Have A Healthy Halloween (Slideshow)

Add vegetables — in this case pumpkin — (but don't hide them!) into something that is traditionally sweet, such as a muffin or cupcakes, to lessen sugar intake during the holiday season.

With my own kids, I let them know before we get to a party that I want them to have fun and take a peek at all the yummy sweets, but they need to pick one or two treats to enjoy, not the entire bag full! This goes for juice, hot chocolate, and other super-sweet and sugary beverages as well.

I find that when my kids get involved with making a few of the dishes being prepared, they see all the effort that goes into them and will even try things they haven't before — including non-traditional Halloween sweets.

It can be intimidating to try new foods when you don't know much about them. Teach kids the name of foods, how they're grown, and what's unique about them. When kids can recognize foods by sight, they're more open to trying them.

Gingerbread cookies are a great way to provide your children with a sweet holiday treat without inducing a sugar high. Full of molasses, these cookies are packed with iron, which is a bonus for kids.