Weightview Diet Blog

Whether it’s Indiana Jones or Hannah Montana at your door on Halloween, dietitians from ARAMARK suggest a slight variation on this year’s holiday treats. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years. This means that overweight children and adolescents are more likely to have risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease (such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and Type 2 diabetes) than are other children and adolescents.

Fortunately, a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior demonstrated that, when given a choice, nearly half of the children who were ages 3-14 chose non-candy treats over traditional chocolate and sugar.

“Offering healthier snack options or fun alternatives to Halloween treats can keep kids and adults healthier and happier,” said Sue Kinzler, RD, LDN, Patient and Family Service Manager for ARAMARK at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Since adults often end up snacking on the candy they are handing out to trick-or-treaters or the candy that their children bring home, providing alternatives can impact the health of an entire family.”

Here are some healthy alternatives to Halloween snacks that the ghosts and goblins of 2008 will enjoy:

1. Low-fat, individually packaged snacks like low-fat granola bars, pretzels, or 100-calories packs.

2. Small packages of trail mix or dried fruit/raisins.

3. Small packages of fun snacks like teddy bear-shaped graham crackers, animal crackers or goldfish.

4. Popcorn.

5. Non-food treats like stickers, crayons and coloring books, colorful pens, stickers, frisbees and colorful balls.

6. Sugar-free gum or candy.

In addition, here are some guidelines that adults can follow to help children enjoy the holiday, while staying healthy.

• Before the holiday begins, establish rules up front to limit sweets.
• For those candy eaters: Avoid buying more candy than you need and consider buying the mini-size version.
• If your family does bring home large amounts of candy treats, offer prizes or awards to trade them in.
• Limit the treats each day or week and reward this too, with a movie out, an outing to the park or a local event in your area. Adding exercise as a reward will double the fun for a healthier you.

Kinzler added, “Remember that small changes have impact and are better than no change at all. So have fun and mix it up for a Healthy and Happy Halloween.”