Have a healthy meal before heading out trick-or-treating.
Activity is important. On Halloween walk around the neighborhood instead of driving. During the day walk around a local park and enjoy the changing colors of the trees. No child can resist a nice pile of leaves.
Leniency about eating candy on Halloween is okay, within reason. If you and your family eat sensibly all year long, then your kids will know how to make wise decisions when they are tempted to overindulge. Candy is fine when eaten in moderation.
Learn to balance candy and sweets with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Remember to keep eating healthy foods like fruits and veggies around and available for your family to snack on.
Offer non-candy alternatives when choosing treats for trick-or-treaters. They will get enough candy from other places. Consider giving out small toys, tattoos, stickers, pencils, sugar-free gum, etc.
Watch over the candy your child gets. Remove choking hazards (hard candies, peanuts) for children 3 and under. For all children check their candy for safety and throw out pieces they just don’t like. Just because it was given out, doesn’t mean it has to be eaten.
Encourage your child to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten — and to stop before feeling full or sick.
Encourage healthy holiday activities. Don’t just focus on treats during the Halloween season. Carving a pumpkin is a fun activity for children. You can make something healthy with the pumpkin. Or visit a local pumpkin farm to enjoy the fall harvest fun.
Never forget to enjoy this time with your children!
Sources:
How to Have a Healthy Halloween | American Heart Association
Nemours KidsHealth – the Web’s most visited site about children’s health
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