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Ideas for a fun and healthier Halloween

Taylor suggests setting some boundaries and expectations before trick-or-treating to avoid overconsuming sugar.
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Taylor suggests setting some boundaries and expectations before trick-or-treating to avoid overconsuming sugar.

The National Retail Federation’s annual Halloween consumer survey found about $3.5 billion will be spent on candy in 2024.

That’s a lot of sugar, calories, and potential damage to your teeth.

Dietitian and nutritionist Denice Taylor with Texas Health Arlington tells KERA’s Sam Baker about some ideas for a healthier Halloween.

One of the most effective ways to manage candy consumption during Halloween is to set clear boundaries with children.

For instance?

Before going to trick-or-treating or attending Halloween parties, have a discussion about how much candy is reasonable to consume.

Tell me about your idea for what you call "keep, share, and donate."

"Keep" is for the candies your child would like to enjoy in moderation.

The "share "pile is candy that can be given to family or friends, and then the donate pile is one that could go to a local charity or an organization that collects candy for military troops or for those less fortunate.

Where did this idea come from? Do you have children?

I do. I've lived through times when they wanted to take out large pillowcases to see how much candy they could get. We had to figure out what to do about all that candy.

Did they adjust easily to this idea of keeping some, sharing some, and donating others? 

Yes. And that's the importance of having this conversation in advance.

Of course, if parents are concerned about all of this, what you give out to kids, I guess it matters as much as what they bring home?

True. Think about some healthier alternatives that are out there, like checking some of the wholesale stores that have like little bags of pretzels or dried fruits or popcorn. Little boxes of raisins are good.

Sometimes when you have kids in for parties having just like things made into Halloween and, you know, sometimes we can get kids involved with like some homemade treats like bananas made into goats and work fruit into some of our giveaways.

They like it better when they can make it themselves, I guess?

Yes. So get some creativity going. And you know, these healthier alternatives can help, you know, with like fruit can help satisfy a sweet tooth without the excess sugar and the empty calories.

Which makes me wonder, even though I guess this is a lot about candy. Do kids really care what the free stuff is that they get?

I think it's all in fun. When I was a young girl with they'd give out nickels. You'd go around, you thought, you know, people are giving us some coins here instead of candy. So that was kind of interesting.

You also suggest forms of exercise before and after trick-or-treating?

Before or after trick-or-treating. Engage in a fun family activity such as Halloween themed scavenger hunt, a spooky dance party, or maybe even a costume parade.

And we know that physical activity can keep us healthy and it can burn off some of that excess energy. And this encourages children to focus on the joy of the holiday beyond the candy.

We do know that Halloween is a fun occasion for the whole family, and many families struggle with that influx of the candy or unhealthy treats that will flood into the homes afterwards.

But if we can balance the joy of the holidays with mindful choices, creative alternatives, this helps kids develop a positive relationship with treats and sweets. We do know that the holidays are fun. We don't want to diminish that.

Having those conversations ahead of time and setting limits engage about the meaning of the holidays and even just enjoying the decorations that can take some of this excessive focus that we might have about candy and sweets.

RESOURCES:

Denice Taylor’s ideas for a healthier Halloween
 
25 Healthy(ish) Halloween Treats for Kids and Adults
 
Scary Sugar High From Rising Halloween Candy Prices
 
Halloween Candy Sales estimate

Sam Baker is KERA's senior editor and local host for Morning Edition. The native of Beaumont, Texas, also edits and produces radio commentaries and Vital Signs, a series that's part of the station's Breakthroughs initiative. He also was the longtime host of KERA 13’s Emmy Award-winning public affairs program On the Record. He also won an Emmy in 2008 for KERA’s Sharing the Power: A Voter’s Voice Special, and has earned honors from the Associated Press and the Public Radio News Directors Inc.