What do you do as a health conscious parent when it comes to those tricky treats of Halloween?  I have found myself cringing at the sight of colorfully wrapped, high fructose laden candies that get doled out by the handful and yet struggling not to put a damper on my daughter’s once a year excitement by confiscating her goodies.  Here are a few ideas on how to make the evening enjoyable for all without sacrificing your commitment to keeping your child healthy.

 Before going out on the Halloween rounds make sure that your child or children eat a nourishing meal, preferably with a small portion of protein and a significant serving of fiber.  Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, slows down the absorption of sugars and may reduce the effects of sudden sugar spikes. Additionally, the meal will serve to keep your kids feeling satisfied and therefore less likely to snack from the candy basket when going from door to door in your trick or treating neighborhood.  Beans are an excellent choice, as are a couple of servings of steamed vegetables such as kale and broccoli.  Organic Pure Food is also a wonderful option – you could make your child a smoothie with fresh coconut water, a scoop of Pure Food and some fruit such as mango – it will be a great orange Halloween drink and deliver all of the benefits of a good portion of fiber.  A probiotic supplement such as Kids & Us MegaFlora can help to keep their digestive tract functioning happily and help circumvent unnecessary tummy upsets.  Also, be sure to carry a bottle of water around with you.  Keeping your kids hydrated will help flush their system, making them less likely to cave in to candy cravings.

I asked some of our facebook fans how they handle the candy issue and here are a few of their observations.  Jeffrey let us know that he allows his kids to trick or treat and after the event they give the candies away.  In return his children are allowed to choose a healthy, dark chocolate candy bar as a reward.  This is a good choice; healthy dark chocolate will deliver less sugar and provide the benefits of powerful antioxidant polyphenols which deliver cellular protection whilst still tasting yummy.

If you are going to allow your children to eat the candies, be sure to go through their collection first.  Remove any that are highly colored or that lack the wrapping – you don’t want them consuming anything that has been handled by anyone’s bare hands.  Facebooker Nancy mentioned that it is better to let children indulge one time and get it over with.  Allowing them to choose one or two candies every day for a week or so can encourage the formation of a habit and a sugar addiction.

Finally, Brandy commented that there are dentists in Ohio who will actually pay children $1 per lb for their candies.  I love this – it’s certainly something I will be sharing with my dentist on my next visit.  Come to think of it – I might be making such a trade with my own daughter this year.

Please join us on Facebook and share your ideas with us.  Knowledge is power and we can learn from you as much as you can learn from us.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!