Healthy and Natural Halloween Treats

During Halloween there is nothing scarier than knowing that your child and other kids in your neighborhood will be over loading on sugary sweets. As a health and wellness counselor I feel I can promote healthy eating by handing out healthy sweets to children on Halloween. I looked for healthier options and found some pretty awesome treats without all the sugar, that are gluten free and still taste great. Your child will not notice the difference between these candies and the average Halloween sweets they get every year. Following is a list of delicious, healthy wholesome treats for your little ghouls and goblins.

Organic Fruitabu Smooshed Fruit Flats, Rolls and Twirls:Made with over 90% organic fruit and no artificial additives the tasty flavors available are apple, raspberry, strawberry and grape. Available at whole foods supermarket or on line at drugstore.com

EnviroKidz Organic Peanut Choc Drizzle Rice Bars:They are organic, have 0 grams Trans fat, are low sodium, gluten free and have no artificial flavors or preservatives. Plus, 1% of sales go to endangered species or habitat conservation and education for kids. Available at Wholefoods supermarket or Amazon.com

Genisoy Sweet Crips Chocolate: Most soy snacks can contain up to 7grams of protein and are not loaded with bad fats. Available at genisoy.com or Whole foods supermarket

Organic Dark Chocolate Bug Bites: These delectable treats are made of 70% cocoa content, certified organic, vegan, gluten-free and kosher and there is a bug trading card included in every piece. This antioxidant rich dark chocolate contains a healthy dose of flavonoids. Available at chocolatebar.com, whole foods supermarket and amazon.com

Surf Sweets Halloween Sour Worms: Made with organic sweeteners. These sour worms are vegan, organic, gluten-free, and casein free, made in a nut free facility. These individually wrap surf sweets Halloween sour worm’s uses natural ingredients like black carrot juice concentrate and turmeric to color candy, and organic fruit juice to sweeten. Each one contains 100% vitamin C per serving. Available at whole foods supermarket and surfsweets.com

Figamajigs: Flavors include almonds, raspberries and mint: This decadent snack is filled with natural ingredients mostly figs, premium dark chocolate and cocoa. They are low fat, high in fiber and antioxidants and were named healthiest candy of 2006 by Forbes and given the Healthy Snack Award by Shape in 2007. Available at figamajigs.com and whole foods supermarket.

Annie’s Homegrown Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks: These individually wrapped gummy treats are a spooktacular alternative to other fruit snacks. Each treat is made without the use of gelatin. These tasty treats are organic, vegan, and gluten-free. Great for kids with allergies. Made with real fruit juice and packed with 100% vitamin C. Available at Annie’s.com, Amazon.com and whole foods supermarket. Note: Gummy candies are a choking hazard for little children these are not suitable for children under age 4.

It’s not hard to make Halloween a healthy and fun event with these alternative treats. This Halloween you can plan for a healthy season, with these awesome healthy options you won’t feel you have to deprive your children of the whole Halloween candy experience.
Have a healthy and happy Halloween and watch out for all the vampires, ghost, goblins, witches and ghouls!

Alternative Halloween Treats

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I loved Halloween because it was always so much fun for me as a child and as an adult. Since childhood I have always enjoy dressing up in a scary or fun costumes, going to a haunted house, corn mazes and haunted hay rides. Ahh.. the fun of Halloween and the harvest season! During this holiday many of the young and young at heart (like myself) don scary and fun disguises when they attend a Halloween party or go door to door for treats. Part of the fun of Halloween for children is the treats, these treats however can cause sugar overload and if you have children you have seen first hand what that is.
As a holistic health counselor I have looked for fun, alternative and creative ways to give treats that aren’t filled with loads of sugar to my nephew and nieces and follower trick or treaters. Below is a list of non - edible and edible treats you can give out on Halloween.

Non-Edible Treats – Most of these non-edibles are available at your local dollar store.

• Little note books or coloring books
• Small pack of crayons
• Miniature witches, skeletons, ghost
• Rubber Spiders and other fun Halloween character’s
• Colored pencils
• Fun shape or colored erasers
• Spare change (pennies, nickels, dimes)
• Fun Halloween stickers
• Glow Sticks
• Monster teeth (party city priced @ .99)
• plastic rings, necklaces and bracelets
• Miniature pumpkins
• Comic books
• Tiny decks of cards
  

Edible Treats – These treats are a healthy alternative when compared to the sugary candy bars, and usual Halloween candy.

• Small boxes of healthy cookies
• Bag of microwavable organic popcorn
• Individual juice boxes (100% juice)
• Granola bars
• Sun Drops (similar to dye-free M&Ms, made of natural cocoa)
• Small boxes of organic raisins
• Sugar-free hot chocolate or apple cider packets
• Baked pretzels (Low sodium)
• Small pudding pack (sugar free)
• Dried Fruit
• Healthy chewing gum (natural flavors, sweeteners, and no dyes)
• Gummy candies made with real juice
• Small Apple sauce pack
• Organic FruitaBu Smooshed Fruit Flats, Rolls and Twirls
  

This Halloween try these healthy and creative alternative treats. These are a great way to keep your children and other kids healthy without skipping out on the fun and tasty treats of Halloween.

Have a Happy and Healthy Halloween!