Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Canva
Life > Experiences

How to Have a Healthy Halloween

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

Sick of the sugary sweet treats found around every corner during Halloween weekend? This is the article for you!

pexels toni cuenca 619418

There are several things you can do to curb your sugar intake this spooky season. Having a Halloween party? Up your fright factor and serve healthy snacks dressed to impress. Make banana ghosts or tangerine pumpkins for a fun, sugar-free way to snack. Incorporate healthy foods even more by playing with your food. Decorating oranges like jack o’ lanterns, carving peppers like pumpkins, or bobbing for apples will put anyone into the Halloween spirit. Don’t forget that moving away from sugar also includes those sweet-filled drinks. Offer water or 100% juice instead. You can even create a healthy Halloween punch by combining sparkling water and orange juice. Garnish with lots of orange slices and blackberries and enjoy! 

Moving away from food, keep your guests on their feet! Have a zombie dance party, three-legged monster race, spider crawl, or pumpkin toss. Get creative and let your inner child come out! If you’re going to a party, try filling up before you head out. Eating a healthy, filling meal will limit the amount of candy you’re tempted to snack on once you arrive. 

Not a party animal? No problem!

Dress up with your friends or family and watch your favorite spooky movie paired with your favorite healthy snacks.

7ec67887e24f7030ca77d0ce2134950d

Things like popcorn, pretzels, or graham crackers are still delicious without overdoing the sugar. Warm apple cider with cinnamon sticks can quench any thirst without creating cavities. If you find yourself with extra candy at the end of the night, keep out your favorites, and store the rest. We all know how easy it is to eat candy that is just sitting in front of us.

Save it for holiday baking! If you want to get rid of it, bring it to a local fire or police station, or nursing station at a local hospital. Share the goodies so they don’t tempt you! Another great tip is to get out and walk around! Talk a walk around your local neighborhoods to look at all the costumes and decorations and enjoy the night! Bring your apple cider and make a trip of it!

If you’re handing out treats to trick-or-treaters, don’t be afraid to be “that house”. This doesn’t have to mean toothbrushes and floss. You can hand out snack-sized bags of pretzels, teddy grahams, animal crackers, or fruit snacks. Look for festive versions of these healthy snacks and kids will love them! If you’re not feeling the treats, try handing out small toys. Things like slime, vampire teeth, stamps, bookmarks, and novelty glasses are fun for all ages! Make your Halloween healthy and have fun doing it!

Appple Picking

Lily Knetl

Illinois '24

Hi! My name is Lily and I am a sophomore at UIUC studying HDFS with a minor in English. I absolutely love reading and writing in my free time as well as movie nights with friends. In the future, I hope to go to law school to pursue family law :)