Treats Don’t Have to be Sweet

• Offer sugarless gum, 100% fruit juice boxes or 100% fruit leathers, raisins, packaged nuts and seeds, pretzels, packs of crackers or plain popcorn
• Kids like getting toys as treats too! Give non-food treats like fancy pencils, stickers, erasers, whistles or temporary tattoos.
• Drink water for thirst
• Brush your teeth with a fluoride toothpaste morning and night.  When possible, brush with fluoride toothpaste after eating/snacking – especially if you eat something sticky.

Have A Healthy Halloween Party

• Serve snack foods using Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. For Example: roasted pumpkin seeds, yoghurt, hot chocolate made with milk, low-sugar cereal mixes or dried fruits. 
• Make a Halloween fruit plate with orange and black or dark coloured items.  Putorange slices, apricots, peaches on one side and plums, purple grapes, and raisins on the other.
• Throw a healthy traditional treat making party for this once a year celebration! For example try homemade roasted pumpkin seeds, honey roasted almonds, toffee apples and popcorn balls.

Help Your Child Manage Their Treats

• Offer regular meals and snacks, including supper, before your children go trick-or-treating.
• Have your child sort his bag when he gets home. Let him eat as much of it as he wants that night and the next day.  Then set amounts for mealtime like a couple of small pieces for dessert and as much as he wants for snack time.  Manage his stash until your child can follow these rules.  When he does, let him keep control of the stash.   Offer milk with the candy, to improve nutrition. 
• Create a trading system where your child can trade less favourite treats for non-food items.
• Offer milk with the candy, to improve nutrition
• Brush at least twice a day with less than a pea-sized amount of Fluoride toothpaste, this is still one of the best ways to protect teeth against cavities.  When it’s not possible to brush your teeth during the day, rinse with water or chew sugarless gum.

For more information, please contact your local Public Health Nurse at (250) 638-2200 or below:

Submitted by:
Flo Sheppard– Community Nutritionist - (250) 638-2233
Shirley Gray – Dental Health Programs - (250) 638-2232
Northern Health