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13 Halloween treats for picky eaters, kids with allergens, and health-conscious parents
The most popular time for Halloween trick-or-treating is between 6 pm and 9 pm have you got your snacks ready for October 31?
It can be very nice to adopt a laissez-faire attitude towards diet and nourishment. However, more and more people are waking up to the knock-on effects of eating unhealthily as a child. Some parents may dread the piles of candies and chocolates their children come back with every Halloween. We spoke to a dietitian specializing in child nutrition to get a better idea of what people could stock up on to avoid unnecessary neighborhood sugar spikes.
Why its so important for children to eat a healthy diet
It may shock you to learn that American toddlers get more than two-thirds of their daily calories from unhealthy ultra-processed foods.
Or that the vast �vast �majority of TikTok health hacks are bogus and inaccurate, feeding young people bad ideas about what makes a balanced diet.
During periods of growth, i.e. when were children or teenagers, it’s especially important that humans eat a balanced, varied diet to make sure we get all the nutrients and energy our bodies need both to sustain ourselves and to literally get bigger.
Eating well supports brain development, meaning children do better at school. Theyre more able to concentrate, retain information better, and are less likely to become grouchy and fractious in the classroom.
Children who consume a healthy diet perform better academically, exhibit improved memory and attention span, and show enhanced problem-solving skills, according to Kids Planet Day Nurseries.�
So, how do you strike a balance between wanting to nourish your neighborhoods kids while also treating them, this Halloween?
Childrens dietitians 13 food recommendations for trick-or-treating snacks
Alex Turnbull is a registered dietitian who specializes in picky eating among children. Her top branded recommendations for (relatively) healthy Halloween snacks for your trick-or-treaters are:
- Yum Earth Organic Halloween Candies �these are allergen-friendly and have no artificial colors.
- Lesser Evil Halloween Himalayan Pink Salt Organic Popcorn.
- Pirates Booty-Aged White Cheddar Puffs.
- Applesauce pouches especially for young kids to minimize choking hazards, she says.
- Utz Halloween Bats and Jacks Pretzel Treats.
- Utz Mini cheese balls.
- Annie’s Homegrown Variety Snack Pack.
- Pringles Halloween Spooky Stacks.
- Goldfish Halloween Edition Cheddar Crackers.
- Cheez-It Original Halloween Snack Crackers.
- Siete Grain Free Cinnamon Churro Strips.
- Rice Krispies Treats Mini Marshmallow Squares.
- Unreal Coconut and Peanut Butter Chocolates.
Basically: popcorn, cheesy snacks, pretzels, and crackers.
She also stresses the importance of considering children with food allergies, and highlights the Teal Pumpkin Project as a great initiative that helps make Halloween inclusive.
It does so by offering non-food related treats, such as:
- Glow sticks
- Stickers
- Trinkets
- Temporary tattoos
- Bubble mix
- Play-Dough
- Squishies
- Fidget toys
Finally, Alex recommends making Halloween snacks. That way, you know exactly whats in them, and theyre only as ultra-processed as you choose to make them.
You could try making monster apples, pumpkin fruit and veggie pouches, mandarin orange jack-o-lanterns, pretzel and cheese stick witch brooms, or mummy juice boxes, for example. Find how-tos on Instagram, at the links.
Alex Turnbull runs My Family Nutritionist. Shes a registered dietitian and author of the Baby Food Cookbook for First-Time Parents.�
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