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Healthy helpings: Halloween treats don’t have to be scary

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Halloween candy doesn't have to rule your child's diet this season. DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS - KATE PENN

Halloween candy doesn’t have to rule your child’s diet this season. DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS – KATE PENN

By Marta Smith

Halloween is a nutritionist’s worst nightmare, and it’s just around the corner.

Many popular candies contain sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium.

You want the kids to have fun while trick-or-treating and you want to promote good, healthy eating habits. And you might also be concerned about your own ability to avoid sneaking some of your child’s Halloween stash — not to mention the leftover candies that trick-or-treaters didn’t snag at your house.

What’s a parent to do?

Relax! It is only one day out of the year. Your kids are not going to get fat, lose all their teeth and set themselves up for an adulthood of heart disease and diabetes with this one holiday.

With that said, there are some things that you can do to that might incorporate some sneaky good nutrition into the picture — and help to minimize the potential nutritional indiscretions.

Healthy treats

Try handing out these healthy alternatives to traditional Halloween candy:
• Pretzels
• Raisins
• Juice boxes
• Travel-size cereal boxes
• Low-fat granola or cereal bars
• Mini water bottles
• Sugar-free gum
• Sugar-free hot chocolate packet

Non-food treats are also popular with young children:

• Halloween-themed pencils
• Stickers
• Bubbles
• Coloring books
• Crayons
• Spooky rings
• Rubber spiders
• Rubber bracelets
• Toothbrushes
• Mini tubes of toothpaste

Minimize candy and calorie overload

1. Purchase candy for trick-or-treaters on the day of Halloween.
2. Select a candy that you and your own kids do not particularly like.
3. Feed your kids a nice meal with some protein before they go out trick-or-treating, if they are full, they will eat less candy afterwards and they won’t snack along the way.
4. Size your child’s trick-or-treat bag to match his or her size. Smaller bags fill up faster, so your child will bring home less candy.
5. Limit the number of houses that you go to trick-or-treating.
6. Have your kids walk from house to house rather than driving them.
8. Keep left over candies out of sight and out of mind.
9. Take leftover candy and mix it with whole-grain cereal, nuts, dried fruits and mini pretzels to make your own “trail mix.”
10. Slow down the candy eating experience. Ask your child to describe the texture and taste so they’re not inhaling their entire candy bag immediately.

Homemade treats

Consider having a Halloween party for your child and some of his or her friends. This way you can offer more healthful options such as warm apple cider with cinnamon, popcorn, chocolate-dipped fruit slices and pumpkin dip. This recipe is from Eatright.org.
Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients
3 tablespoons canned pumpkin
1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
Directions
Stir to combine. Serve with graham crackers or apple and banana slices.

After the hunt

After you and your child return from trick-or-treating, remember to inspect all the treats they’ve collected. Have a plan for how you will dispense the candy and talk about it with your child. You might want to have them select several pieces of candy to eat on Halloween night and then each following day, your child can select one or two treats.

Remember to have your child drink water and brush their teeth after a sweet treat to help reduce tooth decay.

Marta Smith is a registered dietitian at Gettysburg Hospital.


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