Top 10 Tips to Have a Healthy Halloween

Halloween is a great time to have some magical fun with our kids; we can pass on traditions from when we were little as well as create new ones. You can easily turn Halloween into a healthier holiday while still having all the fun and magic you remember as a kid!

Here are 10 ways to do that:

1.) Fill your kids up with a healthy meal, or if they are too excited to eat a meal, fill them up with a rainbow of fruits and veggies before they go out trick or treating. This will leave a lot less room for all the sweets they’ll be bringing home. You can have some fun turning healthy food into Halloween themed treats. If you need some inspiration check out this Healthy Halloween board on Pinterest for over 60 fruit and veggie Halloween themed ideas.

2.) If your kids have a class party at school, send along something fun yet healthy like this veggie skeleton. It’s very easy to make and kids love it!

3.) While you are carving your pumpkin don’t forget to keep the seeds for roasting as they are full of nutrients and taste SO good! Roasted pumpkin seeds make a great snack to send to school especially if your kids go to a nut-free school.

4.) Make sure to check the quality of the face paints you use. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found 10 out of 10 Halloween makeup kits tested contain lead! It’s actually fairly easy to make your own face paint.

5.) When you are buying treats to hand out, go for one of the healthier brands such as; Unreal, Surf Sweets and Yummy Earth. These brands offer treats that have better quality ingredients, so you can still enjoy a sweet treat without having to worry about toxic ingredients. Check out Green Halloween’s Candy Cheat Sheet for more information.

6.) Make a plan as to how much candy your kids will be allowed to eat. There are many different ways to approach this and it’s good to sit down with your kids and agree upon a plan that works for everyone. You could let them eat as much as they want on Halloween night and that is it. You could let them choose two treats per day for the next two weeks. You could let them splurge for a week/month and then get rid of what is left. Find a plan that you can all agree on before Halloween night so there aren’t any surprises and disappointments

7.) Whatever you decide for your candy plan, the main goal is to get that candy out of the house, because no matter how much “willpower” you have – you will eat it if it’s in the house and so will your kids. So how can you get rid of the treats? You can find a dentist office that is taking in candy in trade for fun items, you can start a tradition with the switch witch or candy fairy to exchange all that candy for fun things like play dough, books, toys, Funkins etc… or you can donate candy to troops abroad. Another idea is to save the candy for Christmas crafts or use the candy for fun experiments!

8.) All that sugar and junk food is going to have an effect on the immune system so it’s really important that you make sure your kids are getting plenty of sleep, drinking lots of water, eating a rainbow of fruits and veggies and are getting some physical activity in the days leading up to and after Halloween. If not, don’t be surprised if a cold makes its way through your family!

9.) Buy your kids a cool new toothbrush to help put a fun focus on brushing their teeth on Halloween night! The biggest culprit of cavities in children is sugar so after this extra-sweet holiday, be extra vigilant about their brushing. A new toothbrush is much cheaper than a trip to the dentist!

10.) Last but not least, you and your kids can make a Halloween inspired smoothie or fresh juice. Here are two easy and delicious recipes to try:

• Green Swamp Juice: Juice 1 large cucumber, handful of kale, 2 pears, 1/2 unpeeled lemon, 2 celery stalks
• Orange Sunset  Smoothie: Blend 2 large chopped carrots, 1 cup almond milk, dash of cinnamon, 1 frozen banana, 1/2 avocado, 1 mango, ice (optional)