up just a little later on a school night, or cash always works! Pay for each sweet treat they "sell" you, and let them "earn" money for a toy or game they want to buy. Reward your kids for making good decisions! Be prepared to bargain other treats for your kids stash.
Non-Candy Items
Always offer a good amount of fun, non-candy alternatives which promote health such as:
cereal bars
snack packs of dried fruit, pretzels, nut and seeds
trail mix
low-fat crackers with cheese or peanut butter filling
animal crackers
beef or turkey jerky
single serve boxes of healthy ready-to-eat cereal
raisins and chocolate covered raisins
single serve packets of low-fat microwave popcorn
hot chocolate or apple cider packets
small toys and pocket-sized games
glow sticks
costume jewelry
funny Halloween glasses
false teeth
miniature magnifying glasses
tiny decks of cards
markers
stickers
temporary tattoos
bookmarks
crayons
coloring tablets
paint brushes
Treats to Promote Activity
Encourage kids to be more physically active by giving small, inexpensive toys to get them up and moving such as:
bouncy ball
jump rope
sidewalk chalk
hacky sack
a foam airplane flier
Help kids enjoy Halloween without overindulging. If you and your family eat sensibly all year, then kids know how to make wise decisions when they are tempted to overindulge with unhealthy foods. Enjoy the holiday with your kids, but carefully plan what you will do at your house to assure that healthy eating habits are practiced. This can be challenging, since the goal of most children is to get as much Halloween candy as possible for their own private stash.
Cutting down on high fat and sugar laden Halloween treats alone is not the answer to solving the obesity epidemic, but if individuals provide active and nutritious treats in place of candy, together we can teach children important lessons in healthy eating, conscious choices and portion control.
