Halloween is the one day of the year most known for excessive candy intake!
I'm not here to tell you to skip the candy all together, but I would like to challenge you to be intentional about what you eat. There are a few 'tricks' that allow you to enjoy some 'treats' without derailing your health goals.
Check them out so you can stay on track during this fun and scary night!
Tricks for the Treats
- Read the Ingredients! Whenever I am temped to eat processed food, I look at the ingredient list. Reading the ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, and hydrogenated oils) reminds me that is is NOT REAL FOOD after all, and that I really don't want to eat it. A colleague once told me that when they read these ingredients they end up viewing most processed food more like an object rather than a food
- Pass out something besides candy at your house. I remember one of my favorite houses to trick or treat at growing up had a jar of foreign coins. The top of the jar was small, but you were allowed to take anything you could grab between your fingers. Small hands could grab more than big hands. It was fun to see the foreign currency and figure out what country it was from.
- Get candy that doesn't tempt you. I struggle to avoid Reese's peanut butter cups. I know that if I pass these out at my house, I will inevitably eat more of them than I should. Buy some candy that isn't particular tempting to you, so it will be easier to resist.
- Set a limit for yourself and stick to it. Early in the day, think about how many pieces of candy you are going to let yourself to eat. You get to decide how many fit with your goals. Set the amount of candy you want to eat aside, and only eat out of your stash. This will prevent you from unconsciously grabbing candy from the bowl without realizing it.
- Go for a walk! Halloween is a great day to be outside in the neighborhood chatting with your neighbors. You are being social, moving your body, and not thinking about that bowl of candy.
- Donate your candy! Getting the candy out of your house shortly after Halloween is a really smart plan. One way to do this is through donating it to a worthy cause. Operation Gratitude is a an organization that distributes donated candy to military personnel and first responders. You can find more information about Operation Gratitude's Halloween Candy Give Back Program here.
- Make sure to eat a good healthy lunch and dinner. If you start the night full and satisfied it will be much easier to say 'no' to the candy! Please, don't pass out candy or go trick-or-treating on an empty stomach!
I hope you follow some of these tips, and have a little bit of a healthier Halloween! Do you have any of your own tips? I'd love to hear about them.
Dr. Jamie