Halloween Tips and A Treat

By Amy Kramer, MPH, RD, LD pumpkin pie on a white plate with two orange pumpkins as decorations

With Halloween just around the corner, here are some tips to prevent being spooked out of enjoying the holiday. Does your little pumpkin have food allergies? With most Halloween candies containing the “top” allergens or sharing a manufacturing line with allergen foods, we offer the following tips to help you keep your children safe this holiday:

Talk to your child about possible hidden allergens
Have a plan in the event of an allergic reaction - educate family, fellow parents, your child’s friends, school or caretaker if they will be taking your child trick or treating or hosting a party
Read all labels for yourself and discuss/educate your child on how to do this
Limit or avoid homemade treats unless you know the person providing the treat; this is important for overall safety as we are unsure about the preparation, cleanliness, and storage of the items.
Look for teal pumpkins: in 2014, the Food Allergy Research & Education created the Teal Pumpkin Project to raise awareness of food allergies and provide safe food alternatives for allergic trick-or-treaters. *Be sure to ask if this is the case just in case the pumpkin was merely decorative.

Remember this is only one day a year so it is okay to splurge a little. It is what we consume daily that has the greatest impact on our health so if you find an abundance of leftover candy portion it out, set a “treat schedule” or place it somewhere out of sight. Encourage filling up on healthy snacks and being active before having candy. Another way to use up some of the candy would be to make your own trail mix by combining it with nuts, whole grain cereals, pumpkin seeds and pretzels.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

½ cup canned pumpkin 1 cup milk or almond milk 1 medium banana, frozen (if you have a fresh banana, just add 1 cup of ice) 1 Tablespoon honey ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice(optional whipped cream topping)

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and top with optional whip cream. Nutritionals: 126 calories, 1.80 grams total fat, 28 grams carbohydrates, 2.1 grams protein Allergens: *dependent on type of milk used: milk, nuts, soy www.familyfreshmeals.com