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“Trick or Treat, smell my feet. Give me something good to eat!” Halloween mantras like this have been popularized by elementary-school children for more than 10 years. In 1990, when I was 7 years old, I recall belting out this exact ditty. Some Halloween traditions like singing silly songs or dressing up in clown costumes are harmless, but others, like giving children lots of high-fructose sweets, can be harmful. Here is some information on how to make Halloween Healthy.

Facts about Adolescent Diabetes:
In 2002, Diabetes affected about 206,000 Americans 20 years old or younger, according to a report from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Adolescent diabetes represents .25 percent of all the people in this age group, which means that perhaps one “trick-or-treat” you heard this year was from a child with diabetes.

A Halloween Trick: Giving Out Yummy Treats that are Healthy.
Next Halloween, consider playing the biggest trick on all the kids that knock on your door by handing out healthy snacks that they’ll enjoy. The trick is determining what is healthy and tasty, so here are some ideas to consider:

1. Fruits provide natural sugars and fiber
2. Granola is a sweet, healthy source of fiber
3. Nuts are a healthy source of fat
4. Seeds are a healthy source of protein

For more specific examples, please refer to the Top 10 Healthy Treats list.

Only Hand out Packaged Treats
"Tell children not to accept—and, especially, not to eat—anything that isn’t commercially wrapped," says the United States Food and Drug Administration. "When children bring their treats home, discard any home-made candy or baked goods.”

Parents should adhere to these FDA guidelines, so next Halloween, remember to wrap up the treats you hand out, or you may be wasting you're money and time.

Toys Are Treats too!
Small toys serve as excellent treats. Children love to be entertained, so giving them something to play with would be as worthwhile to them as a piece of candy. Check out the Top 10 Halloween Toys list for some ideas on non-edible treats to pass out.

Note: Young children should not be given small toys because this could be a choking hazard.

Avoid Handing Out The Following:

Next Halloween, if you do nothing else, consider not handing out certain extremely-unhealthy treats. Avoid hard candies and bubble gums, for example, because these long-lasting candies stay in the child's mouth longer, and increase their risk of tooth decay, Dr. Linda Niessen says.

For more specific examples of treats to forgo next Halloween, please refer to the Top 10 Treats to Avoid.

Written by Jennifer Beckett.

Do you think children suffering from adolescent diabetes should “Trick or Treat”? Email Us With What You Think.