Trick-or-treat! Halloween is a time to enjoy with your friends and family. Whether it is dressing up as your favorite character or simply spending an evening with your family, it is a time to celebrate the scary season! While Halloween is usually filled with eating sweet treats and going trick-or-treating with friends, it is important that you consider ways that you can keep you and your family healthy and safe during the holiday celebrations. Here are tips that you can follow this season:
- Don't let your children eat homemade goods. While eating treats that are homemade are often delicious, be careful about letting your children consume any sweet treats with unknown ingredients. It is easy for your children to get caught up in trick-or-treating, so make sure that you tell them this tip before they go!
- Eat before going trick-or-treating. Children often tend to want to eat all their candy right away on Halloween. Encouraging them to eat a nutritious meal or snack before heading out for trick-or-treating. This will help keep them full and prevent them from eating too much candy at once.
- Check their bags before letting them eat the candy. This is especially important for any children with food allergies. Always check the labels of foods items and when in doubt if a food is safe or not to eat, throw it out.
- Everything in moderation. Encourage your children to consume the candy they receive on Halloween night over several days. This will help ensure that your kids avoid getting a belly ache and don't have too much sugar at one time.
- Get in your physical activity when trick-or-treating! Walking from house to house instead of driving is a terrific way to get your kids moving. If the weather is nice, consider taking a longer route to a neighbor's house to trick-or-treat and get extra steps in with your family.
- Practice road safety by carrying flashlights, glowsticks, and traveling together. While Halloween is a fun time to share with friends, children are often walking from house to house when it is dark outside. Encourage your children to carry a flashlight or glow stick to be easily seen by drivers. Additionally, it is best to accompany your kids as they trick-or-treat or have them travel in large groups.
- If hosting a Halloween party, practice food safety measures. Make sure to cook food to the right temperature and handle it safely to avoid foodborne illnesses. Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot to keep all your party guests healthy!
Sources:
Don't be Scared, Be Prepared, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oct. 28, 2016. Retrieved Oct. 11, 2023.
Halloween Treats: Better Safe than Scary, FoodSafety.gov. Retrieved Oct. 10, 2023.
7 Tricks for a Healthy Halloween, Food Insight. Oct. 27, 2015, Retrieved Oct. 11, 2023.
