Halloween is just a few days away! For many of us, that means we’ll be handing out treats to the goblins and ghosts that stop by our doors. It also means that we have an increased awareness for the abundance of sweets that surround us. The kids will bring back bags and bags of candy and as parents, it’s our duty to do the taste testing, right? In reality, Halloween is a fun time filled with tons of overindulgence. But once the holiday is over, the candy and the cravings don’t go away.
Last year, American spent more than $1.9 billion on Halloween candy (according to The Nielson Company); an equivalent of almost 600 million pounds! There really are no healthy choices when it comes to candy. Sticky candies are terrible for your teeth. Chocolate is extremely high in fat and calories. Fruity candies are actually pure sugar. So what are we to do?
Healthiest Halloween candies
The bottom line is that pretty much all Halloween candy is unhealthy. There isn’t nutritious worth in hardly any of it and nearly each and every calorie is empty. If you are going to indulge, be informed about the best choices and aim to maintain your healthy active lifestyle.
If you are choosing to succumb to the chocolate cravings, go for a dark chocolate. There will likely be fewer calories and grams of fat per serving. Try chocolate covered peanuts, raisins, coffee beans, or fruit. In doing so, you will at least be consuming something of nutritious value. Peanut M&M’s are a better choice for you than Twix, Baby Ruth, or Take 5’s because they contain a good amount of peanuts with less chocolate and additional unhealthy additives. Did you know one Baby Ruth or Snicker’s bar contains as many calories as a hamburger? Whew.
Stay completely away from things like Starbursts, Laffy Taffy, and Jolly Ranchers, especially if you can’t brush your teeth right away. Sticky fruity candies are awful for your teeth and are pure sugar with no nutritional value. If you MUST indulge in something fruity and chewy, go with Twizzlers. Comparatively, they are lower in sugar and calories.
Halloween candy alternatives
Make a commitment to yourself this holiday season that instead of indulging in candy, you’ll treat yourself to a healthier lifestyle. When you are craving candy and sweets, grab a fresh juice or a piece of fruit. Research has shown that after avoiding sugary foods for so long, your taste buds can alter to where they no longer crave sugar. If you can stick it out, you’ll be much better off.
Sunflower seeds are notorious for satisfying many different cravings. Keep a stash on hand for times when you are feeling a rush for a treat. Try other forms of desserts such as gelato or frozen yogurt. Invest in some dark chocolate covered almonds.
Create and stick to an exercise routine. The success that you experience from long term lifestyle improvements feels so much better than gobs of candy. Trust me!
How to avoid over indulging
This doesn’t mean that you have to cold completely cold turkey on your absolute faves. The trick to avoiding over-indulgence is to set yourself tangible limits. Make sure you only bring one piece of candy to work or stash a piece in your purse. From personal experience, the more candy you make available to yourself, the more you will indulge.
You’ll never find a mainstream Halloween candy that is good for you. The best you can do is limit yourself to one small “fun-sized” piece of candy or choose an alternative. In order to reduce the amount of candy that you have in your home, make a rule that kids (and adults) can choose only a certain number of candies from their loot and the rest must be donated or given away. Some parents let their children trade the candy for a new toy, and some dentist offices are starting to actually buy back candy from patients which is a pretty cool idea. No matter how you choose to go about it, setting limits and boundaries is key.
