More than just a sugar high?
Treat or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat…or something like that. When I think about Halloween I recall ridiculous jokes, scary TV specials and candy. “Candy, candy, candy, candy,” as Garfield puts it.
Halloween can be more than just a sugar high. Maybe you think that all kids deserve to have you dole out palm-sized sugar? You might want to think again.
Most children participate in a multitude of Halloween activities the weeks preceding Halloween that promise bags full of sugar in a variety of Halloween candy, cupcakes and soda. Guiding, youth groups, school…there’s a party for that. One trick or treater’s stash can equal to a week’s worth of calorie intake.
Why not try handing out treats that won’t melt when it rains and send trick or treaters’ blood sugar levels off the charts.
Out of 365 days in the year, the top five candy selling days are all in October. Let’s start to change that. Halloween theme pencils, erasers, glow sticks and stickers are great handouts and are available at discount stores. If you are sending your own ghouls and goblins to a party with treats to give out, remember that heathy treats can be fun and tasty. Veggies come in many shapes and colours, which can create excellent bones for a skeleton perfect to snack on. An easy treat for kids of all ages are “boonanas.” Dip peeled bananas in orange juice, roll in shredded coconut to make white ghosts and add small raisins or chocolate chips for eyes. Insert a wooden craft stick for a handle and tada, you have a boonana. These are just a few of the many ideas for healthy and fun Halloween party treats.
Not feeling creative, no worries! Pull up the Google page on your computer, search “healthy Halloween treats” and the possibilities will seem almost endless.
I take my children trick or treating on Halloween and encourage them to have fun with this spooky day but we also talk about being sensible with how many houses we go to and limiting candy intake. Now there is no need to fill my kids in on the candies that mysteriously go missing after they go to bed…those are mom’s best kept secret.