From 2017-2018 the prevalence of childhood obesity in the US was 19.3% – 14.4 million children and adolescents (1). I’m not against commercial candy by any means, and will admit I love myself a Reeses. But I do believe in a healthy balance, and trick or treat Halloween candy is usually not about balance. If you are looking for some healthier (but still fun – not apples and carrots!) options for your children this year, or to distribute on Halloween night consider some of the following.
Edible Options
- Organic Fruit Juice – this is great for trick-or-treaters who have been walking around all evening and may need a drink!
- Real Fruit Snack Rolls – like a healthy fruit roll-up!
- Fruit Leather
- All-Natural Honey Sticks
- Organic Vitamin C Lollipops
- Organic Gummy Bears
- Organic Fruit Snacks
- Gluten Free Non-GMO Popcorn
- Sour Fruit Chews – healthier version of Starbursts
Non-Edible Options
If your children do come home with mounds and mounds of candy (if they’re out trick-or-treating they probably are), my niece has a really cool tradition that I wanted to share. She lets her kids pick out a certain number of pieces that they store for treats and dessert after dinner, then the rest goes away until Christmas when they use it to decorate ginger bread houses!
Sources:
- https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
- https://wellnessmama.com/395716/healthy-candy/
- https://wellnessmama.com/128061/healthy-halloween-treats/