Health and Halloween sure don’t belong in the same sentence, or do they?  The Halloween tradition of gathering candy and then enjoying it is what children love the most about this holiday.

Scope out your local store for healthy alternatives to pass out to children when they come  to ‘Trick or Treat’.  Individual packets of trail mix, natural fruit strips, natural dried fruit, lollipops sweetened with fruit juice or with xylitol are all good choices.  You can have a variety of healthy snacks along with stickers and small toys so that most kids are able to pick out something they like when they come to your door.

When your own children come home with bags of loot, what do you do?  You can have them ration out their candy, so that they get 1-2 pieces a day to eat.  Have them trade in their candy for a toy or a game or a trip to the movie theatres.  The dollar value of the trade-in can be determined by how much candy is traded in.  If the child trades in most of their candy, they may be allowed to pick a more expensive toy, decide this ahead of time, offer  $15 for half of their loot and $30 for most of it.  Yes, you are buying candy from your children, but keeping them healthy keeps you happier.  Get together with other parents and plan an outing or a sleepover for the children who trade in their candy.  You can also swap out candy you don’t like with healthier choices.

Keeping candy out of your child’s hands, keeps them healthier.  Make sure your children are flossing and taking a good multi-vitamin.  While you are enjoying the holiday and the season, keep your health in mind.  Sugar depresses immune function, so if you or your children are enjoying sweets be sure to take extra precautions to keep healthy.  Immune supportive supplements along with your multi-vitamin are crucial to keep you healthy through the fall.  My patients often come in for a immune booster injection and we put together a  immune supportive supplement plan to keep them healthy through the winter holidays.

The Elmo pumpkin above was carved by Dr. Mundeir.  Have a healthy, happy and safe Halloween!