To promote a healthy Halloween, focus on creative, fun, and active alternatives to excessive sugary treats. This can include planning a nutritious family meal before trick-or-treating, offering both healthy snacks and non-food treats, as well as incorporating active games into your celebration.
For trick-or-treaters
- Fuel up before leaving. Serve a nutritious and filling dinner before going out. A meal rich in protein and fiber will help curb cravings for candy later on.
- Keep costumes fun and safe. Use bright costumes and add reflective tape or glow sticks to bags and outfits to increase visibility in the dark. Use face paint instead of masks that can obstruct vision.
- Opt for a smaller bag. A smaller trick-or-treat bag naturally limits how much candy can be collected.
- Turn it into an active outing. Instead of driving, walk a neighborhood route. You can even set a goal of walking a certain number of houses or blocks to add a fun, physical challenge.
- Plan for the candy haul. Before heading out, establish a plan for the candy. Allow kids to pick a few favorites for that night, then decide together how to handle the rest—whether by saving it for a few weeks or donating it.
- Check all treats first. Remind children not to eat any candy until you have inspected it. Throw away any treats that are unwrapped or have suspicious packaging.
For those handing out treats
- Offer non-food items. Kids enjoy small toys just as much as candy. Great options include stickers, temporary tattoos, spider rings, glow sticks, bubbles, mini puzzles, and crayons.
- Go the healthier snack route. Give out portion-controlled, pre-packaged items like mini bags of popcorn or pretzels, 100% fruit leathers, granola bars, or small boxes of raisins.
- Join the Teal Pumpkin Project. Place a teal pumpkin on your porch to signal that you have non-food treats available for children with food allergies.
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MaryAnna Robbins CSEP-CPT, OFC RHEP – Group Exercise, Resistance Trainer, Yoga Fitness, Aqua Fitness, Pilates Mat Fitness
