Edward-Elmhurst Health: Halloween without the health scare

Believe it or not, Halloween is a great time to practice balance.

When kids stagger home on Halloween night lugging sacks full of candy, teach them how to enjoy special treats in moderation.

These tactics will help manage the candy craziness:

• Fill up on the good stuff. Feed everyone a healthy meal before the candy bowl comes out and the kids leave to trick-or-treat. Everyone will be less tempted to eat lot of candy on a full stomach.
• Prioritize. Have children sort their candy from most to least favorite. Donate the least-favorite candy or take it to a local dentist that participates in a buy-back program where children are reimbursed based on the pounds of candy they bring in.
• Don’t add to the sugar total. While there is candy in the house, cut back on other sources of sugar like juice, chocolate milk, chocolate-flavored nut butters, doughnuts, desserts or pastries.
• Give out healthier choices, such as:
  • Snack bags of popcorn
  • Raisins
  • Granola bars (with under 9 grams of sugar per serving)
  • Sugar-free gum
  • Snack sized bags of bear graham crackers or animal crackers
  • Snack sized bags of pretzels or fish crackers
• Skip the edible treats altogether and consider giving:
  • Glow-in-the-dark necklaces or bracelets
  • Spooky rings, fake teeth or fingernails
  • Stickers
  • Noise makers
  • Creepy plastic bugs, fingers or eyeballs
• Have kids pace themselves. After the fun of trick-or-treating is over, allow kids to have their choice of several different kinds of candy. (Be sure to check candy before letting children dive into the treat bag.) Then put the candy out of sight so it isn’t a constant reminder to eat more. Allow them to choose 1-2 pieces each day to learn moderation. Freeze some candy to use for celebrations later or use it to create a holiday gingerbread house.

Learn more at EEHealth.org.