Halloween is just around the corner, and ~65 million kids will go trick-or-treating. Many parents are groaning thinking about all
of the candy (SUGAR!), so let me share tips to lighten the sugar load.
Think NON-FOOD trick-or-treat choices: pencils, erasers, markers, glow sticks, mini rubber balls; sidewalk chalk, stickers, marbles, and bubbles.
Think NON-CANDY trick-or-treat choices: pre-packaged “snack packs” of goldfish crackers or mini pretzels, packs of sugar-free gum, and granola bars.
Channel the Halloween spirit into a learning opportunity… Talk with your kids about what fruits and veggies are orange. How
do they grow and where? How might they be used? How can you cook them? How do they taste?
If you do plan to give out candy, three suggestions:
- Buy what you don’t like so that any leftovers will not be tempting.
- Buy small pieces of candy.
- Buy a small amount – just what you’ll really need for trick-or-treaters.
Instead of trick-or-treating, plan a neighborhood Halloween party with games and healthy nibbles for kids and parents.
Extra candy?
- Freeze it and dole it out during the year.
- Cut it up, put it into baggies, freeze, and then add pieces later throughout the year to brownie, cake or cookie batter
- Donate to a nursing home or to our military troops.
