Keep Your Diet in Check on Halloween

The biggest problem with these Halloween sweets is that they have plenty of calories per serving and little nutritional value. Plus, the smaller “fun-size” treats often fool dieters into thinking that they can eat multiple pieces without harming their diets. But t only takes 9 of these mini-candy bars to add a quarter of a pound of fat to your body.
Beyond candy, Halloween is also filled with other indulgent treats. Whether it is pumpkin pie, gooey popcorn balls, or sweet candied apples, there is no shortage of calories during the month of October.
What can you do?
Obviously, there is no way that you can totally eliminate candy from Halloween with spoiling all of the fun. So here are some tips to help you stick to your diet, while still allowing yourself the occasional sweet indulgence.
• Walk when trick-or-treating. Not only is it a good idea to supervise your kids while they are out trick-or-treating, it will help you burn some extra calories while you do it, even if you are walking slowly.
• Store leftovers in the cupboard. If you leave the Halloween candy out in plain sight, you will be more likely to indulge in the “occasional” snack. Storing it in an unmarked container in the cupboard will help reduce the temptation to have a taste.
• Wait until Halloween to buy candy. Yes, it does mean a little bit of last minute shopping, but having candy in the house prior to Halloween is merely a temptation to eat it. If waiting until Halloween to shop is just not practical with your schedule, only buy candy that you personally don't care for.
• Provide candy alternatives. Whether it is treats for the trick-or-treaters or munchies for your Halloween party, thinking healthy when you shop can help keep diet damaging foods to the minimum. Consider handing out stickers or pencils to trick-or-treaters, and look for veggie trays with healthy dips and other low fat snacks for your party.
• Give Halloween candy a deadline. Choose a date when all Halloween candy needs to be out of the house or eaten by the kids. Any remaining candy on that day should be thrown out. Alternatively, divide up surplus candy into freezer bags and store in the freezer. This will help prevent the temptation to snack.
• Focus on other activities. If you can, consider skipping trick-or-treating altogether and focus on an activity that doesn't center around food. Hayrides, haunted houses, and bonfires can all be fun activities that the whole family can participate in.
Of course, if you can't keep your Halloween temptations to a minimum, your other alternative is to spend some extra time at the gym working the pounds off. The choice is up to you.