Halloween is a little over a week away, so I wanted to give you my tips for how to make Halloween fun, healthy, and memorable for everyone! These tips should be taken with a grain of salt, I am not trying to make anyone feel self conscious about having a few pieces of chocolate, but I am trying to address over indulgence.
1. Its OK to procrastinate
Well at least when it comes to buying Halloween candy. If it's not in the house then you can't be tempted to snack on it. So if you wait until the day before Halloween to go out and get a big bag of candy your waistline and cholesterol levels will be thanking you later.
2. Don't buy extra
It's nice to give the kids a variety to choose from, but it's better to just get one or two bags and not have too many left overs. I'm not saying that it isn't nice to treat yourself with some candy every now and then, but having several bags of snickers and reese's left over is only going to facilitate your sweet cravings.
3. Give away left over candy
This goes back to tip #2. If for some reason you felt the necessity to buy every variety of candy under the sun make
sure that you get it out of the house the next day. Give it to your kids school, they could always use it to fill a candy jar.
4. Buy healthy snacks or non-candy
I remember when I was little, my friends and I would always get a toothbrush from one of our neighbors. Looking back on things this was a great idea. Try switching things up a little with non-candy items; hand out stickers, pencils, toothbrushes, raisins, or granola bars.
5. Eat well beforehand
Eating a well balanced meal is always a good idea, but it is especially important before a long night of walking (usually in the cold rainy weather). It will also help to curb cravings and over eating later on.
6. Take a hike
Have fun with the kids and plan out a nice long route to optimize time and the number of houses to visit. Take the kids out a few weeks before and start walking the route, you may be surprised at how easy and fun it is to fit this simple routine into your daily lifestyle.
7. Sort
Have the kids help you go through all the candy when they get home. They can organize it by brand or type of
candy (ie hard candy, gummies chocolate). Throw away anything that looks suspicoius or is home made by someone you are not familiar with (most people have good intentions but it's not worth the risk). Have the kids give away or trade any candies that they won't eat or don't want (why eat something just to eat it).
8. Limits
There are a few things you may want to put limits on. For example how long the kids are out, the amount of candy they can collect (have them come home after the bag is full), and of course the amount of candy they can consume. It might be a good idea to tell the kids about this ahead of time so they know the ground rules. Try not to make double standards either, if your kids can only have one piece of candy after dinner then set that rule for yourself too!
9. Store
Just like I suggested in tip #1, if it's out of sight it's out of mind. Put the candy in a place where you and kids don't have to see if all the time. Eventually you may even forget it's there.
Most chocolates and candies are filled with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, dyes, and empty calories. All of the tips I gave you today will help you to avoid all of these, but like I said earlier try not to go to the extreme. Halloween is a time for fun, so be safe and enjoy the day!
1. Its OK to procrastinate
Well at least when it comes to buying Halloween candy. If it's not in the house then you can't be tempted to snack on it. So if you wait until the day before Halloween to go out and get a big bag of candy your waistline and cholesterol levels will be thanking you later.
2. Don't buy extra
It's nice to give the kids a variety to choose from, but it's better to just get one or two bags and not have too many left overs. I'm not saying that it isn't nice to treat yourself with some candy every now and then, but having several bags of snickers and reese's left over is only going to facilitate your sweet cravings.
3. Give away left over candy
This goes back to tip #2. If for some reason you felt the necessity to buy every variety of candy under the sun make
sure that you get it out of the house the next day. Give it to your kids school, they could always use it to fill a candy jar.
4. Buy healthy snacks or non-candy
I remember when I was little, my friends and I would always get a toothbrush from one of our neighbors. Looking back on things this was a great idea. Try switching things up a little with non-candy items; hand out stickers, pencils, toothbrushes, raisins, or granola bars.
5. Eat well beforehand
Eating a well balanced meal is always a good idea, but it is especially important before a long night of walking (usually in the cold rainy weather). It will also help to curb cravings and over eating later on.
6. Take a hike
Have fun with the kids and plan out a nice long route to optimize time and the number of houses to visit. Take the kids out a few weeks before and start walking the route, you may be surprised at how easy and fun it is to fit this simple routine into your daily lifestyle.
7. Sort
Have the kids help you go through all the candy when they get home. They can organize it by brand or type of
candy (ie hard candy, gummies chocolate). Throw away anything that looks suspicoius or is home made by someone you are not familiar with (most people have good intentions but it's not worth the risk). Have the kids give away or trade any candies that they won't eat or don't want (why eat something just to eat it).
8. Limits
There are a few things you may want to put limits on. For example how long the kids are out, the amount of candy they can collect (have them come home after the bag is full), and of course the amount of candy they can consume. It might be a good idea to tell the kids about this ahead of time so they know the ground rules. Try not to make double standards either, if your kids can only have one piece of candy after dinner then set that rule for yourself too!
9. Store
Just like I suggested in tip #1, if it's out of sight it's out of mind. Put the candy in a place where you and kids don't have to see if all the time. Eventually you may even forget it's there.
Most chocolates and candies are filled with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, dyes, and empty calories. All of the tips I gave you today will help you to avoid all of these, but like I said earlier try not to go to the extreme. Halloween is a time for fun, so be safe and enjoy the day!
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