A Healthier Halloween

Trick or Treating time is coming soon! Are you ready to share treats with your little goblins? Use this guide to add healthier options to your Halloween, no matter what you have planned.

Avoid Going Out on an Empty Stomach

Start your evening with a healthy snack or meal full of fiber and fluids to ensure that your trick-or-treaters do not start their adventure on an empty stomach. Try a veggie-packed and high-protein salad with nuts, hummus, beans, and low-calorie homemade dressing. Continue your meal with high-fiber fruit choices (pears, apples, dates) to add to that feeling of fullness. Lean meat options and low-fat dairy are good additions to your pre-festive fun. This may help you to not overindulge later in the evening.

Stay Hydrated

Throughout the evening, include water and/or low-sugar beverages to maintain fluid that may be lost with those sometimes fuzzy, hot, heavy costumes. 

Fill the car, wagon, or stroller with these beverage options to enjoy throughout your evening of festive fun. This may alleviate some of those misconceived “hunger pangs” often noted throughout the night for what it likely is, thirst. It’s not unusual to mistake feelings of thirst as hunger and therefore grab a snack instead of a beverage to alieve that need.

Passing Out Candy

For those staying home to pass out treats it’s easy to incorporate some fun healthy options like these: 

• Fruit leather strips
• Smartpop popcorn bags for popping or popcorn balls
• Sugar free gum
• Low fat granola bars
• Pretzel sticks
• Animal crackers
• Pop chips
• Sunflower seeds
• Mixed nuts
• Squeezable yogurt and applesauce

Keep in mind those with allergies and food sensitivities. The Teal Pumpkin Project uses teal-colored Halloween décor at houses to signify that allergy-friendly options are available for trick-or-treaters. If you’d like to provide these options – coloring books, crayons, bouncy balls, bubbles, pencils, play dough, and other fun novelty items are great alternatives to candy.

Relax and have fun!

Finally, remember that this is only one night and is meant for fun memories. If you or your child winds up with candy-filled bellies, remember that tomorrow is another day, and we can start each day fresh!

Catherine Saunders, RD, LDN | catherine.saunders@hcsgcorp.com

“I promote overall nutritional well-being for long-term care residents with preventative nutritional and maintenance care.”

Catherine has been a part of HCSG team since 2018 serving at a 123-bed skilled nursing facility. In addition to my RD life, I enjoy the great outdoors with my two children, Colton and Olivia, and my hubby Donavon of seventeen years. We enjoy hunting, fishing, four-wheeling, kayaking, skiing, and camping.