Halloween Diet Tips

Here's wishing you the best Halloween without the sugar high!

Stay healthy this October 31! We bring you some useful unfailing advice that will prevent you from going astray this Halloween.

For the Trick-or-Treater

1. Fill up first. Having a healthy, filling meal before trick-or-treating will prevent your kids from gorging on the contents of their bags filled with candy as soon as they return home and stop overeating as they won’t feel as hungry.

2. Bag it. Be sure to find the right-sized bag for the kids so they don’t go overboard with the collection. Besides this, tell them to take just one piece of candy from each house and, in return, promise them the chance to visit every house in the neighborhood.

3. Get rid of it! The biggest problem with Halloween candy is the leftovers. Using a smaller bag will surely help, but sometimes kids still end up with a ton of extra sweets. To avoid being stuck with excess treats that could last you till Valentine’s Day, here are some ideas on how to get rid of the unwanted culprits:

• Keep enough candy for one piece a day for about two weeks. Throw away, donate or re-purpose the rest.
• Whenever you consume a piece of candy, be sure to pair it with a healthy snack like an apple, a banana, or some nuts.
• Some dentists’ offices have buy-back or trade-in programs. So get in touch and stay healthy.
• Donate excess candy to an orphanage, a homeless shelter, or a care package program for troops abroad.
• Save it to fill the piñata at the next birthday celebration or give it out with Valentine's cards if you can't resist finishing it all till then.
• Simply throw it away. And resist the temptation of all the half-priced candy after Halloween!

4. Get moving. Turn the evening into a fun physical activity session for the entire family. Set a goal of the number of houses or streets you’ll visit, or compete with each other to see who does more. Remember to wear comfortable shoes for walking and bring water with you to stay hydrated.

5. Safety first. Watch out for questionable or unknown ingredients in the edible items. Be mindful of any food allergies you or your kids have. Check expiration dates and inspect all edibles before eating them. A little carefulness goes a long way.

6. Have a plan. Halloween can be a great time to teach your kids about making smart choices, the need to achieve balance and moderation, and cultivating good eating habits for a healthy lifestyle. Plan in advance how much candy they’re allowed to take from each house, keep and eat.

For the Party Host

1. Up the fright factor. Serve healthy snacks dressed up in the Halloween theme and play fun games with food. Incorporate healthier food choices into the mix by introducing activities, such as decorating oranges like Jack-O-Lanterns, making banana ghosts, and bobbing for apples.

2. Keep them moving. Include plenty of physical activities, like a zombie dance party, three-legged monster race, spider crawl, or pumpkin toss.

3. Rethink your drink. Don’t forget that cutting back on sugary treats includes soda and sugar-sweetened beverages. Offer water, unsweetened tea, 100% juice, or fat-free/low-fat milk instead.

Make a festive Halloween punch from sparkling water and a splash of 100% orange juice, garnished with plenty of orange slices and black grapes or blackberries.

For the Stay-At-Home People

1. Be THAT house. Don’t follow the crowd. Start a new tradition on your street and give out healthier treats or non-edible items. There are lots of creative ideas floating around the internet.

Healthier treats like 100% juice boxes, real fruit strips, sugar-free bubble gum, and snack-sized packets of popcorn and dried fruits are sure to be a new favorite of the kids.

Non-edible items like glow-in-the-dark toys, coloring books, crayons, fake plastic spiders, and other fun toys will keep them happy and make them forget about those sugary treats.

2. Let them know who’s in charge. Instead of letting the kids help themselves with loads of candy, hand out one or two treats per kid as you wish. This prevents them from going overboard.