Halloween is just around the corner and while your kiddo may
revert to a hunter gatherer and bring home pounds of candy, we all know that
the majority of treats in their bounty bags have enough sugar and junk to keep
your dentist booked for weeks.
You may not be able to filter everything that is rewarded
for their valiant efforts of ringing the doorbell and saying trick or treat,
but you can control what the kiddos visiting your lair will be taking back to
their villages by being a bit more selective with your treats.
We’re bringing you 5 of the healthiest treats you can pass
out this Halloween to help purify the Halloween goodie bags of your
neighborhood. These treats are lower in sugar (let’s be honest, avoiding sugar
during Halloween is liking trying to shower without getting wet), low in saturated
fat, contain few teeth decaying ingredients, and importantly, come in bulk in
case your neighborhood ends up being the home base for the platoon of costume-clad
kiddos this year.
Kirkland Signature Organic Fruity Snacks
Skip the Starburst, Skittles, and other fruit-flavored high
sugar candies for these fruit snacks that contain a full days serving of Vitamin
C. Each pack is only 70 calories, has 11g of sugar, and contains no artificial
ingredients. In addition, these guys are fat-free and taste awesome, so your
kiddo won’t be lamenting missing out on a pack of unhealthy fruit flavored
candy.
Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Bars Trail Mix Flavor
Our first of three bars to make this list, and these trail
mix bars by Nature Valley are able to pack a bunch of flavor and goodness into
a good size bar which will make your kiddo’s candy haul seem that much more
impressive. With only .5 grams of saturated fat (that’s a bad fat by the way)
and a measly 7g of sugar, these bars also contain 2g of fiber and 3g of
protein. Most importantly though, they don’t have that “healthy” feel to them,
and the fruit in them provides a nice jab of sweetness to the taste-buds.
Kellogg’s Nutri-grain Bars
We move from one bar to another, and these Kellogg’s
Nutri-grain bars are essentially world famous. We’ve seen them at every morning
office meeting and the good news is you can buy them in bulk at Costco without
spending an arm and leg if you had purchases them at the airport.
These are very similar to the Nature Valley Trail Mix bars,
they only have .5 grams of saturated fat, a little more sugar at 12g of sugar,
but they still contain 3g of fiber and 2g of protein, and there is no denying the
flavor of these guys. Think of them as a much better alternative to standard
size Snickers or Twix bar.
Zoo Animal Crackers
Let’s rewind the clock back to a simpler time when nap time
was a requirement of the school day, and we looked forward to ripping open a
bag of animal crackers and going on a flavor safari. Animal crackers are a fun
and unique replacement to the standard candy that is passed out. The calorie
count can be a little high for one full pouch (230 calories) but they are large
packages so most kids may not finish a whole one. One package though only has
0g of saturated fat, and 15g of sugar, while also boasting 4g of protein. Once
again, we aren’t calling this a “healthy” treat by any means, but when compared
to the multitude of candy bars, it’s a giraffe’s neck above and beyond better
for your kiddo.
Kirkland signature soft and chewy granola bars
No-nonsense here. Just a terrific combination of oats and
chocolate chips, essentially the sheet turned into a ghost costume of Halloween
treat alternatives. One bar has just 100 calories, 7g of sugar, 1g of saturated
fat, 1 gram of fiber. Delicious, simple, and way healthier than a fat filled
candy bar.
There you go, rather than yogurt covered raisins you now have five healthier alternatives to candy you can pass out that will make you one of the more memorable houses on the block. We’re confident the kiddos will love these different treats that will stand out, and we promise you won’t be having to deal with tricks this Halloween! In the meantime, you can help sift through your kiddo’s candy haul and eliminate the 5 most unhealthy Halloween candies this year.
If you’re looking for a treat this summer, treat yourself to
some free time, and treat your kiddo to an unbelievably fun week of camp at a
Jordan Kent Skill Camp! With that consistent plug out of the way, enjoy your
Halloween and let us know, did you pass out any of these treats, any other suggestions?
Let us know!