For those of you who celebrate Halloween, you know that the holiday isn’t contained to just one day. After the trick-or-treaters are gone and the costume parades are over, now you are have to deal with the leftover candy. Even though it’s tempting to just consume all of it and start fresh when it’s gone, this doesn’t fare well for your waist line. On the other hand, moderation may not work either. The thinking might be that it won’t hurt due to the treat’s small size and fewer calories. That sounds good until you consume four or five pieces in one sitting and feel the effects.
So what should you do? For those of you who know you can moderate your intake, try to limit your consumption to just a one or two pieces per day and after a few days or a week throw away the rest. I know this sounds wasteful, but your body will thank you. Try to have the candy at the end of a meal after you’ve consumed protein so that you can blunt the rise in blood sugar as much as possible and be less apt to go back for more.
To avoid temptation, put the candy in the freezer or on a very high shelf out of reach. The bigger issue is having to deal with your kids. Put a couple pieces in their healthful lunch and pack their lunch in the morning when you are less prone to start off your day with candy. If moderation is not your style, then simply throw it all away after Halloween passes or consider giving out healthy treats.
This is the time of year when people start the slippery slope of weight gain toward the New Year; so don’t let Halloween trick you into sabotaging your efforts before the holidays even begin.