By Jenny Bush, MD, Director of Pediatrics and Provider at Westside Health Center Pediatrics
The kids look adorable in their costumes and are counting down the days until October 31! Are you ready for the sugar rush? With a little creativity, you can find fun ways to include some healthy options in the mix for trick-or-treating in the neighborhood.
Try these five tips to make your Halloween festivities a little healthier for your trick-or-treaters:
- Provide a healthy meal prior to trick or treating. This will give them fuel for a fun night and hopefully decrease their appetite for candy!
- Run! Rather than driving the kids around during trick-or-treating, encourage them to run from house to house so that they get good exercise to burn off some of the extra sugar!
- Consider giving out non-sweet options, such as stickers, pretzels or small trinkets. Often children will choose these over candy when both are present.
- Plan some non-candy related games to play that night. This will encourage them to get home sooner for the fun. A photo scavenger hunt for Halloween decorations around the neighborhood is a great way to keep the kids moving!
- Set guidelines for candy eating prior to trick or treating. I would suggest no more than five small candies on Halloween, then one a day for the next week. At the end of the week, consider donating the rest of the candy. Consider donations to a local shelter or look for a local organization that will take the candy and send it overseas to our troops.
