There's nothing like a good Halloween night — from getting out of the house looking deliberately scary to finally having a good excuse to wear a crazy outfit, Halloween checks everything off our crazy list. But this shouldn't mean we should be less careful to being healthy, even if the night's a trademark for sharing sweets with everyone.
We put together eight tips for a healthy celebration of this year's most eccentric holiday.
1. Small sweets are always the best choice.
One reason for this is that giving away small pieces of chocolate and candy allows you to be more selective and have the fancy treats. Another is that you'll manage to be healthy in both giving away and eating sweets.
Choosing smaller quantities would imply giving away a smaller overall number of calories. This most of the sweets won't likely have more than 50 calories, which makes the holiday a little healthier than generally perceived!
2. Include eating well in the day's plans.
Never go treating, either you or your kids, before having a nutritious meal first. It's important for the body to function well and not feel hungry so that your children won't fill their stomach exclusively with sweets.
"Talking to them in advance (about not snacking) makes it a lot easier," says Wendy Palmer, a registered dietitian with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
3. Keep the nutrients low-calorie.
The third one is to make sure that the nutrients your children are having on Halloween before going out are diet-friendly, as it's necessary for the body to have the necessary fuel to keep them active.
And not only should you feed them properly, but also make sure their diet of the day leaves room for some pieces of chocolate and candy.
4. Buy your candy the day of the holiday.
If you're on a diet or simply wish to avoid overeating sweets, you should purchase the candy the day of the holiday. Moreover, if you feel this enough won't make temptation go away, buy sweets that you don't particularly like.
Another important thing is the quantity. The more candies you buy, the more leftovers you'll have, and the more you'll snack the following days while watching TV. If you want to avoid that, make sure you've bought a smaller quantity of sweets than you think you'll need.
5. Don't send your kids only to the neighbors next door.
Halloween is, among other things, about taking a long, healthy walk in the evening. Make sure your children understand the importance of walking longer distances than usual. Make the walking fun with weird costumes that will encourage them to parade.
6. Drinking should be done in moderation.
If you're not the one going walking with the children and you're staying home instead, avoid drinking too much. According to a study carried out at Iowa State University, people tend to focus more on the vertical measure of their glasses of alcohol rather than the horizontal one. That's why you should use a thinner glass.
According to the experiment, the subjects poured 12 percent more wine in a wider glass than a standard one, so here's your key to moderation. Doing this is all the more important as alcohol is known to have a lot of calories (and bad ones, too!), so avoiding overdrinking is one of the most diet-friendly things to consider on Halloween.
7. Contacts are only to be worn with a prescription.
We get how thrilling a great Halloween costume is, especially if you've spent weeks trying to figure out who you wish to be for the night. However, it's advised not to wear contact lenses unless they're prescribed by a doctor.
"Wearing lenses that don't fit properly can suffocate the eye, causing irritation and infection," explains Dr. Christopher Coad, director of Chelsea Eye Associates in New York.
8. Man's best friend doesn't get a treat.
This holiday shouldn't be healthy just for you and your children, but for your dog as well, and they should under no circumstances be given chocolate. You can, however, treat your dog with some extravagant or expensive dog food, but that's about it.
And you're all set! If you'll take every point into consideration, there's a pretty good chance your Halloween holiday this year will be the healthiest one to date!
