I am a big kid at heart, and I absolutely LOVE Halloween.  I’ve always loved dressing up, which must come from my former high school drama geek days.  These days it’s me and Mr E in our home, so Halloween is a little more chill for us then a lot of our friends.  We live in a town with a lot of kids, and our course want to help them have a happy Halloween.  As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I walk a fine line between wanting to promote healthy eating, but also don’t want to become known in my neighborhood as “The Raisin House”.

Whether it’s kids or adults, I’m a huge advocate of the “all foods fit” concept and promoting moderation over punishment.  Halloween is a great time to work on mindfulness and moderation.  After all, it’s pretty much the gateway to the upcoming holiday season.  And even those of us without kids still encounter challenges when it comes to Halloween treats.

Even a Zombie Apocalypse can’t tear us apart

Since moving to our town at the Jersey Shore four years ago, Halloween has been a mixed bag as far as trick or treaters go.  Our first year I got home late from grad school and missed most of the kids, so we had a bag or two of leftover candy; those were immediately sent to work with Mr E the following day.  The second year Halloween was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy flooding our town, so I donated any candy I had bought to our local shelter.  Last year I was home and ready to go, but living on the second floor has its challenges with impatient trick or treaters; fortunately, this was the year I got smart about the “treats” that I give out.  And this year I will be off to visit PSU and missing Halloween altogether.

Given the inconsistency of being able to hand out treats, I now buy items to give out that I would normally buy as a snack anyway to keep around our house.  There is no guilt of having candy leftovers calling to us, and we don’t feel tempted for extra snacking because they’re so commonly found in our house anyway.  I figure most kids are getting their fill of candy anyway from the other houses, so I like to be different giving a healthy snack.  Yes, you could even say I’m tricking them.

RDN-Approved Halloween Treats

• Individual goldfish cracker snack packs
• Peanut butter snack crackers
• Pretzels without salt
• Trail mix
• Granola bars
• Hershey kisses (dark chocolate and/or with almonds)
• Peanut M&Ms
• Toys and school items (like Halloween-shaped erasers) from the Dollar Store

I bet you’re surprised to see any candy items on that list at all, right?  Peanut M&Ms are actually not a bad option when you break down the ingredients.  The peanut itself takes up a majority of each piece, providing protein and healthy fat, while also slowing how quickly the sugar from the chocolate and candy-coated shell is absorbed.  One fun-sized pack provides 90 calories, 5g of fat, 10g carbs, and 3g protein.  Likewise, many people feel satisfied savoring just one Hershey kiss, which can provide 25 calories, 1g of fat and 2.5g carbs.  And the dark chocolate have antioxidant properties for an added bonus.

My job in the world is not to be the food police, but to help people make smart choices.  I want people to feel satisfied, not guilty, for having the occasional piece of chocolate.  And perhaps one day the stigma for giving out raisins on Halloween may even be lifted!

For advice teaching kids to enjoy Halloween treats in a healthy manner, check back for tomorrow’s guest blog post.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Images courtesy of Iamnee and Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own and are not influenced or biased by any third parties. I am not compensated for mentioning any specific brands or retailers on this blog.