Halloween is the most FUN holiday. You can create a costume, dress up and act like any character you want; you get lots of candy and goodies without having to buy lots of gifts; you have a chance to go to harvest festivals, Halloween parties and haunted house exhibits. No stress–good times and fun. For kidney patients it’s a great time to lighten your load and laugh for your health.

In case you haven’t gotten involved yet, here are some great tips that will keep your kidney diet on tract this Halloween. Start by reading my past blog post on Halloween candy tips or check out the DaVita.com article Kidney friendly candy for dialysis patients. Get all the details you need to choose the best candies and treats to stay on track with your kidney diet.

Next, pick a fun activity, invite a few friends and family members and enjoy a special Halloween event. Some of my favorites include:

• Pumpkin decorating contest–ask everyone to bring their own pumpkin. Set up a place to carve and decorate the pumpkins then vote on the best of show, most scary, most creative, etc.  Afterwards serve hot cider and goodies.
• Candy apple-making–provide the apples and extras and make different kinds of candy-coated apples to serve at your Halloween party. Save a few extra apples and have an apple-bobbing contest.
• Popcorn ball bonanza–pop a big bag of popcorn and make popcorn balls to serve to trick-or-treaters. Try one of the DaVita popcorn recipes listed below.
• Theme Costume Party–invite your friends over and suggest a theme for costumes–characters from a favorite show or movie; a food or drink costume; scary characters; cartoon characters—any fun theme you want.
• Community Halloween events–many communities hold festivals and events this time of year. Look in local newspapers and online for community festivities and plan on attending.
• The day after collecting Halloween candy, separate the kidney-friendly pieces and package the rest up to give to a friend or neighbor who will enjoy the special treat.

Try one of these favorite DaVita.com Halloween Recipes

Apple Caramel Dessert Caramel Apple Salad Hot Apple Cider Popcorn Balls Sweet Popcorn Balls Sugar and Spice Popcorn Frost on the Pumpkin Pie Glistening Frog Eye Salad Halloween Delight Cake