Halloween often centers on candy, sweets, costumes, trick-or-treating and fun. Having grown up in an era where it was safe to go trick-or-treating way past dark with no adult supervision, I remember the excitement of receiving not only the usual candy bars of the day, but also those homemade popcorn balls, taffy apples, and occasionally cupcakes or brownies. We weren’t concerned with germs, unpackaged items, or if someone were trying to poison us. Times have changed, but some things have not: the amount of sugary treats distributed remains high, whether they are home-made or not.
Sugary candy at Halloween wouldn’t be that big of a deal if we weren’t also giving the kids so much sugar on a regular basis (sugary cereals for breakfast, sugar-filled sodas, sugary fruit gummies and roll-ups, processed snack cakes and donuts, ice cream, and candy/candy bars on a regular basis; plus the festivities throughout the year which also include lots of sugar, such as birthdays, Christmas, Easter, other holidays and school events). Sugar has become an all too frequent part of the daily fare.
However, there are some party snacks and Halloween hand-outs which will allow you to celebrate and enjoy the festivities without overdosing on refined sugars (and perhaps contributing to life-long addictions, since sugar and chocolate are two of the most highly addictive foods).
Healthy Handouts and Alternatives: Halloween-themed Snyder mini pretzel bags (Walmart carries), individual raisin boxes, microwave popcorn packets, mini applesauce containers, mini water bottles, Halloween-themed pencils, erasers or pencil toppers, temporary tattoos, stickers, super balls, bracelets or hair accessories, mini toothbrush kits, mardi gras beads, small plastic spiders, spooky false teeth, plastic rings, tiny pumpkins or gourds, whole-grain granola bars, matchbox cars, crayons, small activity pads, bubbles, and playing cards. Party stores are a great resource for trinkets, but use caution that any toy pieces aren’t so small they could be swallowed.
Party Food Ideas: Create your own pizza (mini crusts, sauce, veggies galore, sundried tomatoes); Spooky Black Bean Hummus with rice crackers or pretzel crisps; Chef AJ’s Mushroom Chili ; Spider Pumpkin Muffins (muffins with eye balls and licorice strings as the legs); Roasted Veggie Tacos (super easy); Chef AJ’s caramel apples; Graveyard Cakes (healthy brownie recipe); Witches eyeballs (whole dates sliced open, fill with peanut butter and an almond); Silly Apple Bites (which resemble an open mouth with eyeballs and a tongue). Homemade granola bars and trail mix (call it Goblin food); Grapes and apples with almond or caramel dips; Low-fat guacamole with baked chips; Snack cups of canned mandarin oranges or other fruits. Feel free to contact me other ideas or links to any of these recipes.
After trick-or-treating, my recommendation is to allow your children to eat a few special pieces of candy on Halloween night (within reason), and then offer them the choice of trading in all their candy for a trip to the toy store or for something else they’ve been longing to purchase. Dispose of (or donate) the remaining candy, but get it out of sight and more importantly, get it out of the house. Some area dentists will take the candy off your hands and send it to the troops; you can find a participating dentist at www.halloweencandybuyback.com.
Take the time to encourage healthy snack eating with your children throughout the year, and explain the reasoning behind it. Then, instead of battling over candy on Halloween and other events, your child will have a better understanding as to why it’s being limited and will be more receptive to trading or donating come November 1. Cyd can be reached at www.cydnotter.com.
