Holiday Food Safety Tips - Healthy Halloween

Advice on How to Make Halloween Safer and Healthier

Advice Seeker: Dear April,

We try to keep a healthy household and are usually pretty successful at it, except at Halloween. Do you have any advice on how to make Halloween a bit healthier?

Sincerely,

Nightmare on Halloween

April Masini's advice:

Dear Nightmare on Halloween,

Halloween candy -- it's a kid's fantasy, and a parent's bump in the road. But Halloween doesn't have to mean multiple cavities and stomachaches.

Here are some great ways to make the sugar rush seem less like a diabetic nightmare:

* Giving out candy is traditional. Anything that is sticky WILL get caught between teeth and if not cleaned out by brushing, will cause decay and cavities. There is no candy that is not sticky and sugar-filled, so if you're giving out candy, accept the fact that it is what it is.

* Give out individually wrapped candy. This makes parents feel safer about allowing their children to eat candy from strangers. Individually wrapped candy is less likely to be tampered with than candy corn that is loose.

* Apples are no longer given out since some sick-os put razor blades in them before giving them to kids. Save your apples for a pie.

* Alternatives to candy are stickers, party favor toys, pencils, erasers, and balloons. But you won't be very popular with the kids.

* Make a limit on candy imbibing -- and make it generous. Allow three pieces a day -- or whatever you decide.

* Give kids a chance to make money and satisfy your own sweet tooth. Buy back your kid's candy. Ten cents a candy bar. Your kid can become a mini-candy entrepreneur.

* Donate a portion or all of the collected candy to hospitals, orphanages, or hospices.