By Karen Stokes
Kids can celebrate Halloween with fun and healthy activities (Photo/Eventbrite)
The crisp chill of autumn and the vibrant colorful leaves falling signals that Halloween is on the way.
Whether you’re having a party with friends or trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Whether you’re hosting a party or trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, having a healthy Halloween doesn’t mean giving up on fun. The American Heart Association has healthy ideas to help you celebrate.
Taking the kids trick or treating:
-Get moving. Get some exercise by making Halloween a fun family activity. Walk instead of driving kids from house to house.
-Bag the monster bag. Choose or make a smaller collection container for your child and steer clear of the pillowcase method.
-Serve your kids a healthy meal BEFORE your kids go trick-or-treating can reduce their temptation to snack while walking or to overindulge.
-Check expiration dates and inspect all edibles before allowing children to eat them.
Having a party:
Incorporate healthy foods into party activities, including plenty of physical activities. Don’t forget that cutting back on sugary treats includes soda and sugar-sweetened beverages.
Offer water, unsweetened tea, 100% juice, or fat-free/low-fat milk instead. Make a Halloween-themed punch from sparkling water and a splash of 100% orange juice, garnished with plenty of orange slices and black grapes or blackberries.
Healthy treats
• Clementines, blood oranges, or oranges decorated like jack-o’-lanterns (with nontoxic ink)
• 100% juice boxes or pouches
• Snack-sized packages of pretzels, popcorn, graham crackers, dried fruit or vegetables, trail mix, nuts or pumpkin seeds
• 100%real fruit strips, ropes, or leathers
• Squeezable yogurt tubes or pouches
• Single-serving containers of mandarin oranges
• Sugar-free gum
Non-edible treats
• Glowsticks or small glow-in-the-dark toys
• Bouncy balls
• Mini plush toys and wind-up toys
• Crayons and coloring books (or intricate coloring pages for older kids)
• Stickers or stamps
• Temporary tattoos
• Bubble makers
• Spider rings or vampire teeth
• Slime, putty, or squishy toys
• Friendship bracelets
And don’t forget pumpkin seeds for your fall harvest celebrations. Once you’ve scooped them out of the pumpkin, add the mostly clean seeds to a pot of boiling salted water and simmer for about 5 minutes, dry them. Toss the dry seeds with oil (use olive oil, coconut oil, or a nut oil like walnut). Add a sprinkle of your favorite spice blend. Spread your seeds into one layer and roast them at 350°F until crisp and browned around the edges.
Fresh pumpkin seeds are healthier than packaged ones. According to Judith Wylie-Rosett, a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, “When pumpkin seeds come straight from the source, they are lower in sodium and richer in nutrients.”
Another option for Halloween is to get your family and friends together, dress up in costumes, and go see a movie or deliver healthy Halloween treats to your local police or fire station, nursing home, or children’s hospital.
Trick or Treat in Milwaukee County is Sunday, Oct. 27, 1-4 p.m.