With Halloween just days away, the American Heart Association is sharing ways families can enjoy trick-or-treating and Halloween parties while making healthier choices.
The tips include eating a healthy meal before heading out for candy, walking between houses instead of driving and checking treats before allowing children to eat them.
The American Heart Association also encourages parents to talk with children about moderation and decide ahead of time how much candy they can collect, keep and eat. Children can help decide what to do with extra candy, including donating it or trading it for money or tokens toward a family activity.
For Halloween parties, hosts can offer festive snacks such as banana ghosts, apple monster mouths and carrot witch fingers. Physical activities, including a zombie dance party, a three-legged monster race or a pumpkin toss, can also get guests moving.
The association recommends offering water, unsweetened tea, 100% juice or low-fat milk instead of sugary drinks. A Halloween-themed punch made with sparkling water, a splash of 100% orange juice and fruit is another option.
Families looking for alternatives to traditional candy can hand out decorated clementines or oranges, snack-sized packages of pretzels or popcorn, dried fruit, glow sticks, small toys, crayons, stickers or temporary tattoos. Small items that could pose choking hazards to young children should be avoided.
After trick-or-treating, parents can let children choose a reasonable amount of candy to keep and pair sweets with healthier snacks, such as fruit, nuts or vegetables.
The American Heart Association shares more heart-healthy Halloween tips at Heart.org.
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