Your Health

The time of year draws near where many of us seem to continue to sneak little mini treats from our give away bowl for ourselves.  Sometimes we eat more ‘mini’s than we actually give out!

All those fun-sized little bars and baggies come at a cost – Sugar Calories – which always finds our waistband.

Here are some sample items and just how many calories are present:

M&M’s – 88 calories

Hershey Milk Chocolate – 67 calories

Butterfinger – 85 calories

Snickers Bar – 80 calories

Kit Kat – 73 calories

Lollypops – 60 calories

Candy Corn 11 pieces – 70 calories

The list can go much like the length of the candy isle.  As a ‘candy distributor’ every time we eat 3 Halloween mini items the calories add up to around 260 which really is the equivalence of a normal size chocolate bar!

Some tips on what you can buy to hand out instead of candy:

• fun pencils
• themed erasers
• mini toys
• rub on tattoos
• stickers

And if you do want to give some edible item out consider better choices such as raisins, trail mix bags or even mini microwave popcorn bags as that has a bit of fiber.

Temptation tips!

1)  Make sure your meals and snacks are solid throughout the day. When we are not hungry it is much easier to say no to a food temptation.

2)  Buy items that you are not a fan of yourself so then it is easier to pass up.  

3)  Store these Halloween treats up high where you literally have to get a chair or ladder to reach them.  Sometimes when we fall weak in the knees doing an extra step (such as getting a chair to reach them) can turn us off entirely.  

4)  Make a concrete rule as to the number(s) of treat items you will have daily.  If you know you lack self discipline then make this number zero and do not use this strategy.

5)  Keep things like sugarless gum or crunchy snacks ready to go. If you have carrots washed, cut and ready or sliced fruit with maybe yoghurt to dip you are more prone to grabbing that when you are hungry than the halloween sugar candy.  Gum is something that can keep your mouth busy so you forget about eating.

6)  If you do go for Halloween treats skip the white chocolate ones and pick a dark chocolate one instead.  A good example is Dark Dove Squares.  Instead of caramel or peanut butter filled items pick either pure chocolate choices, or ones with real nuts or raisins. 

Happy Halloween everyone!