Have a Healthy Halloween

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Halloween is approaching and it’s one of everyone’s favorite holidays. Unfortunately, it can be tough to resist the temptation of all of those sugar filled candies everywhere! If you have kids, its even harder because no doubt they will come home with a bag full of candy after trick or treating and it will be staring you right in the face. You will see a Reese’s peanut butter cup and I know you will be thinking…mmm…that sure does look tasty…and you’ll hear a faint sound “Eat Me! Eat Me!”

It’s not easy to resist Halloween candy, especially if you’ve always been one who is naturally drawn to sugar. So what can you do?

Here are some ideas for a healthy Halloween:

1. Get Rid of the Candy: No one wants to get rid of the candy, but it’s probably the most effective thing to do. Friends of mine take most of their kid’s candy and send it over to friends and family who are in the army and stationed overseas, which is always eagerly and well received by the soldiers who hadn’t had any candy for months, maybe even years. Check with other local organizations around you – you might be surprised what you can find to get rid of it.

2. Don’t Buy Candy: If you have trick or treaters coming to your house, try to skip getting the candy, because you’ll be just as likely to want some if you have a big bowl of it sitting there. Give out healthy halloween snacks instead, such as popcorn balls, apples, or juice boxes. (Juice boxes are always nice because a lot of trick or treaters get thirsty or its a nice thing for moms to pack in their lunch). There’s no rule that says you have to give out food items either – my kids have gotten a toothbrush and travel sized toothpaste and glow sticks and been just as thrilled with that.

3. Snack Responsibly Before Parties: If you’ll be going to a Halloween party of event, you’ll want to make sure that you eat a very healthy and satisfying dinner before you go – this way you won’t be tempted to eat all of the snacks and will likely eat much less than if you went hungry. Try to stay away from the sugary goodies and make sure you go for the veggies and proteins.

4. Remember Halloween Safety: In today’s world you can never be too careful so remember the basic rules and remind your kids of them if you have kids – wear reflective tape, cross streets carefully, carry a flashlight, don’t wear clothes that are cumbersome or you could trip on and never go to a neighborhood you don’t live in or are not familiar in. If you don’t see other trick or treaters, it’s probably best to stay away.

5. Don’t Give Up: If you find yourself eating peanut butter cups. don’t despair. If need be, allow yourself one, and then stop and get right back on track. One little slip up isn’t going to cause major disaster and it’s no reason to give up entirely. Just concentrate as much as possible on exercising and sticking to the healthy diet.

These are just a few tips to help you have a great holiday. And if you’re still in need of a costume, check out some of my last minute costume ideas. (Hey, you might as well dress up, you only get away with it once a year!)

And if you need more ideas for healthy snacks or what to give to your trick or treaters, don’t forget to check out last year’s Halloween post: Healthy Halloween Snacks for Kids.

Have a Happy Healthy Halloween everyone!