As a nutrition coach Halloween is my least favorite holiday. All year long I talk to clients about limiting processed sugars and behold Halloween throws them off with streets lined with candy!
Everyone has a candy drawer at work starting to get low and then Halloween comes along and fills it for the rest of the year until New Years resolutions start.
Parents take their kids to parking lots and zoos to get free candy.
This Halloween here are some tips to keep you on the right track:
Make healthy halloween themed snacks: One idea is to choose orange foods for the healthy options, such as carrots or baked sweet potato fries. Traditional Halloween candy is high in calories, sugar and fat, and provides little nutrition. Make your own treats that have some nutritional value by including a source of fruits, vegetables, nuts or whole grains. Try popcorn tossed with cinnamon. Go for pumpkin treats, such as fiber-packed cinnamon-roasted pumpkin seeds or vitamin A-rich pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins. (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
Consider these other healthy, Halloween-themed snack ideas:
Warm apple cider with cinnamon sticks
Smoothies made with low-fat vanilla yogurt and canned pumpkin
Apple slices with a fruit dip made with yogurt mixed with canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice
Date and pumpkin energy balls
Pumpkin pie dip made with low-fat cream cheese, Greek yogurt, roasted pumpkin and spices
Baked apples or pears with cinnamon, nuts and honey
Practice portion control: Limit the number of sweet treats consumed by you and your family. If you decide to pass out candy, hand it out to each child rather than let them take handfuls out of the bowl.
Limit any sweet treats to the day of Halloween and take any leftover candy and throw them in the trash.
Don’t focus on the food: Use halloween to take advantage of all the non-food fun you could have. Watching scary movies with friends, going to the pumpkin patch and carving pumpkins, and dressing up in an awesome costume and going for a walk outside!
With any holiday try to stay on track to the healthiest/best version of yourself. If that means having less candy this year than last GREAT! Small steps leading you in the right direction are a great start.
If you want help getting on track and staying on track this holiday season, book a free intro with a nutrition coach by clicking below! We look forward to helping you on your journey to your best self.
Coach Emily