Today is the one day of the year most known for excessive candy intake. If you have been following along with my weekly emails, you know that this goes against everything that I teach!! But what to do about it? Here are my healthier Halloween tips! You might not be able to follow all of them, but listening to just a few might keep you from going candy crazy!
- Read the Ingredients! Whenever I am temped by a piece of processed food, I look at the ingredient list. Reading about ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, food coloring, and hydrogenated oils reminds me that it is NOT REAL FOOD after all, and that I really don't want to eat it.
Recently, a colleague told me that they now have changed their mindset about food to the point that reading poor ingredients allows them to view processed food (e.g. a Snickers Bar) more like an object (e.g. their spiral notebook) rather than food. I don't know if I am quite there yet, but I'm working on it. - Pass out something besides candy at your house. I remember one of my favorite houses to trick or treat at growing up had a jar of foreign coins. The top of the jar was small, but you were allowed to take anything you could grab between your fingers. Small hands could grab more than big hands. It was fun to see the foreign currency and figure out what country it was from.
- Get candy that doesn't tempt you. I struggle to avoid Reese's peanut butter cups. I know that if I pass these out at my house, I will inevitably eat more of them than I should.
- Set a limit for yourself and stick to it. Early in the day, think about how many pieces of candy is reasonable to eat. I won't tell you how many, you can decide this for yourself. Set this aside and don't allow yourself to unconsciously grab pieces from the bowl without realizing it.
- Go for a walk! Yes it might be a little chilly out today, but it is a great day to be outside in the neighborhood and chat with your neighbors. This way you are being social, moving your body, and not thinking about that bowl of candy.
- Donate your candy! Warrenville Dental Group (the Dentist office that I share space with) is doing a Candy Buy Back! The will pay you $1/pound for up to 5 pounds of candy. They then will donate the candy to the troops through operation gratitude. Here is a link for more details and times to bring your candy by the office!
- Make sure to eat a good healthy lunch and dinner so you are full and satisfied! No passing out candy or trick-or-treating on an empty stomach!
Hope you can follow some of these tips and have a little bit of a healthier Halloween!
Dr. Jamie