Want a healthier Halloween?
How you approach this holiday can set a healthy tone. The key is to plan it– because if you can plan it, then you can manage it.
One approach is to ignore Halloween altogether– go out that night, turn out the lights and pretend it doesn’t exist. For some people, this is a very wise choice. There are those for whom candy is an addiction – and avoiding candy altogether is the best approach.
Some seek out healthy treats — and on our Facebook page we discussed alternative ideas to the candy. They range from passing out gifts instead — like from the dollar store, to popcorn.
Another approach is to only buy candy that is not appealing to you at all – then when you have passed it out– you are not sad when you give it away.
The great thing about today’s candy — it just doesn’t taste as good as it did years ago. Most chocolate today has become more “waxy” and less savory than the same brand years ago. So, if you want to indulge in candy – purchase very expensive, delicious candy that you will pass out to the kids, and if there is some left over– keep it for special occasions.
This year is more fun for me– with my 3 month old son, I look forward to seeing those little kids come for treats — so our plan for Halloween is to buy some really great candy, and pass it out to the kids. I look forward to seeing the cute little kids that can barely walk get their best candy from the Simpson house.
We also bought a lot of candy that neither one of us like – so there will be no problem giving that away. That is the candy we are giving to the teenage kids that should have stopped trick-or-treating years ago.
The hardest candy for most are the “half way” pieces. The “bite size” bits of a Snicker’s bar, or Butterfinger. Did you know that to exercise off those two bite size bars you need to spend an HOUR in the gym. Yup — an HOUR in the gym just for 2 bite size bars.
So – plan your approach so you can limit the damage. Indulge in some really great candy – and don’t get caught up in tossing one “bite” size candy in your mouth after another.
Finally remember this: the worst candy is sweetened with High Fructose Corn Syrup- don’t get that. You don’t need it and neither do the kids.
