Are you looking for ideas to make Halloween healthier? Want your kiddos to have fun but not get overdosed on junk food? Tired of all the junky sugar treats that you feel obligated to pass out? Would you like some easy, fun and actually healthy halloween treat recipes? Read the following article to get inspired to follow healthy eating habits even during the holidays. Here are some simple tips that we practiced when the kids were younger. As kids get older, they no longer need the same kind of advise or level of guidance. Your guiding light, what you taught them earlier, will follow them.
Just focusing on the sides effects of GMOs (Genetic Modified Organisms), these is a list of some of the ingredients with GMOs prevalent in processed candies and chocolate bars: Sugar (GMO sugar beet), High fructose corn syrup (GMO corn), Corn starch (GMO corn), Soy lecithin (GMO soy), Soybean oil (GMO soy), Modified food starch (GMO corn), Fructose, dextose, glucose (GMO corn), Cottonseed oil (GMO cotton), Canola oil (GMO canola), “Other” ingredients: isolates, isoflavones, food starch, and vegetable oil. Children face the greatest risk from the potential dangers of GM foods.
Try handing out non-edible treats
Why give out junk food full of processed, artificial and toxic ingredients to the neighborhood kids, when you have so many healthier and fun options to offer? Here are some ideas:
- Pencils and erasers
- Glow sticks, glow bracelets/necklaces
- Flashing rings
- Temporary tattoos
- Stickers and stamps
- Play-Doh mini containers
- Crayons and coloring books
- Small toys such as yo-yos, bouncy balls, fake bugs or dinosaurs, etc.
Good Eats Before Treats
Feed your kids a healthy hearty dinner before trick-or-treating so they have a full tummy and will be less inclined to fill up on candy. Make it more fatty (healthier fats) than one that is loaded with simple carbohydrates. Cauliflower Crusted Pizza is filling, nutritious and has the right amount of fats to slow down the sugar break down than a typical pizza dish which is loaded with grains that is already taxing on the system especially the liver. The liver needs to be equipped and kept at its optimum functioning level so that it can help the body go through it’s natural course of detoxing.
Take a healthier version “junk” food to munch along
When trick or treating, take a small bar of fair trade organic chocolate for them to munch on. Fair Trade because we want to support fair labor and promote child slavery. Americans spend over a billion dollars every Halloween on chocolate, accounting for 10% of most chocolate company’s annual revenue. And the average American citizen eats over 11 pounds of chocolate a year. So this Halloween, use your money to let them know that child slavery will not be tolerated by American consumers.
It amazingly curbs the kids’ appetite to eat the junkier candy. Will your kids be tempted and/or eat some junk food along the way? Yes, most likely. However, the more you prepare and plan in advance and include them in the planning, you lessen that temptation.
Alternative Swaps
I am not promoting consuming the following alternatives on a regular basis. Because we live in the modern world and not in one of the blue zones where everyone else adheres to the ancestral diet and processes, here are some alternative options for you to consider as Halloween treats. Personally, I would get only one or two items from this list and have your children pick one or two pieces from each item to consume during trick or treating AFTER feeding them a hearty and healthy meal.
Buy from here * for wholesome products at wholesale pricing. Think Costco meets WholeFoods online.
Here are some other ideas:
- Local honey sticks
- Pumpkin oranges (draw some faces on oranges)
- Natural fruit leather
Allow them to keep 1-2 lesser-of-the-evil option pieces
When they get home with their goody bags, let them sort through the candy. We negotiated to keep 1 or 2 less toxic from the pile they collected. For us, 1 or 2 KitKat bars was the limit; As much as I would have LOVED to have not given them any junky options, I knew it was Halloween night and we don’t live in one of the blue zones…we don’t live in a bubble. The combination of the two creates a massive amount of peer pressure.
Will your kids be tempted to hide a stash? Most likely. Every child is different. Every need is different. Instead of getting frustrated about it (as it is so easy to do), try to see the motivation behind them hiding the stash. Some kids like to exercise autonomy from a very young age. Perhaps including them in the planning stage, asking them for their input and having them buy into the plan is all that they need to feel honored.
For our kids, it felt like total deprivation may have backfired. Now that my kids are older, I am thrilled to report that not only have they not rebelled (like predicted by so many well meaning adult peers), I have been told by other kids (not their closest friends who would never rat on them) that my kids actually know their limit when they get “lost” trick or treating with friends and don’t care for the junk food. They are more into the competition and the thrill of seeing who fills up their pillow cases to the rim and at the end of the night taking inventory of what they collected.
Trade for cash or with Switch Witch
For younger kids, get them a small (tiniest) bag to fill with the pieces they want to keep (like 1-2 pieces of KitKat bars), and donate the rest. Check with your child’s dentist – many offer a candy buy back shortly after Halloween, and the candy collected is included in care packages for the troops overseas. Oak Park Dentistry offers cash in exchange for candy up to $5. From the stash they keep, they get to pick two pieces each day to be eaten with a healthy snack or after dinner. Whatever you choose to do, it’s helpful to discuss the plan with your kids before Halloween so they know what to expect.
If cash isn’t king with your kids, place the candies outside after trick or treating and have “Switch Witch” trade it for a toy the next morning. If your kids are book worms these books are great option as gifts. As the kids got older, make the exchange for cash.
Be safe
Make sure your kids have costumes that won’t trip them, keep away from open flames, and make sure kids have flashlights and reflective tape or lights on their costumes so drivers can see them. These and other safety tips can be found HERE.
Healthy and fun recipes
If you’re planning a Halloween party, or would just like to make some special treats for your little ones, here are some great healthy recipes:
*To help my customers shop my recommended brands, I have set up an account with the following company. Your cost will be the same. I earn a small commission if you use the links in this article to purchase the products I mentioned. I only recommend products I would use myself or that pass my test. Your purchase helps support this site and my ongoing research.
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What would you give out besides candy? Leave a comment below.
To your health,
Caroline your BareFood Angel
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