Trick or Treat (the healthier way)!

Let’s face it. For the majority of us, holidays go hand-in-hand with less than ideal (although usually delicious) eating choices. Halloween, in particular, provides us with an endless supply of sweet treats that can taunt our tastebuds and haunt our waistline for months! Luckily, with a few modifications to our Halloween routine, we can make this holiday a healthier treat.

Tip #1 – Eat a meal before hitting the street!
Have you ever heard the rule about not going to the grocery store on an empty stomach? The same holds true for trick or treating. Eating a nice meal before heading out will help curb the craving to snack on those treats while you’re en route to the next house. After-all, reaching into the bag every now and then for a little taste test makes it hard to gauge how much you’ve really had, which leads us to tip #2…

Tip #2 – Moderation is key.
We’ve all been there – that moment when you’re enjoying some candy and you’re instantly horrified by how much you’ve eaten when you see all of those innocent candy wrappers left behind in your path of destruction. The truth is, one mini snickers isn’t all that bad for you. However, if you’re not being mindful about how much is being grabbed out of the candy bag, before you know it, all of those mini’s will be gone. Before heading out to trick or treat, set clear boundaries about how many pieces of candy can be eaten when you get home.

Tip #3 – Sort and surrender.
A lot of people don’t think about donating candy, but trust us, this is a much better option than becoming a candy hoarder. Donating is a great way to cut back on the excess sweets that have just taken over your home. Better yet, you can support a good cause by doing so. Sorting candy after trick or treating is perhaps one of the most fulfilling parts of the evening because that’s when you get a good idea of how awesome your stash is! As your kids (or maybe it’s you…because c’mon, you’re never too old to trick or treat) are sorting through that mountain of candy, pick one piece of candy for each person per day for a week or two. Then you can donate all of the remaining candy to a good cause like Operation Shoebox which sends candy to our troops. Click here for details.

Tip #4 – Probably the easiest tip of all, take a smaller bag!
This is a no-brainer. Nobody really needs a pillowcase (or a plastic jack-o-lantern) full of candy. Taking a smaller bag means you can only collect a limited amount of treats, which will make your life easier for many reasons! Trust us, your teeth will thank you.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Halloween this year. Stay safe and stay warm!