Halloween can be a scary time for us-not because of the ghosts and goblins, but because of the reeses candy, snickers, twix bars, and the assortment of candy and treats that are around.
Halloween means candy and that usually means a tendency to overindulge. In order to avoid indulging, I am offering a few healthy tips for you:
#1) Don’t buy your favorite candy- buy the least interesting candy or better yet, if your kids are small enough to not have an opinion, buy yo-yo’s, stickers, or other cool treats!
#2) If #1 doesn’t work, limit yourself- yes, you may feel that you really want that piece of candy, that you’ve “earned” it, and you may even think that the one little bite size piece of candy isn’t going to do harm, and the honest truth is, it probably won’t- but keep sticking your hand in the bowl, and before you know it, you will have eaten more than you intended! And that’s not good! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s parties are around the corner and you will want to save your calories so that you can look great in that little black dress! So, pick one or two bite size pieces to eat and that’s it!
I am including a short list of candy that will reduce your chance of getting spooked by the scale:· 3 mini York Peppermint Patties (150 calories, 3g fat)
· 6 Dum-Dums pops (150 calories, 0g fat)
· 5 snack size Twizzlers Strawberry Twists (150 calories, 1g fat)
· 3 mini Twix (150 calories, 8g fat)
· 3 treat size boxes of Nerds (150 calories, 0g fat)
· 7 Hershey’s Kisses (156 calories, 9g fat)
· 2 fun size packs of milk chocolate m&m’s (147 calories, 7g fat)
· 6 mini 3Musketeers (146 calories, 4g fat)
· 6 rolls of Smarties (150 calories, 0g fat)
#3) Purge it- If it was a light year for trick or treaters stopping by, and you have leftover candy, get rid of it! We give it to my husband’s office, the doorman, or kids shelters.
#4) Trade it- Depending on how much loot my kids collect, I will give them money ($.25 for each piece of candy they “sell” me). This is great because the kids can use the extra money for something at the toy store that they’ve had their eye on. With the candy that you know have bought from your kids, get rid of it ASAP so you won't be tempted!
#5) Halloween IS NOT a free pass to eat the reeses, peppermint patties, twix, etc all day/night long. You can rationalize all you want (dark chocolate is an antioxidant, peanut butter cups are trans-fat free, twizzlers are low-fat), but the truth is, the calories will add up! So, be wise and enjoy them in moderation.
So, now that you know what to do for yourself, how do you keep your kids healthy? Many people believe that “healthy Halloween” is a classic oxymoron. While you don’t want to be seen as a “Halloween Scrooge” you do want them to be healthy. Here are a few ways to help your kids have a healthier Halloween:
#1) Feed your children a healthy meal before they go out trick or treating. This will help them filling up on too much candy because they are hungry.
#2) Instead of candy, try handing out treats, like small toys, stickers.
#3)Don’t let your kids overindulge in the candy that they collect. Offer buy-backs (see #4 above). Also, allow them to eat a piece of candy only after they’ve had a healthy snack.
#4) Forbidding the candy will certainly backfire on you. Allow them to eat some, and explain the importance of healthy choices of snacks and teach them moderation!
Have a happy and healthy Halloween!
