Healthy Halloween Tips
With the candy, the costumes, the spooky stories, and the scary movies, Halloween is a time filled with tricks and treats. The fun and excitement of this holiday can easily derail health goals by over-indulgent behavior. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you stay focused and plan ahead, you can have a healthy Halloween.
7 Tips for a Healthy Halloween
- Don’t drink too much alcohol
- Stay hydrated
- Create a healthy Halloween menu
- Set limits on candy and snacks
- Exercise
- Make a healthy dessert resolution
- Plan your snack and meal
Don’t drink too much alcohol
A healthy Halloween isn’t about denying yourself everything you love, it’s about prioritizing. When it comes to alcohol, you should avoid excess. If you are going to drink, stick to one or two drinks at Halloween and choose your drinks wisely.
Check out this list of healthy Halloween drinks. I want to try the Ruby-Red Grapefruit Cocktail. The recipe uses gin, which I’m not a fan of, so I would sub it for vodka.
Stay hydrated
You can mistake thirst for hunger. So before you grab one of those mini-sized candy bars try drinking water first.
To stay hydrated throughout the day, try drinking half your body weight in ounces. So if you’re 150 pounds you should drink at least 75 ounces of water.
If drinking a lot of plain water sounds boring, you can add some natural flavor to water. By adding a few slices of lemon or a sprig of mint.
Here are 7 Simple Ways to Help You Drink More Water for tips to drink more water.
Create a healthy Halloween menu
One of the best things you can do to increase your chances of having a healthy Halloween is to plan your menu ahead of time.
You can still choose dishes that are spooky and festive at the same time.
A fun idea is to make a charcuterie board full of goodies to serve at a Halloween party. Plan to keep it healthy by adding plenty of fruits and veggies.
Some other great Halloween food ideas are squash soup in pumpkin bowls, jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers, spider eggs, and spiced nuts.
Set limits on candy and snacks
While it’s OK to indulge in the occasional treat, it’s important to set limits on how much candy and other Halloween snacks you eat. The average person who indulges in Halloween candy eats about a pound of candy! This can easily amount to over 2,000 calories and a whole lot of sugar.
Because it’s Halloween you may be more tempted to eat more candy than you usually would. But remember those candies are available all year round. They don’t taste any better than they normally do because of the smaller size.
Also, buy the candy you’re handing out to trick or treat at the last minute. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, bags of mini chocolate bars are a temptation waiting to happen. So, if you plan to hand out candy, pick it up later rather than sooner.
Exercise Ahead of Time
While it’s important to be mindful of how much sugar and alcohol you consume, it’s also important to stay active. If you’re trying to get a good workout in, do it early in the day before all the festivities begin.
If you’re short on time on Halloween try to squeeze in a quick workout. You can find at least 20 minutes throughout the day to get a workout done at home. Check out this post on at-home workouts for ideas.
You can also try to get outside, even if it’s just for a short walk. Use Halloween as an opportunity to get creative with your workouts and do something fun. Like doing 5 squats every time you see a ghost decoration while out on your walk.
Make a Healthy Dessert Resolution
If you’re worried about going overboard with sugary sweets this Halloween, you can make a healthy dessert resolution. You can either make a personal promise to yourself to stay away from sweets altogether or to only eat a certain amount.
To stick to your resolution, try to make a healthy dessert recipe with your kids. So you won’t get bored with the same old healthy snacks. And you’ll be getting a treat you won’t feel guilty about eating.
If you’re looking for some healthy dessert recipes to try out, you can try making a pumpkin pie smoothie, caramelized apples, pumpkin spice baked apples, or healthy pumpkin chia pudding.
Plan your Healthy Halloween meals and snacks
If you’re going to be out and about on Halloween, try to plan your snacks ahead of time. This way you won’t be tempted to get something unhealthy at the last minute. Bring healthy snacks like fruits, or nuts with you when you’re out.
Lara bars are my version of a candy bar. They are sweet and guilt-free. I like to keep them around for when a sugar craving hits. One of these bars is perfect to keep in your pocket when you’re out trick or treating with the kiddos.
Another way to make sure you don’t overindulge with the candy is to eat before taking the kids trick or treating. So you’re not tempted to snack on the candy they collect.
The last thing to know for a Healthy Halloween
Halloween is a fun and festive holiday that’s meant to be enjoyed. It’s important not to feel guilty about indulging in the treats that come with this holiday.
Remember balance is key on your health journey. Halloween is just one day out of the year. You should be able to celebrate it without guilt.
Plan ahead and know you can wake up the day after Halloween feeling balanced and on track. If you can stay hydrated and set limits on how much candy and other Halloween snacks you eat, you’ll have a healthy Halloween!
Do you have any tips or tricks to stay on track this Halloween? Let me know what they are in the comments:)
