With Halloween right around the corner, it’s the beginning of all the holiday temptations that happen during this time of year. To help families have a safe and healthy Halloween, here are some simple tips you can implement with your loved ones. 

• 1. Parents can encourage healthy eating habits for their children during Halloween, even with all the candy around.
• 2. Experts recommend that parents should not place too many restrictions on candy because that can make it even more enticing. Focusing on the feelings they have when eating candy along with how they feel afterwards can help them understand how candy affects their satisfaction cues.
• 3. Have a healthy meal before trick-or-treating, and let children choose which one or two pieces of candy they want to eat at a given time. By eating a nutritious and balanced meal before going trick-or-treating, kids won’t be hungry and will be less likely to overindulge in the candy. 
• 4. Have ‘healthier candies’ available or even make healthy alternatives to candy. Parents will not always have control with what is brought into the home, but they can control what stays around. Having things like dark chocolate, granola bars, juice boxes and more can help you and your child make healthier choices. 

Halloween is a time of fun costumes, time with friends and family and scary movies. Focus on the things that allow you to enjoy this holiday versus being stressed about the candy that is in your home. If you struggle with candy, one other tip is to purchase the one you don’t like to give away to trick-or-treaters. If you want more help around this topic, email Kiki at [email protected].