It’s that time again – another holiday that seems to be entirely focused on CANDY!!! A lot of the same tricks that got us through Easter will help us enjoy Halloween, but it does come with its own special challenge: Trick-or-Treating!
Is the Candy Safe?

Photos at the pumpkin patch
An important thing to know is that often “fun size” (and “king size”) versions of candies have different ingredients or are processed in different facilities than the regular size versions! Unfortunately, the ingredients and allergy statements of “fun size” candies are usually found on the outer bag rather than the individual candies. You may want to check with the manufacturers to make sure familiar candies are still safe!
Eat the Candy?

Halloween candy the kids collected but didn’t eat
Here’s what Roxanne had to say on our facebook page:
I like to let my boys go trick or treating and then they are allowed to eat as much candy as they want until they get sick – which reinforces what I’m always telling them that candy makes them sick, lol! The rest of the candy then goes bye bye.
Our family has decided not to eat the candy… well, maybe a piece or two of the gluten-free candy will get eaten. But we don’t want to gorge, we don’t want to feel sick, and we don’t want to get re-addicted to sugar and other processed crap!
What to do with the candy?
If you’re not going to eat the candy, you’ve got a couple choices – one is not to have it in the first place. Instead of trick or treating, you can host a Halloween party with treats like honey sticks or homemade caramel apples. Play games, watch a spooky movie, and tell scary stories around a camp fire.For trick or treaters that come to your door, you can have healthier alternatives or toys available.
Here’s what Amy had to say on our facebook page:
We just can’t trick or treat. My kids can’t handle the temptation and will not let them eat crap commercial candy. What is supposed to be a fun, kid centered holiday turns into a nightmare. Last year we handed out candy at home and to my shock and delight the kids LOVED it. This year we are going to make a not very haunted house out of an easy up canopy and black sheets. The kids are going to be inside, dressed up passing out candy. I do pass out crap candy though. We have one of those neighborhoods that gets hundreds of trick or treaters and we can’t afford anything but the cheapest candy. I will have a bag ready for my kids this year with with safe treats and prizes.

Ready for trick or treating!
Last year was the first year we let them go out by themselves. That is a huge right of passage for a tween kid that they didn’t want to miss! So they got dressed up, went out on the early side, and made a haul! (They had the option of going out again after bringing the candy back.)
Then, we turned right around and handed that candy out to the neighbor kids who came by, and finally left a bowl on the porch for whoever wanted to raid it. Unfortunately, there was still candy left over.
Plenty of kids won’t happily give up the candy they collect. In the past we’ve paid the kids money for their candy. A typical amount to pay is $1/lb. You can get creative, though. Some parents bake special halloween treats to swap out for the candy, or offer up a special privilege, outing, or a new video game.

Fun times at the corn maze
If you don’t want anyone to eat it, you can get creative and turn it into art! Here’s an idea Karen shared on our facebook page:
We save it all and use it to decorate a regular gingerbread house for a yearly contest, then display the house. Since it is not GF we can’t eat it, but we can enjoy looking at it thru the holiday season.
Enjoy the Season

Hay ride at the pumpkin patch
We remember to have some high value snacks on hand, though, since they’ve always got treats we don’t eat for sale.
I hope you all have a happy, safe, spooky Halloween!

The kids’ jack-o-lanterns
For more on supporting your kids on special diets at the holidays and every day, check out these posts:
- Empowering Kids On Special Diets
- Empowering Kids Part 2: A Fresh Start
- Empowering Kids Part 3: Make It Easy
- Empowering Kids Part 4: On Their Own
- Easter Bunny Blues
- The Holidays
This post is part of Seasonal Celebration, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Wheat Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesday, Cybele Pascal.
Great article with plenty of ideas for celebration that don’t involve eating it.
A few other ideas: some families have the Candy Goblin visit. Their kids eat a few candies then put their basket out on Halloween night. The goblin comes and swaps the candy for a gift! This is fun and a great strategy when parents start this at a young age.
My kids put their chocolate bars in a bag in the freezer and forget about it till summer. They eat some, trade with each other, and much of it ends up in the trash. Seems more like a novelty to play with it. I love the tip of keeping the weird “decorative” stuff to decorate ginger bread houses. We will be doing that.
I got through last holiday season without eating candy or sugar, baking my own treats, but this year I’m eating some sugar and will really have to watch it. I relate to your words about not getting re-addicted. For some of us, it’s easier to eat NO sugar than to have it sometimes.
Thanks,
Alysse
Thanks for the idea of honey sticks! Holiday’s can be so tricky and I never want my kids to feel like the odd man out too much. I’ve been passing out fruit leathers for a couple years but I was hoping to find something different! I’m trying to be the change I want to see in the world so am trying to pass out nutritious goodies, honey sticks this year! Maybe I’ll let the kids pick five candies (without gluten, diary and a few other things my daughter can not eat) to keep and do the whole goblin thing Alysse mentioned! That would be so cool for them to leave their candy like they would a tooth for the tooth fairy. Happy Halloween! Looks like you have some great kids! 🙂
This is a great (and timely) article! I’d love for you to share it on my new blog hop, {Wheat-Free Wednesday}! Hope to see you there! 🙂
http://www.annemariecain.com/wheat-free-wednesday-blog-hop-party/
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