While Halloween can be a joyful, fun holiday for families to enjoy together, it can also create some anxiety and fear for health-conscious parents around excessive sugar and candy consumption. It is important to remember that Halloween is a single day of the year. One day of overindulgence is not going to outweigh an otherwise nutritious, balanced diet. Here are some ways to help your child have a healthy and fun Halloween!
Offer healthy snacks leading up to Halloween
In the days and weeks leading up to Halloween, try to offer fewer treats as a part of your child’s normal routine and increase the number of fruits and vegetables you offer your child(ren) as snacks. You can make fruits and veggies fun around this time of year by choosing seasonal colors like orange, black, bright red, and dark purple.
Serve a balanced meal before trick or treating
Make sure you are offering a source of protein + fiber (in the form of whole grains, legumes, fruits, or vegetables) + healthy fat. Protein and fat will help to create satiety/fullness, while fiber will slow down blood sugar spikes resulting from candy consumption. Choose foods your child loves within these categories to prevent them from skipping any part of their meal.
Ask your child what they want to do with their candy after Halloween
Just because your child collected 300 pieces of candy on Halloween doesn’t mean they have to keep and eat it all! Make this a collaborative discussion so your child doesn’t feel like their candy is being taken from them.
Ask your child if they’d like to donate any candy to less fortunate families: Baltimore Hunger Project puts together weekend food packs for more than 600 food-insecure children in Baltimore City and Baltimore County each week. For information on donating Halloween candy visit
Ask if your child wants to trade some of their candy for a toy or experience: Offer a toy or experience to your child in exchange for an amount of Halloween candy.
Keep Everyone moving
Engage in fun physical activity as a family in the days leading up to and following Halloween. Go for a walk the night before to “scope out” your trick or treating route, or enjoy a fall hike the day after trick or treating. AVOID any and all “tit for tat” language (ex: we’re going for a run to burn off all that candy we ate yesterday!) and simply focus on increasing healthy movement!
Online Resources with Additional Ideas/ Information:
Kids Eat in Color:
President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics