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Halloween Tricks or Treats

in The Too Busy to Diet Blog on October 19, 2016

Halloween Tricks and Treats

“Halloween doesn’t have to be a nightmare,” says Registered Dietitian and Media Representative for the  North Suburban Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Jacqueline King. As the parent, don’t buy candy that you know you’ll eat. If chocolate is your downfall, stock your candy bowl full of chocolate free treats to hand out. You will have less temptation to dip into the candy stash.

Feed your child a healthy meal prior to trick or treating. They may find they are actually too full to gorge on candy all night.

After the kids get home from trick or treating, allow them to eat a few of their favorite treats from their bag, but after that limit to 1-2 fun size snacks per day.

Keep the leftover Halloween candy in a cabinet where it can’t be seen every time anyone walks by. Out of sight out of mind!
Hand out healthier treats, like individual bags of whole grain crackers, packs of sugar-free gum, or cereal bars made with real fruit. Or you can even forgo the food all together and choose stickers, pencils and fun erasers to hand out instead.
Keep in mind that fun size candy options all contain a similar amount of calories, fat and sugar. It’s all about moderation and balance.
If you know you indulge more around Halloween time, make sure you are eating healthy during the other times. If you want to have a few treats the week of Halloween, just assure you are eating healthy and staying active throughout the rest of the week.
Keep active! On Halloween, walk with your children from house to house while they trick or treat. The activity is great for both you and your child.

For more information on healthy eating or to locate a Registered Dietitian in your area, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at www.eatright.org.

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• Tricks to Enjoying Halloween Treats from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: http://www.eatright.org/resource/health/lifestyle/holidays/enjoy-a-healthy-and-happy-halloween #EatRightIL

Jacqueline King, MS, RDN, CDE, FADA

Author, “Too Busy To Diet”