According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 13 children now suffer from food allergies. Gluten is one of the most common allergens and even those not “allergic” to it are often “gluten intolerant” so more and more families (like mine) have gone gluten-free.
So what treats to choose to ensure a safe and fun Halloween that keeps all the YUM?
Of course, giving non-food “treasures” is another way to make Halloween gluten-free. Just choose items that are made from safe, natural materials and look for treasures that will last long past Halloween, such as polished rocks, recycled mood pencils, and mini decks of cards or games.
With scary stats such as the fact that 1 in 3 trick-or-treaters is expected to develop diabetes in their lifetime, it may be hard to imagine giving away chemically laden, conventional candy as kids come to your door.
So this Halloween, forgo the candy isle and grab a bag (or box) of these healthier treat options that keep all the YUM:
The first time I tried Yo’ Drops, I couldn’t believe my mouth. These crunchy, freeze dried, 100% real organic fruit and yogurt snacks are sooooo good. Packaged just perfectly for Halloween, too. Might just become your family’s new Halloween favorite.
It’s amazing how delish a treat so simple can be. And how excited kids can get over something made from 100% real fruit. We gave Stretch Island Fruit Co strips away last year and the reactions from the kids were just adorable. Expressions such as “OOH! I LOVE these!” And “This is my FAVORITE flavor!” were heard throughout the night until every last strip was gone.
In 2006, when first had the idea for creating a community movement around making Halloween healthier for kids and planet, I didn’t have a lot of recommendations for food items that kids would go wild over and that mom would approve of. At that time there wasn’t overt demand for healthier Halloween fare, and so many health-food brands were leaving the conversation alone. So in 2007, when the Green Halloween website was first launched, we had only three or four “treat” (food) items in our recommended list: granola bars, honey sticks, fruit leather and…. Larabars. Indeed, it was Larabar that led me to believe that Halloween treats could be just as exciting to kids without the processed and artificial ingredients, HFCS and hydrogenated oils that were the basis for most Halloween goodies. Larabars are whole, real food. But they come in flavors such as Cashew Cookie and Apple Pie that don’t just sound good, they are good. (Really good.) And now that they’re available as minis, they’re even more affordable for those families who get droves of trick-or-treaters.
Another little Green Halloween history tale: In 2006, as I took my kids trick or treating, I noticed that they (and their friends) were more excited about the goodies they received that were not conventional candy. Bubbles ans stickers received squeals of enthusiasm. Snickers and M&Ms, not so much.
What was going on?
I soon come to realize that kids today are over-exposed to conventional candies. They’re available at birthday parties, at the dry cleaner, even at the doctor’s office! I also discovered that my nephew’s teacher even kept a bowl of candy on her desk for when kids got a good test score or pushed in a chair for a friend.
So it’s not that kids like candy any less, it’s just that it’s not as novel as it was when I was a child – when Halloween was the one time of year when I had access to it.
So this year, why not consider giving away a drink pouch in lieu of a conventional treat? My hunch is that kids will be all over this twist on tradition – some ghosts and goblins may even down the drink while on their trick-or-treat trail. Moms will love Honest Kids’ organic ingredients, no HFCS, the fact that the pouches can be recycled through Terracycle.net.
Nature’s Path new organic crispy rice bars knock the YUM ball right out of the park. Made with better for kids & Earth ingredients, and packaged and priced just right for Halloween, we think these new Halloween treats are going to be a hit!
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Of course, giving non-food “treasures” is another way to make Halloween healthier. Just choose items that are made from safe, natural materials and look for treasures that will last long past Halloween, such as polished rocks, recycled mood pencils, and mini decks of cards or games.
3. Use hashtag (#) #GreenHalloween to “chat” in the party and to follow other participant’s posts
Hint: You may find it easiest to use a (free) program such as Hootsuite or TweetDeck to participate. New to twitter parties? Do a quick Internet search for “how to participate in a Twitter party” and you’ll find dozens of tutorials.
*RSVP by adding your Twitter handle in a comment below to be eligible to win prizes!
Prize partners: Honest Tea, Kiwi magazine, Nature’s Path, Stretch Island Fruit, Revolution Foods, Angell Bar, Celebrate Green! & Lunchbots.
(One entry per handle. Most prizes will ship only to the continental U.S.; some may ship to Canada. If you cannot accept a prize, prize will be offered to another event participant.)
And check out our events page for more virtual and real-live events from now through Halloween!
Mother-daughter pair, Rochelle and Ally Maize, have green in common. They also share a great sense of humor.
Check out how this green realtor (mom, Rochelle) and founder of Green Youth Movement (daughter, Ally) decorated their Beverly Hills, CA home for Halloween (using eco-friendly materials and sharing some good laughs, we’re sure).
According to Rochelle, “80 % of our decorations are hand made. 100% are recycled from year to year. During the month, we had hundreds of people come by and take pictures. As people drive by, see the yard & stop- it’s all most caused so many accidents, but luckily no problems so far.”
Phew.
Rochelle and Ally also added an “eek-o-friendly sustainable garden” (see video, below). “This was incredible with 3 scarecrows and lots of fun items inside. One of our scarecrows was even upside down. Everything made from scratch!”
High five, Rochelle and Ally!
And what did the Green Halloween home give away to the little ghosts and goblins who came by this Halloween?
And over 400 of their neighborhood trick-or-treaters thought their healthy, green goodies were fabulous.
Said Rochelle, “I cant tell you how many moms thank us for what we were doing. The mom’s favorite were the tree coupons! They then had to start explaining fair trade chocolate to their kids! The adults went nuts and loved it. Even a lot of the kids thought it was so cool that we planted trees for the trick o\ treaters! A few of the younger ones wanted to see where the trees were- it was too cute!”
But for Rochelle and Ally, being Los Angeles’ Green Halloween coordinators and decorating for Halloween wasn’t ALL fun and games.
“We hosted the Green Youth Movement Costume Exchange on October 25th. All the members & some Board members brought a costume and picked a new one. It was great! The kids also filmed a You tube video at this meeting explaining there top 5 tips for Greening their Halloween!”
“The kids had a blast and loved this event! The girls continued their meeting and decided to go to their own schools and post the tips. One of our members fell so in love with the idea, she decided to change the theme of her birthday party which was October 30th – to “Green Halloween”.
“She hosted 80 kids , had a DJ and I ended up donating 80 reusable GYM bags for her party favors with the 5 tips printed in each bag & “Live Green” GYM bracelets. The kids all used the bags for trick or treating!!!!”
Not surprisingly, Rochelle wanted to have some Green Halloween fun, too.
“I had a HalloWINE tasting and dinner Hallowine night. I had about 30 guests- all in costume. I was a GO Green cheerleader and my husband was a recycled Garbage can! I think we definitely made a statement this year. As you may have noticed, I tend to go all out with Halloween. I was very proud of myself for even making all the center pieces with items from around my house. I took branches that had fallen down during the week and painted them black. I put them in tall vases filled 3/4 with pumpkins. I then put spider webs on the branches and little spiders. They were perfect! Guests raved! See what a little creativity can do? I also gave my guests as party favors, incredible mini hand made pinatas in the shape of skulls and pumpkins. A local artist made them and I found them locally. They were a huge hit!!!!”
So, moms and daughter, fathers and sons, green cheerleaders and recycle cans, we hope that Rochelle and Ally will inspire you to not only celebrate a Green Halloween but also to toss in a little humor with your green (or a little green with your humor).
Any way you slice it, if you make sustainability fun, it’s more likely to be sustainable.
How do YOU put the F-U-N in your green? Add your comments below.
