Howling for a Healthy Halloween

Halloween brings out the kid in all of us. It’s fun to get dressed up in a costume and parade around the neighborhood or go to a party. Treats are a part of the fun. However, treats don’t have to be sticky, gooey candy. The words ?healthy? and ?Halloween? don?t appear to fit together in the same sentence but can! If you are the type of mom who is concerned that Halloween isn?t the most nutritionally healthy night for your children, there are some steps you can take to help minimize the ?candy craze?.

Have a Healthy, Happy Halloween!

1.)Exercise During Halloween? Trick or Treating is exercise! Make sure children get enough physical activity to burn off excess calories. Trick-or-treating can be a fun way to incorporate walking. Plan a few extra loops around the neighborhood. This can tire out kids and prepare them to hit the sack when they get home.

2.)Boundaries. Set limits with your child on how many pieces of candy they?re allowed to eat on Halloween night. The ?come home, dump out all the candy and have at it? method is not the best. Allow your children to make their own selections, but tell them they can only pick a few pieces.

3.)?Real? food first. On Halloween night, feed your kids ‘real’ food before they go out and hit the neighborhood streets. An extra-nutritious dinner before trick-or-treating will help decrease their appetite for sweets once they get home. A meal filled with nutrient rich foods like milk, lean protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is the way to go!

4.)Consider Non-Food Treats. Handing out treats like small toys is a great way to reduce the amount of candy children eat during Halloween. Plus, they?re fun! Some other ideas are stickers, pencils, playdoh, or bubbles.

5.)Why not milk? Serving chocolate milk after trick-or-treating is a great, healthy treat. It gives kids their chocolate fix that they so desire on Halloween night. You can even warm up the chocolate milk for a great hot chocolate drink. Milk contains tryptophan which helps people snooze. (kids included!). Plus chocolate milk is the official drink of Halloween – it is nutrition in disguise since it has nine essential nutrients children and adults need.

With just a little effort the phrase, ?Healthy Halloween? is possible.