| I'm a big kid at heart, so Halloween is one of my all-time favorite holidays. I love to dress up, and I make everyone else dress up too!
That's the fun part. The not-so-fun part is trying to keep things healthy. I've heard of suggestions that parents hand out boxed raisins or fill hand-carved pumpkins with healthy fruit salad. Are you kidding me?
Here are a few real-world suggestions to help you and your kids enjoy a healthier Halloween:
1. Buy Halloween candy October 30th
And not a day earlier. The less time the candy is in the house, the fewer days you (and them) have to exercise self-control.
2. Select your least favorite candy
Shopping the day before the big event nearly ensures that all the "good stuff" is gone. If you're the person assigned to greet the trick-or-treaters, the last thing in the world you want to be doing is standing (unsupervised) next to a big bowl filled with miniature versions of your can't-resist candy. And don't worry about your kids—they'll get all of their favorites when they go out for the night!
3. Eat a good lunch and a healthy dinner
One of the biggest pizza nights of the year is Halloween. Who has time to cook when there are pumpkins to carve and kids to get ready? If you know you're going to be munching on sugar-filled treats later, make sure at least you and your kids start festivities with a healthy dinner.
4. Chew gum
Those mini-size delights go down quick, don't they? It's easy to start throwing back candy bars. Keep your mouth busy by chewing gum, and avoid the temptation.
5. Teach kids moderation
I'll leave the parenting up to you, though I personally believe that to truly teach moderation, you have to teach kids that it's okay to have the occasional "splurge," but to "overindulge" will only leave you feeling ill.
6. A week of treats
This is something that works for us. After telling my kids how many pieces they can have on Halloween night, I let them pick seven pieces and have one per day, every day, for a week, on the condition that they've had an active day. This gives them control over their selection, something to look forward to, and is another lesson in moderation.
7. Toss it
Go ahead, "tsk, tsk" your finger at me, call me a "waster," but you won't convince me that passing off your candy to someone else is a nice thing to do. You will have far more angst over gaining 3 pounds in one week than you will over dumping excess candy into the trash. Visit Chalene's Corner!
Read more nutrition tips here! | 
