Stay Healthy During Halloween

Halloween treats got you spooked? Don’t let your health get tricked this Halloween! Here are some tips from Physicians Premier, your emergency room in Bulverde, TX, so that your family will stay healthy this season.

Don’t spend your Halloween loading up on sweets and junk food. With a bit of creativity, you can find fun ways to include healthy options in the candy mix, whether you are trick-or-treating or having a party with friends.

For the trick-or-treater

• Encourage your kids to fill up first. Children have a tendency to grab their favorite treat as soon as it goes into their trick-or-treat bag. Give them a filling, nutritious meal before they go out in the neighborhood, as this will lessen their urge to snack or overindulge while walking.
• Make Halloween a fun-filled family activity. Get moving! Instead of driving your kids from house to house, encourage them to walk. Compete in teams, and see which team gets to visit the most houses.
• Choose a smaller container for your kids. It will encourage them to take fewer candies from every house, so that they will be able to go to more houses in the neighborhood.
• Halloween can be a wonderful time to talk to your kids about making smart eating choices and moderation. Have a plan, and discuss with them how much candy they will be allowed to take from every house.

For the party host

• Do your best to serve healthy snacks. There are many creative ideas on how you can serve nutritious foods dressed up in the Halloween theme, like apple monster mouths, banana ghosts, and carrot witch fingers!
• Include some physical activities in your party, like a 3-legged monster race, a zombie dance party, pumpkin toss, or spider crawl.
• Incorporate nutritious foods into your activities, like bobbing for apples, or decorating oranges like Jack-O-Lanterns.
• Cut back on sugary beverages. Offer unsweetened tea, water, low-fat or fat-free milk, and fresh juices.

How about excess candy?

Concerned that you’ll have to deal with treats long after Halloween? Enjoy your Halloween haul responsibly with these tips:

• Whenever your child asks for a sweet treat, pair it with a healthy snack – a banana, an apple, or some nuts.
• There are some dental offices that have trade-in or buy-back programs.
• Allow each child to keep enough candy to have at least 2 pieces per day for 2 weeks. Donate, throw away, or repurpose the rest.
• Save the treats for holiday baking.
• Decorate a holiday gingerbread house, or use it in an arts and crafts project.
• Save the treats to give out with Valentine cards, or to fill the piñata at the next birthday celebration.
• Donate excess candies.

You’ve got this! You can make Halloween spooky, fun, and a bit healthier too! And don’t forget that if you need us, Physicians Premier, your emergency room in Bulverde, TX, is open 24/7 – even during holidays!