Healthy Halloween Habits to Build Bones,
Bodies and Brains
Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, FAAP

Author of Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children

Chief Pediatric Officer, RealAge.com

It's easy for mummy to add some "good-for-you treats" to Halloween festivities without being booed by the kids. Check out these ghoulishly great Halloween ideas that are frighteningly fun...

• Bone appetite!: Swap out sugary sodas or fruit drinks with lowfat chocolate milk. It's a great trick for moms and a treat for kids. Each 8-ounce serving provides 300 milligrams of calcium - or 30 percent of the Daily Value for this vital bone-building nutrient.
• Fiendishly Full: Give kids a healthy meal or snack before parties and trick-or-treating to prevent your hungry monsters from digging into all of the goodies.
• Witchy Walk: Take a long walk around your neighborhood to enjoy the frightening decorations and socialize with your neighbors. When trick-or-treating with your kids, walk to the farthest house first and make your way back home to encourage a little extra physical activity.
• Spook-tacular Story Time: Halloween is about imagination, colorful characters and great stories. Spend some family time together and read a terror-ific Halloween classic such as Hansel & Gretel or The Legends of Sleepy Hollow.
• Ghoulish Gifts: Consider handing out non-food treats to your costumed guests, such as mini-books, bubbles, stickers, crayons or stick-on tattoos.
• A Treat in Disguise: Host a Halloween party and prepare wickedly delicious homemade treats with lowfat chocolate milk, such as chocolate smoothies. Lowfat chocolate milk contains the same nine essential nutrients found in white milk with a taste that kids love.
• Ghostly Goodwill: Let your kids pick out a handful of their favorite trick-or-treat goodies and then give the excess candy to a shelter or other organization where it can be shared among a large group of people.
• Year-long Trick: Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy a splurge on special occasions, but during most days of the year, encourage your family to eat sensibly, stay active and incorporate healthy habits. This sets a good example that helps kids make wise choices and develop smart behavior patterns that will last a lifetime.