Top 5 Healthiest Halloween Treats for Your Kids This Season
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Top 5 Healthiest Halloween Treats for Your Kids This Season

It’s almost Halloween!

Time for fun costumes, scary movies, and of course, trick-or-treating.

If your family is like most who celebrate, you’re probably especially excited about the holiday since things are returning to normal after two years of restrictions due to COVID-19.

One of the downsides of the holiday from a dental perspective is that more families are eating a lot more sugary treats in October. Not only do they eat those treats on the actual holiday, but they also eat them in the days leading up to Halloween and the days and weeks after.

Extra sugar puts your kids at risk of developing dental decay.

Thankfully, your Carson orthodontist has you covered with some healthy snack/treat ideas that your kids will love.

5 of the Healthiest Halloween Treats for Kids

Some families do their best to eat healthfully and provide healthy snacks for their kids throughout the year. Then, when Halloween comes around, they and their kids go crazy with the candy.

While this will not necessarily cause any harm (unless it becomes something more than an occasional habit), we still want to do our best to keep our kids healthy. One way we can do that is by giving them some healthier treat options during Halloween.

Here are some Halloween treat ideas from your Carson orthodontist.

1. Cauldron Trail Mix

The Healthy Family Project has dozens of healthy, fun treat ideas. One idea is trail mix. You might not think this is an exciting idea, but it can be with the right ingredients.

Trail mix is great because it’s so versatile. You can add any kind of nuts, seeds, and fruits your family likes. You can even add a few pieces of chocolate to sweeten the treat. (Just remember that dried fruit and chocolate can get stuck in the biting surfaces of the teeth and contribute to decay. Be sure to brush after eating.)

Stick your custom trail mix in a cauldron, and it makes the perfect healthy Halloween treat!

2. Granola Bars

Granola bars are a great source of fiber and nutrients. They provide energy for a long night of trick or treating. They also don’t have to contain a ton of sugar. You can purchase low-sugar energy bars or make your own. Making granola bars doesn’t have to be a complicated process, either. Some granola bar recipes only consist of five ingredients.

3. Chocolate Banana Ghost Pops

Fresh fruit contains nutrients like folic acid and vitamin C that help kids stay healthy. Research has shown that a diet that consists of fresh fruits in addition to whole grains, vegetables, and lean proteins can help:

But giving your child a simple banana or orange as a Halloween treat might not go over so well with them. Instead, try some truly inspired chocolate banana ghost pops that taste great and look fantastic.

4. Spooky Fruit Platter

Fruit contains natural sugars that don’t cause spikes in blood sugar or other detrimental health issues like processed sugars. For a tasty treat, start with a fruit platter with bananas, grapes, apples, and oranges. Then, with a bit of creativity (which includes adding peanut butter, chocolate, and a few marshmallows), you can make the fruit look Halloween-appropriate.

5. Frankenstein Guacamole Platter

Consider guacamole if you need to make something for a Halloween party at home, school, or a friend’s house. Avocados are great for your teeth and gums because they contain high levels of potassium and folic acid, both of which strengthen teeth and gums and encourage cell renewal. Again, get creative and turn your guacamole and chips into a replica of Frankenstein. Enjoy!

Can One Holiday Really Do That Much Damage to My Child’s Teeth?

One night of indulging in sweets isn’t going to cause your child’s teeth to decay. Plaque, food particles, and decay won’t cause damage for a few weeks or months.

However, the acids released by oral bacteria can start to cause demineralization, leading to discoloration, sensitivity, and enamel weakness. This process can start to happen within 30 minutes of eating, so your Carson orthodontist and dentist recommend brushing after every meal or at least twice a day and flossing daily.

Another thing to take into account is that many families that trick-or-treat have Halloween candy for more than a single night. The candy they get from friends and neighbors can last for weeks. Besides a lack of good dental home care, additional sugar in the diet is one of the leading causes of dental decay.

Why Be Especially Diligent If Your Kids Are in Braces?

Any child can develop dental decay when they consume more sugary foods. Unfortunately, kids with braces may have a higher risk of developing decay because of the brackets on their teeth.

To be clear – none of the components of braces cause decay. But the area around the brackets is another area where plaque and bacteria can hide. It’s similar to the biting surfaces of the teeth. They have more nooks and crannies than the facial or tongue surfaces of the teeth, so children are more apt to develop decay in these areas because they’re harder to clean.

If your child is in braces, you can:

Protect Your Child’s Health During the Holidays

Monitoring the goodies your child receives from others or gets from you is a way to ensure your child’s health and safety.

Studies have shown that increased sugar in the diet can lead to childhood obesity, diabetes, dental decay, and nutrient deficiencies in children under age 19.

Reducing your child’s sugar intake, in general, can help prevent these health conditions. By doing this, occasional splurges won’t be a big deal, and you and your kids can enjoy them thoroughly.

Are you worried about orthodontic emergencies during the holidays? Contact our team to find out what you can do to prevent emergencies and what to do if your child happens to have one this season.