Scary "Treats" for Halloween

Well, tomorrow's Halloween, a day when [along with Valentine's Day] the office fills with tasty--but usually unhealthy--treats.

How can a health-minded manager help? Surely there's nothing wrong with having special days for treats the lift staff spirits. Some tricks I've seen used by individual employees and employers:

• Small candy portions--the tinier the better
• Put out small quantities of treats at one time--people are more reluctant to take a lot if there don't appear to be so many.
• Offer treats with some underlying nutritional value, such as caramel apples rolled in nuts, nut-filled candies, carob chocolates, chocolate-covered pretzels, etc. Be sure to think about having treats for diabetics and others on special diets.
  
• Offer cafeteria meals with a seasonal "harvest" theme and some nutritional value--pumpkin soup, corn, sweet potatoes, baked apples, apple cider, etc.
• Hold a fun walk the day after Halloween to make the point that you can always exercise a little more to make up for a holiday indulgence.
  

You can also use the holiday as a "teaching moment" to help parents' understand and manage their kids' candy consumption, by letting them know about calories-per-serving, the size of a serving, the nutritional enemy of high-fructose corn syrup, etc. Some of that knowledge will sink into parent's minds about their own choices too--without it looking like you're lecturing them.

But don't forget. It's just one day, and it's all for fun. Nobody wants the corporate wellness program to wreck the fun.