Eerily Healthy Eating at Halloween

Even with the best of intentions, eating healthy when celebrating a holiday can be daunting. Every holiday has its share of decadent desserts. There is one holiday, however, which is almost solely centered around children acquiring and eating lots of candy – goblin-ridden Halloween.

But as a Nutritionist, I’m not scared of Halloween – because with a little creativity it is still possible to eat right on Fright Night.

So, for those who want to reduce the amount of candy on Halloween for your little monsters, here are some ideas:

1. Give away something other than candy

There are plenty of other fun treats to give away besides candy, most of which can be purchased at a dollar store or Costco.

• Halloween stickers or temporary tattoos
• Small flashlights
• Glow sticks
• Bottle of bubbles
• Apple chips(you can buy a box at Costco)
• From Made Good, try their Mini Granola bars (you can find them at Costco)
• Organic juice boxes or “Hydra fruit” juices (part fruit juice, part water), as kids get thirsty walking from door to door.  Also found at Costco.
• From Sun Ripe, try their Dried Fruit bars
• Zollipops – While this is candy, the ingredients are not so scary. These are natural lollipops sweetened with xylitol. They help to increase the alkaline pH balance of your mouth, thus reducing the risk of cavities.

2. Host a Halloween Party

Let your child get together with their friends after, or even instead of, trick-or-treating. Serve some healthy snacks and hot apple cider. Play some Halloween games.If they have something to look forward to after trick-or-treating, they will not spend so much time collecting candy. 

Fruits and veggies are surprisingly adept at putting on their own costumes this time of year – and tasty ones, at that.

Here are a few healthy Halloween ideas to munch on during your Monster Mash. which means your goblins won’t be eating candy right before bedtime. 

• Tangerine Pumpkins – using a black marker and a stencil, draw jack-o-lantern faces on the clementines and tangerines.
• Zombie Avocado Toast – How have we never noticed that smashed avocado looks like zombie flesh?  Using strips of carrots, bell peppers, celery, seaweed, and more, scare-up your avocado toast by creating frightful faces
• Skeleton Snack Tray: An assortment of veggies, with an avocado half for the skull, olives for eyes, sliced bell peppers for ribs, layered cucumbers slices for the spine, carrot sticks for arms, it looks like a scary skeleton!

Check out our Instagram for some upcoming Halloween-themed snack and treat ideas, @essentialbalanceholistic

3. The Switch Witch

After your kids come home with a bag full of candy, have them pick out their favourites, leaving the rest of the candy out for the “Switch Witch”. The Switch Witch can then replace the remaining candy for a toy. Just make sure Switch Witch doesn’t eat all of the candy herself!

In addition to the tips above, keeping a child’s blood sugar stable will also reduce the amount of candy they crave. Make sure they have a healthy, filling meal before trick-or-treating. I know pizza is easy, but maybe a good hearty stew made in a slow cooker is a better option for Halloween night. Balanced meals that contain fibre, healthy fats and protein will keep blood sugar stable. This will also help keep moods stable, to avoid any post trick-or-treating meltdowns, or a sleepless night.

Happy Halloween to all healthy spooks and goblins!

Look for my top go-to Halloween inspired recipes by following us on Instagram or Facebook!

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Kirsten Colella is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, and mother of a 3-month old son, a 29-month old son and an 8-year old daughter.  Despite the scary combination of baby, toddler and child, Kirsten is steadfast in providing her family with healthy and delicious foods, even when celebrating a candy-based holiday.  You can find Kirsten’s recipes, colourful food pics and sugar-conscious desserts & snacks on our Instagram page at @essentialbalanceholistic.