Are you dreading the upcoming Halloween season this year? You are probably feeling a bit concerned about how you can enjoy celebrating a holiday centered around pigging out on sugary candy.
We get it! There are so many things to think about.
What will all of these sugary treats do to your blood sugar? Should you limit how much or what type of candy you eat? Should you have any candy at all? What about all of that leftover candy that will be sitting around your house after halloween?
This comprehensive article will review some non-candy Halloween treats and out-of-the-box alternatives you may want to consider to have a fun celebration without all of the guilt, sugar, and carbs.
Let’s dive in!
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What Makes Halloween Challenging for People with Diabetes?
Halloween presents several challenges for people with diabetes, primarily due to the abundance of sugary treats and the potential for disrupted routines. Let’s break down some of the specific issues:
- Blood sugar management: The temptation and easy access to high-sugar candy can make it difficult to maintain stable blood sugar levels.
- Meal Planning: Planning meals and snacks around Halloween festivities can be challenging, not to mention traditional Halloween treats are often high in carbohydrates and low in nutritional value.
- Trick-or-treating and Halloween parties: Participating in trick-or-treating or attending Halloween parties can disrupt normal eating patterns and make it difficult to keep track of carbohydrate intake.
- Stress and excitement: The excitement and stress associated with Halloween can also affect blood sugar levels, making it crucial to monitor them closely during this time.
- Social Pressure: Those of us with diabetes might face pressure to indulge in treats or feel left out if we choose not to.
Overall, while Halloween can be a fun and festive occasion, people with diabetes need to be extra vigilant about managing their blood sugar levels and making informed choices about food and activities.
What is Your Halloween Game Plan?
So how can you prepare for Halloween in advance to ensure it goes smoothly for yourself and your family?
First, you will want to make sure you agree upon a game plan with your family before the big day. By having a plan in place, everyone knows what to expect so there are no surprises. This will help keep the celebrations fun and positive.
Continue reading for some ideas of what this plan might look like for your family.
Consider Non-Candy Halloween Treats for Trick or Treaters
If having candy around your house for the days and weeks leading up to Halloween is difficult and tempting, consider handing out non-candy Halloween treats this year. This is also a great option for kids with food allergies or health concerns that prevent them from being able to indulge in candy. Some ideas include:
- Stickers
- Pencils
- Squishies
- Glow bracelets and necklaces
- Fidget toys
- Play-doh
- Bubbles
- Temporary tattoos
- Mini bags of pretzels
- Individual bags of popcorn
- Applesauce pouches
Diabetes-Friendly Non-Candy Halloween Treat Recipe Ideas
Another fun tradition to get in the Halloween spirit is to make some fun diabetes friendly Halloween treats together. Below are some easy, tasty Halloween recipe ideas that your whole family will love!
Creepy Halloween Apple Snacks
These creepy Halloween Apple Snacks by Fad Free Nutrition Blog are an easy to make treat that have plenty of fiber and healthy fat for satiety and to help stabilize blood sugars.
Halloween Banana Popsicles
Another adorable, fun, fiber filled treat from Well Plated By Erin. These treats are dipped in greek yogurt for an added protein boost.
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
For a low carb treat packed with healthy fats, magnesium, and zinc, put those pumpkins to good use! When you carve your pumpkin, save the seeds in a bowl. Rinse and dry the seeds well, then toss with the oil and seasonings of your choice and bake in the oven until golden brown, generally about 45 minutes at 300 degrees.
Additional Halloween Tips:
Make Sure to Eat!
Make sure to eat a filling, high protein dinner meal before trick or treating with your kids. This will help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the evening. Chili paired with a vegetable or salad is my family’s go-to Halloween meal!
Focus on What Your Family Loves About Halloween
This could be coming up with the best possible costume for a costume party, decking your house out in fun and spooky decorations, or if you live in St. Louis like me, coming up with the best jokes to tell while trick or treating (if you know, you know!)
I also highly recommend watching videos of the Halloween Jimmy Kimmel prank.
Visits From the Halloween Fairy
When I was a kid, the Halloween fairy would visit my house. I would choose a few of my favorite pieces of candy to keep and would put the rest outside my bedroom door before bed.
When I woke up in the morning, the candy would be gone and in its place would be a fun toy that I had been wanting. This worked perfectly as a young kid, I didn’t even miss the candy and always looked forward to seeing what the Halloween Fairy would bring!
This is a great option if you are looking to reduce the amount of candy in your house after Halloween.
Which Halloween candy options have the least amount of carbs and sugar?
Even with all of these other options in place, let’s be real – of course we will still want to eat some Halloween candy! Afterall, what is Halloween without any candy? Here is a quick reference guide from JDRF including carb counts of many popular Halloween candy options.
Smart Sweets are also a great, low-carb candy option to keep on hand to keep your sweet tooth under control and check out our post all about the best sugar free chocolate!
Don’t forget to sneak a few fun-size bags of your child’s skittles or Swedish fish to treat low blood sugars later on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although the thought of Halloween may cause anxiety for some of us with diabetes, there are plenty of ways to make Halloween a fun and special occasion without the roller coaster of blood sugars and emotions.
The goal is to always have a plan in place before the big day to ensure that it goes smoothly and everyone knows what to expect. Allowing yourself to indulge in some candy is also totally fine and keeping some favorites on hand to treat low blood sugars is a great option.
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