With October comes candy, candy, candy…and more candy. Everywhere you turn you’re faced with candy and other seasonal sweets, like cider doughnuts and pumpkin-flavored everything. And then trick-or-treat happens. Now you’re left with bags (literally) of candy sitting on your kitchen counter. Adhering to your healthy lifestyle can get a little tricky this time of year. We’re here to help you prepare for a healthy Halloween.
Wait until the last minute.
If you’re going be handing out candy to trick-or-treaters this year, wait until the very last minute to buy the candy. The longer candy is hanging around the house, the more likely you are to sneak a piece. Or two. Or three or four. We’ve all been there. You go for one piece, and a day or two later, the entire bag has been devoured.
Give out candy you don’t like.
Sounds kind of mean, doesn’t it? To hand out candy that you, yourself, do not like. Think of it this way: your favorites might not be the favorites of all the kids in your neighborhood. That said, you might actually be surprising them with candy that you don’t like. The best part is that you’ll be on your way to a healthy Halloween since you won’t be digging into the treat bucket between doorbell rings.
Let the kids have their fun.
Having all of those sugary treats around the house can make sticking to healthy eats tough. Sending your kids off to collect said sugary treats can seem counterproductive to your family’s healthful lifestyle. Nonetheless, plan to let the kids have their afternoon of fun. One sugar-filled afternoon of junk food won’t completely undo the habits you’ve worked hard to instill in them. Be the parent that takes healthy Halloween treats to the school party and encourage your kids to race from house to house in an effort to burn off some of the extra calories.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Once the candy stash has arrived at home, create a sugar schedule, and stick to it. Then, find a good “hiding” place for the candy and leave it be until it’s sugar time. At that time, everyone can pick two pieces, and two pieces only before the sugar goes in hiding again. If the kids don’t remind you about sugar time, don’t remind them. Again; out of sight, out of mind.
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