3 Tips for Less Scary Halloween Treats

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Getting kids to eat healthy can be a challenge on Halloween and throughout the upcoming holiday season because there are so many tempting sweets around. Since you probably won’t be able to totally banish candy from the menu during this Halloween, here are a few tips to help keep nourishing options on the table.

Mini Mummy Pizzas are a great way to sneak in healthier food before Trick or Treating!

Tip #1

Help your kids out by filling them up with healthy food before they have treats. I call this the “crowd out” technique… Fill up on the healthy options first so that you will be less hungry for the less nutritious options later. This is a great tool for adults trying to eat healthy too! Grab the Mini Mummy Pizza recipe here!

Tip #2

During the Halloween season, I love to incorporate healthy seasonal ingredients like pumpkin into my meals. Pumpkin is so versatile! I swirl pumpkin puree in oatmeal or yogurt in the morning, add it to baked goods, make soup, and roast chunks for a side dish or salad topper. Adding this healthy ingredient boosts nutrition and makes meals feel instantly seasonal and festive!

Kids will be excited to carve pumpkins in preparation for Halloween so this is the perfect time to let them taste a new vegetable if they haven’t eaten it before. Bake up some Whole Wheat Pumpkin Yogurt Muffins to snack on as you make your jack-o-lanterns this year.

Tip #3

When I’m choosing what candy to give out on Halloween, I like to find options I feel good about handing out to kiddos in my neighborhood. Here at Whole Foods Market, we have Halloween themed snack packs that follow the same quality standards as the rest of the items in our store meaning there’s no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners.

Some better-for-you options include:

  • Annie’s Organic Bunny Graham Crackers: They are made with whole wheat flour and much lower in sugar than other options.
  • UNREAL dark chocolate crispy peanut butter cups: Antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and real peanut butter are both good-for-you ingredients.
  • Snyder’s Halloween Pretzels: Handing these out will offer kids a low-sugar alternative to candy to munch on.
  • GLEE Gum Pops: Lollipops eat more slowly than other candy which helps kids eat less sugar overall and the gum will keep their little mouths too busy for more treats.