Healthier options for Halloween

Gaining those extra Halloween candy pounds can be hard to avoid, but snacking on alternative options will help scare away the extra weight.

Bagged pretzels- “Little bags of fun Halloween pretzel shapes are really fun for the kids. They are such a good option, because it’s getting them away from all that sugar they’re receiving and they can save it for a healthy Halloween snack in their lunch or for their after school snack,” dietician Dr. Christine M.Kaczmar said.  A bag of Rold Gold pretzel sticks is 110 calories, according to Fritolay.com.

Granola bars- “Granola bars are one of the perfect snacks to hand out to kids on Halloween, because if you get the ones with chocolate chips they still give that sweet taste and the granola is healthier than a plain old candy bar.” Kaczmar said.  Chewy granola bars from Quaker Oats are 100 calories in seven different flavors including best sellers: oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip and chocolate peanut butter.

Fruit snacks- “Although fruit snacks are somewhat sugary, they are better than chocolate or gummies with a sugar coating.  The best kind of fruit snacks to buy are the ones with vitamins in them and the ones that are made from real fruit.  All ages love them,” she said.  An individual bag of mixed flavor fruit snacks is 130 calories, according to Welch’s website.

Popcorn- “Popcorn is a great choice to receive on halloween instead of candy because it’s a lot lower in calories than a chocolate bar with all that sugar.  Popcorn is also better than handing out chips, because it solves those salty cravings everyone has with a lot less fat,” Kaczmar said.  Skinny pop, a gluten free, cholesterol free, and zero trans fat popcorn, provides a 39 calorie snack per cup.  It comes in Ultralite white cheddar, original, Naturally sweetened.