Halloween is quickly approaching! Whether you have kids who plan on trick-or-treating until their bags are full or you have candy on hand to give out to neighborhood kids, you may end up with a lot of tempting treats around the house! Try these tips to help you avoid overindulging on candy.
Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruit and healthy treats. For ideas, click here and here!
Limit yourself. Choose a reasonable amount of candy (e.g. 1 large/full-size, 2-3 small) and only eat that amount. If you have the bag or box the candy came in, you can also check the serving size to determine how much to eat.
Keep it in perspective. Remember, candy is empty calories and unnecessary sugar; it isn’t contributing to your health. In fact, over time the excess calories and sugar can have negative effects.
Save your empty wrappers. The surplus of candy makes it easy to just keep eating and eating without realizing how much you have cumulatively eaten. Saving your wrappers can help you see how much you’ve eaten and hopefully prevent you from overdoing it.
Fill up on healthy foods. If you know you have candy lying around, it can be difficult to avoid temptation, especially if you’re hungry.
Blame it on the “switch witch.” Swap some of your kids’ candy for small toys, coins or money after they go to sleep on Halloween night. Or if your kids are older and won’t believe it, try to buy it from them.
Put it away. If the candy isn’t easily available, it makes it easier to avoid.
Toss leftover candy after a week. This gives both you and your family an opportunity to enjoy it, but not overdo it.
Donate it. There are many organizations that will take leftover candy. Look for local charities, food pantries or organizations that send care packages to our troops.
Looking for some kid-specific tips? Click here for 15 ways to use leftover Halloween candy.
From all of us at Health Advocate, we hope you and your family have a fun, safe, and healthy Halloween!
