FEATURE — Do you have a plan in place for a healthy Halloween? The abundance of Halloween candy makes it easy to over-indulge.

Whether you’re a trick-or-treater, a party host or part of the stay at home crew, here are a few tips for keeping Halloween healthy.

For the trick-or-treater

• Fill up first. As you hurry to get the candy ready, dress everyone in their costumes and snap a photo or two, don’t forget to eat a healthy meal. A well-balanced meal before the Halloween festivities start will help curb cravings and prevent every single piece of candy from going into your (or your child’s) mouth.
• Focus on the experience. Instead of focusing on the candy, encourage your family to focus on the experience. Have fun with costumes, admire the spooky Halloween décor and sing Halloween songs as you walk around the neighborhood. Enjoy a treat or two, but avoid candy being the focus of the festivities.
• Get moving. Using Halloween as a way to burn extra calories will help combat some of the extra calories you may consume. Walk instead of driving kids from house to house. Consider setting goals for how far you’ll walk, or compete to see who gets the most steps.

For the party host

• Have fun with food. Healthy snacks dressed up with a Halloween theme can be just as fun as the sugary treats. A simple online search will find you plenty of easy, creative ideas. Read on to see what I came up with!
• Keep ’em on their feet. Include games at your party that will get people up and moving. A zombie dance party, musical chairs to Halloween music or a pumpkin toss are all great ideas.
• Rethink the drink. We often forget about the extra calories certain beverages bring to the table. Offer water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages. You can make it a little more fancy by using sparkling water and a splash of 100% orange juice, garnished with orange slices and berries.

For the stay-at-home crew

• Save some for the kids. As you sit at home waiting for trick-or-treaters, you may find your hand wandering to the candy bowl. Save some for the kids! Set the candy bowl across the room so you won’t be tempted to reach in over and over.
• Be that house. Most kids will be just as happy with a healthy snack or a non-edible item as they are with candy. Hand out snack-sized bags of pretzels or popcorn, or a 100% juice box. Pencils, stickers and friendship bracelets are all popular non-food items.

Read more tips to have a healthy Halloween at heart.org.

Here are three quick and easy snack ideas for you to try this Halloween.

My friends over at Kids Create shared this fun Mummy Pizza recipe. It can be ready in minutes and is a great source of whole grains. Served with fruit and veggies on the side, it’s filling enough to make a meal.

Make fruit fun! Dress apples, oranges and bananas up with some gauze from your first aid kit to make fruit mummies. If you’re feeling really spooky, use some non-toxic glue to add Halloween eyes.

A jack-o’-lantern veggie tray is a silly way to encourage your family to eat their veggies.

Have a safe and healthy Halloween. Enjoy!

This article originally appeared on Oct. 25, 2021, on the USU Extension Create Better Health blog.

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