Have A Healthy Halloween With These Alternative Treats
Halloween is just around the corner and with lots to plan lets look at healthy alternatives for Halloween. The costumes, pumpkin carving and festive decorations are ready but with lots of treats its hard to have a healthy Halloween.
Oh! The treats! Even the thought of dealing with kids high on sugar even just for a night sends jitters down my spine. Therefore, I got to thinking of ways to whip up some healthy alternatives for Halloween. There really is no reason we can’t celebrate a healthy Halloween!
Everything about Halloween is fun. That is until you end the night with a child sick from all the chocolates they voraciously chomped down. While it is easy to dismiss this sugar-loaded day as a “one-day affair” there are some potential health hazards to it.
Avoid These Problems And Have A Healthy Halloween
Risk of Allergies
Some kids are allergic or sensitive to nuts, food coloring and other ingredients present in candy. Imagine handing out a snickers bar to a child with peanut allergy. Or, asking every child who knocks your door “are you allergic?”
While some parents will appreciate your thoughtfulness kids will label you as the “weird mom with the health questionnaire.” Instead of risking any harm, give kids a healthy Halloween and find some safe alternatives.
Health Hazards
Yes, one fun aspect of Halloween is the ‘treats’ but children do not need bags and bags of them. In fact, it has got red flags galore with teeth cavities, hyperactivity, juvenile diabetes and obesity.
Use some healthy alternatives for Halloween treats that kids still enjoy.
For the Love of Your Fellow Parent
Some parents spend their Halloween night checking to make sure the candy is safe for their child. Others spend the night cleaning after or calming down children high on sugar.
Whatever the reason, a healthy Halloween can provide parents a much needed break from all that supervising. Best of all, it allows them to enjoy the festivities with their little ones.
Try These 10 Healthy Alternatives For Halloween
There are lots of innovative ideas to try that will make Halloween more healthy.
Use our list to replace not only the buckets of candy but some fun gifts and activities that kids will enjoy.
Candy Alternatives
Instead of giving out the normal treats laden with sugar and chemicals, stock up on these healthy Halloween alternatives.
1. Granola Bars
These easy on-the-go snacks are a favorite among kids. Made with oats, dried fruit, coconut, nuts, honey, seeds, chocolate chips or peanut butter they are delicious.
However, make sure to check the ingredient lists to avoid brands that are loaded with sugar. Have some different flavors on hand to cater for taste with these healthy alternatives for Halloween.
2. Clementines
This sweet, easy to peel snack is a favorite for winter. Small, seedless oranges that are also known as “Sweeties” or “Cuties” they combine mandarins and oranges. Give kids lots of energy with these wonderful healthy alternatives to sweets and candies.
3. Organic Fruit Boxes
Kids are sure to get thirsty with all their running around. Stock some organic fruit boxes to hand out instead of sugary cordials or sodas.
4. Healthy Fruit Characters
Kids need a healthy snack as they go knocking on peoples doors. Why not offer a cute Halloween inspired fruit platter for a quick energy boost and fun healthy halloween opton.
5. Honey Sticks
If you don’t want to completely take the ‘sweet’ out of Halloween, add some honey sticks to your list. Also known as honey straws they come in a variety of nautral flavors and colors.
There is also the benefit that honey can boost the body’s immune system, really making a healthy Halloween.
6. Natural Fruit Leather
These are better than any chemically preserved chewy fruit candy. You can visit your local stores to bulk buy different varieties or make them yourself.
They are a healthy Halloween snack and are easy to make, especially if you have a dehydrator.
Fun Giveaways
Why must we limit treats to candies alone? After all, candies only last until you eat them. Make Halloween more memorable by handing out giveaways as healthy alternatives for Halloween.
7. Small Toys
These can include cool toys like glider airplanes, bouncy balls, bubbles, punch balloons, puzzle balls and mini Play-Doh cans. Toys encourage active play in kids and foster their imagination and creativity.
8. Light Ups
Give out mini keychain flashlights, glow sticks, glow bracelets, and LED light up rings to brighten Halloween. They are a perfect treat for both kids and parents. Kids are bound to have fun with them and parents can easily keep track of their kids.
You can purchase large quantities of different light-ups from Amazon and other stores. If you buy in bulk the prices are cheaper and make great healthy alternatives for Halloween.
9. Arts and Crafts
Kids always love art and craft so give then a healthy Halloween with fun materials. Tattoos, especially the glow in the dark ones and Halloween themed will be a hit.
Cartoon character stickers, stamps and colorful carabiners are also great ideas. Look for mini notebooks, fancy pens, pencils and erasers or wikki sticks to add to their bags.
All these are inexpensive and kids can ever have too many of them.
10. Spooky Gifts
To keep with the Halloween theme but add variety to your treats include some fun and spooky stuff.
Kids will love spider rings, fake mustaches or vampire teeth to dress up. Ghost keychains, squishy eyeballs and bone pens should have them playing well after Halloween.
Best of all, they will have some great things to use for next years festival.
There is no hard-and-fast rule stating you must provide sweets and candies as treats for Halloween. This year, why not do something different and give children (and their parents) a healthy Halloween.
Surprise your neighborhood by swapping those bowls of candies with new, quirky, fun, and healthy alternatives to Halloween sugary treats. By doing this the family will enjoy a healthy Halloween and the kids will have fun activities to last many weeks.
Read all about the traditions of Halloween and where they came from here.
My name is Andrea Thompson and I’m a home based freelance writer. I’m 23 years old, married to my best friend, and mother to a wonderfully independent and opinionated 3 year old girl and step-mother to a sweet seven year old boy. I live in a tiny, little town in Kentucky, where I spend my free time fishing with my kids.
Writing has always been my passion, which I followed through high school, and for a while in college. Life happened, and once I discovered we were pregnant, I switched directions; opting for the healthcare industry because of the stability.
Finally, years later, I was in a place where I could leave the day job that never truly made me happy, and pursue my dreams. I’ve built, and am still building, my writing career from scratch. But, I’m passionate and I’m good at what I do. And, in the end, I can prove to my daughter that she can do anything she wants with this life.
