A tangerine pumpkin with a
celery stem makes for a fun,
healthy Halloween snack.
Healthy
Halloween!
Halloween
conjures up images of sweet treats ranging from homemade caramel
apples and creamy pumpkin pies to bags filled to the brim with
candy.
But
with the growing epidemics of childhood
obesity and type II diabetes,
many Americans are looking for more health-conscious ways to celebrate
the holiday, says Jo Carol Chezem, a nutrition professor. She
suggests choosing lower-calorie alternatives, watching portion
sizes and adjusting the focus from foods to activities.
When
gathering the treats you will offer this year think about some
possible low-calorie, low-fat options. Barbara
Farner, nutrition and wellness educator for University of
Illinois Extension located at the Matteson Extension Center offers
some suggestions:
Cheese and cracker packages
Sugar-free gum
Cheese sticks
Juice box packages
Small packages of raisins
Pumpkin seeds
Lean-ground monster cheeseburgers for dinner? Yes, please.
As trick-or-treaters come to call, she agrees
with many other experts who suggest that you consider giving some
"non-food treats such as stickers, balloons, crayons, pencils,
colored chalk, erasers, whistles, baseball cards or rubber spiders
and worms."
She adds,"A
friend of mine used to give nickels, in today's economy that
may need to be dimes or quarters."
The
Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard University in Massachusetts
also has some ideas:
Trade candy
bars for small trinkets or a special present
Barrettes,
hair bows/ribbons/jewelry
Action
figures, matchbox cars and trucks
A movie
or video
Money or gift card to
use for something the trick-or-treater wants
The surprise
from this source is that a small candy bar may even fit into the
diet of a diabetic child. They advise, "if a child's meal
plan says that he or she can have 60 grams of carb for dinner,
for example, a small piece of candy can be incorporated into that
calculation on a given evening."
If candy is
the treat of choice in your community, there are still ways to
keep it under control. Allow each child to pick four or five pieces
of candy to eat. The rest is stored for the next day... the ritual
can be extended until the candy is all gone.
More about healthy Halloween treats around the Web:
