Halloween is a time that children get excited about dressing up as their favourite character and stocking up on candy. Below are some tips to make your Halloween festivities healthier for your family and others.
For your family:
- Work out a plan with your children and discuss how to enjoy their candy and decide what they can do with the extra. Use your best judgment based on their personality and eating habits.
- Limit the amount of candy your children collect by limiting the number of houses they visit, or the amount of time they spend Trick-or-Treating.
- Always keep safety in mind. Only keep items that are unopened and in their original packaging.
- Trade candy for non-food items like bouncy balls and pencils.
- Know how much candy was collected and store it out of sight. Having candy visible makes it more likely that you or your children will eat it.
- Use Halloween candy for craft projects.
For others:
- Hand out stickers or Halloween themed pencils.
- Offer healthier food options like small bags of flavoured rice cakes or pretzels, boxes of lower sugar cereal, pre-packaged cheese sticks, higher fibre granola bars, or bottles of water.
- Avoid bringing leftover candy to school.
You and your family can enjoy a healthy Halloween! Continue healthy eating and active living habits during the Halloween season.
For more ideas on healthy eating please visit: www.healthyeatingstartshere.ca.
