healthy-halloween-treats

Do you know any healthy Halloween treats recipes? We all know processed or refined sugar is bad for our health and especially our teeth, but on days like Halloween, sugar consumption can get out of hand. A little bit of processed sugar is fine when consumed by a healthy and active child; but when they bring home bags filled with lollies, we know there’s a fair chance they’ll be running circles around us all night. So, if you’re going to take lollies away from your kids, it’s important to have some yummy, healthy replacement options.

House Call Doctor tends to receive a lot more tooth ache and diabetes related calls towards the end of the year, so let’s encourage our kids to have healthier snacks this season.

The scary and haunting effects of refined sugar

Refined and processed sugars are those found in chocolate bars, lollies, soft drinks, cakes, biscuits etc – which is exactly what your kids may be eating on Halloween. Here’s a few chilling facts about what sugar can do to the body:
• Sugar can seriously mess up your teeth and overall dental health. When you consume a high amount of sugar, there is an increased risk of cavities, especially in children. Harmful mouth bacteria also love sugar which destroys tooth enamel and leads to cavities.
• Excess sugar consumption can also lead to diseases later in life like Type 2 Diabetes and heart disease by raising glucose levels.
• Not to mention, sugar encourages weight gain, loss of energy and mood swings.
The World Health Organisation recommends a four-year-old should have less than three teaspoons of sugar a day. One original chocolate Tim Tam has just over two teaspoons of sugar, to put it in context.
It’s obvious that on days like Halloween it’s going to be near impossible to keep your kids to the daily sugar limit – but if we can secretly swap some of the processed sugars to natural ones, you can feel a little bit better.

The happy effects of natural sugar

Natural sugars are more complex carbohydrates and can help to regulate blood sugar. Natural sugar is found in all fruit and some vegetables, natural fruit juices and in lactose which is a component in milk.
Alright, so you’ve got the low down on sugar – let’s dive into some haunted, healthy recipes you can make with your kids on Halloween!

Monster Teeth
You only need four ingredients for this one! One green apple, a tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter (or whichever is your favourite), a handful of yoghurt covered berries of your choice (goji is good), 1 tbsp of lemon juice!
There you have it! Your kids can play around with their very own healthy monster teeth! Here’s the link to the recipe.

Boo-Nana Pops
Again, only four ingredients needed for these fun, healthy and super easy Halloween snacks! You’ll need some bananas, white chocolate, chocolate chips and some wooden sticks. You could do the same with apples and strawberries and turn all three into a spooky fruit kebab! Here’s the link to the recipe.

Spooky Roast Veges
If you’ve got leftover veggies in the fridge how about cutting them up and carving some spooky shapes! Just top with salt and oil and place in the oven and you’ll have some easy, yummy and healthy treats for your kids. Not to mention, they’ll be getting their 5 veggies in! Here’s the recipe link.

Mummified Keto Cookies
These mummified keto cookies are sure to be a hit! Made with almond and coconut flour, not only are they super healthy and full of fibre and protein, they taste great too. You could choose to put icing on as a treat. Here’s the recipe.

It’s important to teach our kids about having a balanced diet that of course can incorporate treats from time to time. After all, healthy can be super yummy too!