Healthy Halloween Tips
Halloween is an exciting, spooky, and tasty way to kick off the holiday season. Are you all about the tricks, or all about the treats? Whether you are more excited about the festive costumes and jack-o-lanterns or sweet and delicious candy, check out these tips to add fun yet healthful spins to your Halloween.
- Don’t forget dinner: try making some Halloween themed meals for a festive day of food. Jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers, gingerbread houses, monster mashed potatoes, spooky spaghetti, and ghost cupcakes are fun for the whole family.
- Get festive: this holiday is celebrated for many reasons besides candy. Get involved in Halloween and fall activities like pumpkin carving, hayrides, corn mazes, spooky movies, and especially the costumes!
- Candy lasts forever. Okay, maybe not FOREVER, but it has a pretty long shelf life. Listen to your body, try not to get a stomach ache, and know that the candy will still be there for you to enjoy tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day…
- The best snacks come in small packages. Offer the small, “fun-size” versions of candy. This will help to acknowledge some hunger and fullness cues and allow you to try more than one type of candy!
- Pick your favorites: eat the candy you enjoy! Consider donating the extra candy to a local shelter or using it for art and baking creations!
- Get moving: trick-or-treating is a wonderful family activity and a great way to get some fresh fall air and spend time with friends.
To ensure a fun, healthy, and safe Halloween, try taking part of the Teal Pumpkin Project. There are a wide variety of food allergies these days ranging from nuts, dairy, soy and more. It’s important to raise awareness of these allergies to keep Halloween safe and fun for everyone.
- Be a part of the Teal Pumpkin Project by:
- Painting a pumpkin with a teal color and placing it on your front doorstep for all trick-or-treaters to see you are an allergy free house
- Hand out non-food treats to ensure safety for all with potential allergies.
- Spread the word about the project!
All in all, enjoy and celebrate this holiday! Partake in all the fun activities Halloween has to offer!