Happy Halloween! It’s the official start to the season of gorging. But THIS year we are going to be offering you delicious alternatives throughout the holiday season that will help you reduce temptation, help educate your kids on healthy choices, and stay healthy and lean! Who doesn’t want to stay LEAN and FIT during the holidays??
CHOOSE PROTEIN: For Halloween, we know candy is a must. No one wants to be that one house that gives out apples. Those houses get egged. So, in order to choose the most healthy OPTION just remember to choose a candy that has a nice balance of carbohydrates AND protein. All the refined sugar in the candy isn’t great, but if you choose the candies with say, nuts, then there’s at least a nutritional value attached. Two good examples to choose are Baby Ruths or M&Ms.
FUN SIZE IT: Another good–and economical–choice is to go for the fun size. Everyone loves the house that gives out the king size Milky Ways, but there’s no need to contribute that solidly to the childhood obesity epidemic. For example, a fun size Nestle Butterfinger serving of two bars contains 170 calories, 60 of those from fat with 3.5 grams of saturated fat and 17 grams of sugar versus a full size bar serving, which has 270 calories, 100 of those from fat and six grams of saturated fat with 28 grams of sugar. The fun size options are greatly reduced in calories and sugar, and will make a huge difference.
EAT WITHOUT SHAME: Remember that it’s okay to splurge, but it’s not okay to splurge when you constantly tell yourself it’s okay to splurge every time there’s a moment where it’s okay to splurge. That means that in the holiday season, you’ve got to be a little more reserved about when–and what!— you splurge for. For instance, if you’re craving the sugar you can eat a fruity RingPop for 60 calories versus a snickers bar containing around 200 calories. And use the same practices with your kids, limit their intake and don’t keep their candy stash readily availble. Or better yet, make them work for it. They want a chocolate bar? Have them clear the dishes first! A great reward for finishing a full meal is a nice candy bar at the end– and your metabolism will thank you for it!