Healthy Halloween Candy (and How to Keep Kids from Overindulging!)

Can you feel it? Halloween is just around the corner and will be here before we know it. This is great news for fellow costume lovers, scary movie enthusiasts, and candy fanatics alike. But first, a little real talk on the topic of Halloween candy. It’s hard enough as a grown woman to self-regulate around the mountains of candy during the spooky season, so I can’t even imagine how overstimulating it must be for a child. That’s why we rounded up some healthy Halloween candy options along with some simple tips to keep kids (and quite honestly, ourselves) from going overboard.

Halloween candy is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but it undoubtedly takes a toll on our health. We already know just how bad added sugar really is for us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to cut it out altogether. While that might work for some, for others (myself included), mindful intake can make a difference without feeling overly restrictive.

After all, everyone deserves to celebrate and indulge every once in a while.

Whether you have children or not, these healthy Halloween candy alternatives are a great way to swap out ingredients that are on the unhealthy side for those that are a little less creepy. I’ve included both healthier traditional Halloween candies and some organic, lesser-known options as well. This way, you can make choices based on what you have access to—because we’re all doing our best!

Keep reading for tips on how to keep kids from overindulging on Halloween:

Load children up with a nutritious dinner before you go trick or treating. Once they’ve got a belly full of healthy veggies and proteins, they’ll be far less likely to overeat candy. (This goes for the remainder of the time there is candy in the house as well.)

Implement a candy cutoff time well before you go out. The worse thing you can do is unexpectedly cut a kid off from their candy. Before the night even begins, give them a heads up that the candy will be going away by a certain hour so that they see it coming and can mentally prepare.

Consider asking them if they’ll swap their candy for toys with the Switch Witch. If you think your kid/s may be so inclined, tell them that the Switch Witch will visit them while they sleep and swap out half of their candy for a new toy. (Full disclosure: this worked beautifully for one friend, but another’s child was terrified by the mere thought of a witch in her home. So this can only be used on a case-by-case basis if your kid is cool with the possibility of a witch lurking about.)

Keep the candy stashed away where they can’t see it throughout the entire day. You know what they say about out of sight, out of mind! If they have access to it 24/7, it’s going to be harder to keep an eye on candy intake.

Offer to swap 10 pieces of candy for a trip to the movies or another beloved activity. If the Switch Witch isn’t their vibe, you can work out an exchange yourself!