Halloween is in the air and my inbox is full of good reading materials on how to make this Halloween a healthy one. One article in particular caught my eye from Diet Blog in which the author outlines several healthier options to hand out on Halloween.
Halloween was and still is one of my favorite holidays. I like the idea of being able to dress up and become someone completely different for a night. As a kid, though, I loved it more for the candy. Like all the other kids, I would come home with at least 5-10lbs of candy (knowing that candy is primarily if not entirely sugar or a type of sugar, that is approximately 2268 grams of insulin spiking and craving inducing goodness), much to my delight and much to the chagrin of my parents, teachers, and health.
There was always that one house though that gave out pencils or raisins on Halloween instead of king size candy bars. It seemed sacrilegious to do so and the house usually got egged or toilet papered by the end of the night. This article’s suggestion though with the exception of the pistachios and the Clementimes (genius idea to decorate them like pumpkins though) are not that healthy. To be honest, the eggs that the kids throw are healthier.
The 100 calorie packs, for example, are a great idea but what kid is going to eat just one pack? Moreover, the juice boxes contain just as much sugar as a piece of chocolate if not more! The pretzels on the other hand still have lots of refined extra carbohydrates and extra sodium that is going to leave kids craving more. Clif Z bars are great for a mid run refuel or a pre-game pick me up but they still are a processed–all be it organic– source of sugar and therefore not the greatest of snack choices.
If you are looking for healthful alternatives as goodies consider handing out non food but still fun items like baseball cards, funny stickers, and Halloween themed school items like pumpkin erasers or Goblin pencils.To avoid being “that house” on your block, put more emphasis on making the trick or treating a scary and enjoyable experience for the kids.
Hopefully, the kids will not pull a trick on you for these better treats.
Have a great Halloween
Coach Chris
I myself love the occasional piece of
