Healthy eating during Halloween

Keep calm and pumpkin on

Avoid buying treats in advance and do not have them on display, however cute that pumpkin-shaped bowl is. Who knows what ghoulish fingers will be sneaking around?

Photo credit: Pexel

Trick your treats

Halloween is not a race. You can save treats to eat over the coming weeks. Try a snack box with a week’s worth of sweet treats in it. Perhaps just one item a day. Once they have gone, you have to wait until next week for some more.

Photo credit: Pexel

Do the monster mash

If you are going to be having more sweet treats than usual over Halloween, you can help counteract this by making sure you keep up your activity levels. Can you walk a longer way to your friend’s house? Is there a YouTube exercise video you enjoy? Could you go for a walk around the neighbourhood to look at all the scary decorations before you go trick or treating?

Photo credit: Pexel

Bone appetit

Before you go out trick or treating, cook a healthy family meal. If your tummy is full, you will be less likely to eat too many sweets.

Love at first bite

Halloween is the perfect time to practice mindful eating. Sit down at a table without distractions such as your phone or TV and talk to people.

Eat slowly and savour each bite. What does it smell like? What does it feel like? What colour is it? What texture is it, and how does that change when you chew it? How many times do you need to chew it before you can swallow?

You could also try scoring how hungry you are. If you score 1 out of 10 you are full and do not need a snack. If you score a 7 or more out of 10 and it is not yet time for your next meal, you could take something out of this week’s treat box.

Think outside the coffin

Rather than going for the traditional toffee apples, chocolates and sweets, try some new and unique ideas such as banana ghosts or satsuma pumpkins. How about good old-fashioned apple bobbing?

Photo credit: Mashed

Photo credit: Mas and Pas

You can find lots of ideas online for fun and spooky ways to serve health foods. Or better still, why not try non-food treats like craft items such as crayons or stickers.