Halloween kicks off the holiday season of treat abundance. Since you still have three months of food and festivities still to get through you do not want to start this year’s holiday extravaganza with an extra five pounds. Instead you will want to approach Halloween with the mindset that Halloween fun doesn’t have to involve a five pound bag of candy.
Being a good example for your kids is important. You can do this by showing them how to read the labels on their Halloween snack choices and by providing them with healthy alternatives to candy corn, candy bars and other sugary trick-or-treats. For the kids that you know you can hand out more nutritious snacks like popcorn, fruit slices and trail mix. For parties and trick or treating you can focus on prepackaged snacks that are low in artificial additives. Hit the good food or whole food store to find the best organic snacks like fruit leather or dried fruit and nuts.
If you are throwing a Halloween party this year then you will want to offer your guests the best of both worlds. You can offer a few traditional treats like caramel apples, popcorn balls and chocolate candies. However, you will also want to offer healthier alternatives. For example, you can offer a plate of cut up fruit that can be dipped in a dark chocolate fondu. Low fat cheese, fresh veggies and low fat dips an also be great snacks for a party. To help moderate the portion sizes of your snacks find small plates for your guests to use. This will help them keep their calorie consumption low. Finally, offer your guests plenty of activities that will get their heart rates up so that they can burn off their Halloween calories.
Don’t forget to include a few of your favorite low fat Jewish recipes.