Halloween already? The days are getting cooler, and the nights are getting longer, and with it, the spooky day children love but parents and dentists dread, is almost here. Halloween is a magical time, allowing us to indulge in fantasy and make-believe, but do you secretly panic about the unhealthy sugars the kiddos will consume?
A number of families choose to donate a majority of the Trick-or-Treat loot to Treats for Troops, and allow the kids to choose only a handful of their favorites to eat. Some dentists will even exchange cash for candy!
You can heave a big sigh of relief- there are a lot of healthy alternatives to glossy, sugary candies.
Granola bars
Granola bars come packed with nutrients yet retain the sweet and savory flavor that children desire. They are excellent alternatives to unhealthy candy bars. Pick granola bars with lots of nuts and oats. These bars contain natural sweetening ingredients like honey too. Be cautious about reaching for those with a lot of sugar, though. Healthy granola bars are a great way to avoid getting tricked while tricking the Halloween visitors into eating nutritious snacks.
Pretzels
Do you want to try something different? If yes, you can try handing out little bags of pretzels. They are crunchy and delicious- a good break from the usual sweets, chocolates, and sticky candies. You can get these in a range of flavors and shapes that will make all kids, as well as their parents, glad they stopped at your doorstep.
Juice boxes
This is more of an honorable mention, actually. One-hundred-percent real juice is a healthy drink, no doubt, but many of the juice boxes kids drink are little more than sugar water. That said, children are often fond of juice, so you can’t go wrong with dropping a juice box with no added sugars in their bags. Aim for juice with less than 12g of sugar per serving. Many of the popular versions have over 20g of sugar per serving, so read the labels please because these are more of a trick than a treat. Provided you can find a low-sugar juice, your trick-or-treaters will have some fun sipping on a juice that gives them vitamins and good nutrition.
Final thoughts
Everyone looks forward to Halloween, but it does come with health concerns, especially as we have seen spikes in type 2 diabetes and obesity among children due to poor diet and lack of exercise. With healthy alternatives to sweet treats, you can be part of the solution and please the little ghosts in your neighborhood at the same time.