Top 5 Healthy Halloween Tips If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I was an overweight kid. Candy was my jam! I LOVED sugar and it carried into adulthood. I certainly looked forward to Halloween, although I am almost as sure that my dad was more into it lol. I remember whining after hours of being out trick-or-treating. I just wanted to go home =P Being an adult, I can look back on some of the choices I made then, and that my parents made, and see where some small tweaks can make a big difference, and everyone can still enjoy their holiday. As a mom now myself, I’ve been able to make changes in my household. 1. Have a healthy dinner BEFORE heading out to Trick-or-Treat. This goes for all “Trunk-or-Treat” events, parties, church events, etc. Make sure you, and your kids, have a belly full of protein and veggies, so you aren’t all diving into the candy, before you’re even part way through the night. This should help keep blood sugar stable too, which *might* prevent meltdowns. I do not guarantee that 😉 2. Keep active! If you are headed to a party, workout before you go. If you are taking your kids out, don’t drive them house to house, they can walk. Yes even in rain, with neighbors far apart, kids can walk. I definitely did it more than once as a kid, so they can and yes YOU can too! Wear comfy shoes, dress warm, and bring an umbrella, it’ll be a great workout and everyone will want to go home earlier, which means less candy to deal with. 3. Be specific with what you will eat. For instance, maybe Twix is your thing, okay you get to keep up to 5 Twix, and you’ll have one a day, or two a day, until those are gone and THAT’s it. If you eat your entire daily calorie allowance in candy, you will feel sick, sluggish, and tired. Your blood sugar will spike, which will lead to wanting more sugar. This creates a heck of cycle to break, especially with candy in the house! 4. Don’t buy candy for your home. Yeah I know, you’re sad now, but really for the MOST part, if you are out with your own kids, or out at a party, you won’t be home to pass it out anyway. That means you are buying it for you, and using the holiday as an excuse to buy tons of candy. If you will be home, make sure you will actually have kids coming by. Last year I got candy and not a single door knock, which could have been avoided if I had just asked my neighbors if I should expect anyone. You can always buy non candy goodies too, there are lots of fun things you can buy in bulk to hand out. I got a sticky spider one year that entertained me for like a week =P Check out this list of alternatives! 5. Don’t keep the candy. Seriously, what an awesome opportunity to teach children about charity, and get all that sugar out of your house. You can donate your candy to so many places! Let the kids pick out their absolute favorites to keep, and then give it to a local center that sends it to military over seas, a senior center, Ronald McDonald House, or drop it at a dentist office that donates it. You can drop your zip code in at www.halloweencandybuyback.com or just google “Where can I donate my Halloween candy” and find a place! Overall Halloween can still be a blast, if you focus on the costumes, the being together, the family aspect, the pumpkins and more. It is SO much more than candy! Make sure you add yourself to my monthly newsletter for tips, recipes, personal updates and special offers!
