Halloween treats, No tricks

Health news. Halloween marks the beginning of “sugar season” – the long stretch of holidays where treats seem to be everywhere. Combined with the colder, shorter days that kick up cravings for more serotonin-boosting carbohydrates, this increase in sugar consumption can wreak havoc on your health.  Kids love sugar.  But adults can’t resist them as well.  Whether you keep these little goblins and ghouls at bay with candy or you have another secret weapon (some folks swear by coins and toothbrushes!), don’t let the poor souls fall victim to hydrogenated fats, high-fructose corn syrup or artificial preservatives, colors and flavors.

Photo courtesy www.kiddymania.co.uk

But you don’t have to get spooked by all that Halloween candy.  Skip the trick-or-treating and try one of these fun activities instead:

–       Carving Jack-o-Lanterns: The folklore behind this tradition is that these decorative gourds were carved into scary faces to protect your home from the Undead. Don’t forget – you can save the seeds you scoop out of the inside and roast them for a healthy and tasty snack.

–       Parading Around: Get dressed up and show off your costume in your local Halloween parade or at a Halloween party. There are plenty of costume options to buy online, or you can have fun getting creative by making your own.  Need inspiration? Dress up as of one of your favorite movie star, book characters, rock star, politician, or media personality. Brainstorm by searching for costume ideas on Pinterest.

Don’t give out candy at all!  Hand out stickers, glow sticks, creepy spider rings, Play-Doh, or any type of small toy.  Try handing out oranges, apples, juice boxes, and boxes of raisins.  I just learned that one of my friends plan on doing just that – a basket of apples on her front porch.

For those who wants to follow tradition with “sweets”, I did some research and I found these healthy alternatives:

–       “Power Snacks” by Conscious Food

–       “Superfood Chocolate” by OmBar

–       Trumi Bars use freeze dried fruit & raw cacao nibs to pack in antioxidants & other phytonutrients!

–       Trek or Naked bars – raw food bars, which combine crunchy oatie bits with real fruits and nuts.

–       Nuts, seeds and dried fruit

–       Freeze Dried Mixed Fruit

–       “peeled snacks”

no sugar added, preservatives or oil

–       Sunny Citrus Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks,made with real fruit juice

Photo courtesy www.iconfinder.com

–       EnviroKidz Organic Chocolate Koala Mini Crispy Rice Bars Made with four grams of whole grains these organic chocolaty mini treats may be gluten free, wheat free and low in fat and sodium but they get high marks for sweet and crunchy deliciousness

–     Surf Sweets – Halloween Sour Worms, not my 1^st choice, but it uses natural ingredients like black carrot juice concentrate and turmeric (from the ginger family) to color candy, and organic fruit juice and evaporated cane juice to sweeten

For at home party try to make some fun snacks.  What would you think about these wonderful “Caramel Apples”

This healthy caramel apple recipe has just enough caramel to give a nice hit of salty-sweet flavor in each bite for a tasty dessert.

6 servings

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

1/3 cup packed coconut sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chopped unsalted nuts, such as peanuts or pecans

6 small apples